Irish Mother and Baby Homes’ fostered children reconstructing their past in Phyllis Whitsell’s "My Secret Mother" (2015) and "A Song for Bridget" (2018)

Elena María Cantueso Urbano,María Isabel Romero Ruiz

doi:10.18172/cif.4700

Elena María Cantueso Urbano, María Isabel Romero Ruiz

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.18172/cif.4700

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Abstract

Considered “outcasts”, unmarried mothers were secluded in Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries during the twentieth century, where they were deprived of their children (Luddy 2011: 109-126). Phyllis Whitsell’s My Secret Mother (2015) and A Song for Bridget (2018) explore the Mother and Baby Homes regime of power, which rendered thousands of women in Ireland in a vulnerable position, and the adoption business the nuns had, which deprived thousands of women of their right to be mothers (Garrett 2010: 330-343). In this article our intention is to explore the trauma caused in both unmarried mothers and illegitimate children by the Irish Catholic system of correction and what sources of healing are offered to them in restoring their identities in the aftermath of their release. To that aim, we will employ Trauma Studies.

Highlights

Maternity out of wedlock in Ireland was, during the twentieth century, considered a sinful act contravening the religious morality of the time and bringing shame to the family and the whole nation (Byrne 2007: 2; Luddy 2011: 109-126)
Given the high rate of illegitimacy, the government dealt with this problem publishing the Report of the Commission on the Relief of the Sick and Destitute
I am giving you back some of the dignity stolen from you, and in doing so, creating a legacy in your memory” (Whitsell 2018: 10-11). As this quotation shows she commemorates her mother by restoring her voice and healing her wounds

Summary

Introduction

Maternity out of wedlock in Ireland was, during the twentieth century, considered a sinful act contravening the religious morality of the time and bringing shame to the family and the whole nation (Byrne 2007: 2; Luddy 2011: 109-126). She went back to the orphanage where she was told about her adoption, but she was not allowed to see her documents (Whitsell 2015: 124, 130) This secretive attitude the Church adopted and the elusiveness of its responsibility towards Phyllis leaves clear the secrecy surrounding unmarried mothers and illegitimate children in England too. Like Phyllis, thousands of illegitimate children have been denied their bonds with their mothers and are still trying to reconstruct their identities It is not until we break with that wall of silence and shame that surrounds illegitimacy in Ireland that we will be able to help the victims

Healing the Wounds of Traumatised Mothers and Children

Conclusions