Sean Ross Abbey survivor says minister 'avoiding' survivors and demands site excavation
In 1968, Ann Connelly was born in the Co Tipperary institution made famous by the Oscar-nominated film Philomena and has been campaigning on behalf of survivors for more than a decade.
She wants test excavations carried out on the grounds of the former home but said she is still 'waiting for truth, justice and dignity'.
An open letter from Ms Connelly to Norma Foley dated June 30, and seen by the Irish Examiner, comes following the first annual report by the special advocate for survivors, Patricia Carey, which was published last week.
The former CEO of the Adoption Authority of Ireland made several recommendations to help survivors and highlighted how the criteria for redress have caused 'anger and distress' in the community.
Campaigners who met with Ms Carey said her report did not go far enough when it came to highlighting the need for a test excavation on the grounds of Sean Ross Abbey.
Michael Donovan is part of a local group who campaigned to have the burial grounds of the home scanned two years ago. He said he met with Ms Carey in the hope that their concerns would be raised with the minister but felt let down by her report.
'We want the maps of the area rectified. The map from the county council we believe is inaccurate, we have anomalies that need to be tested, the government is aware of two scans on that ground by two different groups.
I'm not saying there are babies there, but there is a tank there and we want the lid lifted to rule it out, and we want to know where the 1,090 babies are. Less than 50 graves have been found.
"The report doesn't reflect the urgency of this, and we are disappointed."
Ms Connelly, who is an activist with Mr Donovan, told Ms Foley in her letter that 'survivors didn't need another report to repeat what we've been saying for years".
"Survivors have been engaging every single day, emailing, calling, begging this department for action, and nothing changes. She has never once set foot on the grounds. This is not engagement. This is avoidance," Ms Connelly said.
Ms Connelly also hit out at the redress scheme. 'Here's what the public isn't being told: if you were in a mother and baby home for 180 days, you qualify for just €5,000. That's the reality, just €5,000 for a lifetime of trauma.'
A spokesperson for Ms Foley said: 'Given that the designated burial ground has been forensically investigated and have found no evidence of inappropriate burials, it is not possible to bring forward a proposal to establish an Office of Director of Authorised Intervention to excavate the site at Sean Ross Abbey.'
The special advocate for survivors, Ms Carey, said: 'I agree with the concerns raised in respect of the immediate and urgent need for dignified burial and the sensitive treatment of mass graves, unmarked graves, and sites of burial across institutions in Ireland.
"As recently as June 17, I sent a letter to Minister Foley on the specific issues related to identification of burial grounds and memorialisation."
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