'The people who want to hear an apology were not ready for it' – Graham Monaghan

Donegal-born Graham Monaghan, who was adopted from care in West Inishowen in the 1970s, described as “shocking” the leaking of the final report of the Mother and Baby Home Commission.

The report, which found 9,000 children had died in the 18 institutions investigated by the Commission, appeared in a national newspaper, before survivors and families had a chance to read it.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O'Gorman said he was “very sorry” survivors had found out details of the report this way as it was “not acceptable”. He added he was “seeking an investigation of how these sensitive details came into the public domain”.

Speaking to Donegal Live, following Taoiseach Micheál Martin's formal state apology to the victims of Mother and Baby Homes, in the National Convention Centre, last week, Graham Monaghan said the leak was “shocking but did not surprise me”.

He added: “Unfortunately, the State cannot be trusted on these issue. It is just one scandal after another the way it disrespects people's feelings.

“Regarding actually reading the report, unfortunately, I would not be able to stomach it. I have been listening to an awful lot of the contributions and people talking about it and talking about excerpts from it but I would find it too disturbing to read. Even listening to other people's stories is quite upsetting.

“The commentary of people who actually testified to the Mother and Baby Home Commission is that they did not even get their testimony reported accurately or properly in the final report. That is shocking. There have been mistakes and misrepresentations right throughout it.

“There is an absence of definite testimony from people and the incidents which happened to them, yet, the findings of the report are

there is no evidence of this. The report is saying, 'Yes, we know it happened but we cannot say it happened'. This does not make any sense,” said Graham.

Marc MacSharry TD (Sligo-Leitrim) is to raise Graham's particular case in the Dáil next week. Adopted from Inishowen at the age of 11-months-old, Graham now lives in Sligo.

Now 50-years-old, Graham said: “I had two arms that were destroyed while I was an infant in Care. I have no right to a long form Birth Certificate. I don't appear to have any Baptismal Certificate and no medical records appear to exist from the time of my birth to the time of my adoption. And I am not the only one.

“Going through the the Redress Scheme the previous time, it was a case of not being believed and it was constant. However, this happened, these things did happen, yet there is a dismissive attitude on the part of the State.

“And, on top of that, Micheál Martin and the Government were repeatedly asked not to make the apology this week. The people who want to hear an apology are not ready for it. It showed disrespect again not having some survivors able to be in the Dáil Chamber, as opposed to the National Convention Centre, to listen to the apology.

Micheál Martin was asked and asked not to do it, yet he ploughed ahead because, 'they know best'. It is just disrespect after disrespect. I know there are some survivors and some people who feel it was a worthwhile thing to do and I completely respect that, however, I cannot show any respect for the fact the Government was asked to delay the apology, not to do it now. What was the motivation for ploughing ahead? I think was just ticking a box again and saying, 'Well we have done that and that is another thing done', said Graham.

Graham said “horrible, unspeakable things” happened behind the walls and doors of the Mother and Baby Homes.

He added: “The commentary is that the report has misrepresented people yet again. That is the important part. Survivors and families were not given time and proper clarity. They did not get time to clarify whether the report was complete, rather than what it contained. What is missing from the report is the more important thing. It has been pointed out that report is only based on a small number of institutions.

“Taoiseach Enda Kenny had crocodile tears in 2017 when he described the Tuam Mother and Baby Home as 'a chamber of horrors'. I thought Micheál Martin attempted to bring the tears the other day too but they just would not come for him. After Enda Kenny's speech, many things were promised but very little of it came through. What happens now after Micheál Martin's words?

“We do not need a referendum to change the Constitution in order to get access to our personal details. Why has it taken so many years to discover that the law did not need to be changed? It keeps coming back to why people in our situation just cannot trust the state to look after its citizens. It will look after its citizens but we just don't seem to count. How many reports do we need? How many redress systems do we need? And it just seems to be getting worse.

“Micheál Martin blamed 'general society' for the Mother and Baby Home scandal. Yes, we all know general society had a lot to answer for because no-one asked questions. However, people were under the rule of the State and the Church. Society took its lead from what was 'morally correct' and what was 'immoral'. At the time priests had no hesitation in standing up on the altar and calling people out by name, shaming people and society from the Altar. Society was terrified. It is just a pity society as a whole did not not stand up and say, 'Stop. Enough is enough, this is wrong, because, eventually, that is what happened,” said Graham said.