Behind the mic.
First in-person event and what I took from it. [Including some other news]
So, about a month ago, Breeda Murphy asked me whether or not I would be their special guest speaker for the event. I had accepted before I could allow my mind to make me feel anxious! [Spoiler: I ended up feeling anxious anyway.]
Building up to the event, I was trying to make sure that I never said anything to further add to the hurt that survivors of mother and baby institutions have already faced and suffered. I had pretty much planned what I was going to say but then the nerves set in. Typically what happens is that usually in the 24 hours building up to any speech/talk, the best way I can describe it is my stomach feels like it’s doing loop-de-loops!
But, I got up there. I did it, was I nervous? Incredibly. Did I say all I wanted to? No. But I’ll be mentioning the rest in a bit.
If you want to catch the recording of my speech. See below.
After I finished speaking, I felt like I had let people down. [That was the anxiety coming in again] but I mentioned I didn’t say all I had wanted to say, so here is what I had wanted to say. In the end, I mentioned that if everyone did their family tree, we’d probably find that we all have a lot more in common than I think we realise. The only other thing I had forgotten to mention at the end was that even though it might seem that once those affected have died, that this issue will disappear. Not in the slightest, I’m still going to fight until all survivors are heard.
There were many others speaking, of which included Carmel Cantwell - a campaigner fighting for justice for her mother and brother William, Teresa O’Sullivan - a survivor of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution and James Sugrue - boarded out into an abusive foster home.
Teresa’s segment was filmed, you can watch that below too. She had some very good thoughts and insights while also telling her story from the heart.
Other news:
If you are around Tuam on June 25th at 11 am, Annette McKay, (whose sister, Mary Margaret O’Connor died there in 1943) is organising an event, to demand an answer from the government to the question of when the exhumation will take place.
Also, on the 25th of June is the Bessborough commemoration, I am also speaking at this commemoration but all support for either cause is appreciated. Any questions about each event should be directed to each tweet author. [Both images are hyperlinked, so click on the respective image to see the tweet]
Finally, I am wrapping up my ‘Names in Lights’ series of my Genealogy Live Interviews. Episode 4, is Katharine Andrew, a genealogist based in Illinois. It will be taking place tomorrow June 10th at 6 pm UK Time. That can be found below.
That’s all I have for the moment! Until next time…