Thread by @breeda_murphy

1/8 Yesterday #UniversityOfLimerick bestowed honorary doctorates on 4 inspirational individuals. One recipient, Ms Terry Prone received the award “Honorary Doctor of Letters”. Some of you will recall this piece received by Saskia Weber who made enquiries about #TuamBabies in 2014

At the outset Ms. Prone remarked “when the O My God, mass grave in West of Ireland broke in an English-owned paper (The Mail) it surprised the hell out of everybody, not least the Sisters of Bon Secours in Ireland, none of whom had ever worked in Tuam and most of whom had” 2/8

never heard of it” If you come here you’ll find no mass grave,” etc etc The citation for her award by UL President states “politics can be a difficult business, often laden with spin, but Terry Prone has always brought a deep sense of integrity to her work. 3/8

It continues “For her the truth is absolute. In her words, if you get your message right and you’re truthful, you can change lives”. I’ve not yet spoken to our members of the Tuam #motherandbabyhomes Alliance or read those words to them. 4/8

But I already know, like me, they’ll wonder “what next ?” 💔. I often remark some days are easier than others; today is not one of them. My thoughts are with all who fight for justice on #MotherAndBabyHome scandal, the boarded out, children of mixed race; 5/8

children who were trafficked; who were subjected to vaccine trials; their mothers who were treated as criminals, who were enslaved within the ‘home’; who were returned if escaped; who were told their child was ‘gone’ even when in same building. Those excluded b/c they were in 6/8

a different setting; perhaps illegally trafficked from there. The children and mothers who are lost; we don’t know where their remains are. Only Tuam is to be excavated - the other sites disregarded. This is an #Establishment response 7/8

The Commission’s Report ignored survivor accounts; for a time they “lost” them! 😢 It ignored advices. So today as others celebrate Ms Prone’s award, I won’t be one of them. Justice is further away than ever. Thoughts with all affected families etc excluded 4m redress 💔8/8

@conradbryan @JamesSugrue17 @artymaggie @lawlormary @ctcantwell @DanielGenealogy @noshyteplease @akaalison1 @BrownNollieb @SamanthaELong @AssocMRI @Phil_Mullen_ @daraobriain @RBoydBarrett @catherinegalway @HollyCairnsTD @seansherlocktd @Kathleensf1 @Ginosocialist @aliceeire

Thank you to everyone who has engaged on this tweet to support #TuamBabies. We will not stop until the site is fully excavated. Your support means so much particularly as we 👀 establishment circle wagons. Here Prof Phil Scraton explains responsibility of State to @OireachtasNews