Here’s the latest on the movie Liam Neeson produced – The Lost Children of Tuam. It’s based on one Irish woman’s effort to uncover the truth about the hundreds of small children who died at the St Mary’s mother and baby home between 1925 and 1961. So far, the bodies of 99 of the 796 babies and children buried on the property of the Bon Secours order of nuns have been recovered.
Catherine Corless, the Galway woman who wouldn’t let their stories stay buried, is an unlikely heroine and wouldn’t like being called that. Her story was told first in the New York Times in late October of 2017 by reporter Dan Barry. Neeson read it and knew he had to turn it into a movie. Click here to read the original story.
The Lost Children of Tuam, which isn’t a documentary but is an all-too-true story, opened at movie theaters in Ireland and the United Kingdom five weeks ago. The reviews were positive. Business at the box office has been steady but not spectacular. There is currently no plan for its release in the United States or on streaming platforms. But that could change in 2027. Check the PDX HI on Thursdays for updates.
It’s difficult to downplay the impact in Ireland of the revelations that Corless unearthed. Here’s producer Neeson’s statement when filming began, “I am so honoured and proud that after eight years of preparation we are to start production on this profound story of one woman’s relentless pursuit and dedication in uncovering the horrific truth of the events in Tuam that shocked our nation to its core and is still reverberating in every aspect of our society. The truth will out.”
The reviews
RTE - “There is a slow drip, drip of revelation and discovery that lends everything a hypnotic quality. It is all done with tremendous grace and dignity. This is magnificent small scale filmmaking that leaves a profound impact.”
Variety - “Ireland’s ongoing artistic reckoning with the Catholic Church’s gross mistreatment of unmarried mothers and their children — as addressed in such films as “The Magdalene Sisters,” “Philomena” and “Small Things Like These” — continues in “The Lost Children of Tuam.”
The Irish Times - “... a crucial entry in Ireland’s wider examination of its mother-and-baby homes and institutional control while keeping attendant horrors offscreen. Documentary evidence and testimony do the heavy lifting.”
The Times - “... chilling and often incendiary drama about institutional child abuse in Ireland.”
The Guardian - “... it is sensitive and stirring, with the English actor Monica Dolan giving a powerful central performance.”
Official apologies and financial reparations
In January 2021, after an investigation of what happened in Tuam, Taoiseach Micheal Martin issued an official, formal apology, telling the Dáil that “basic kindness was not shown to vulnerable women by either church or state.”
“I particularly want to acknowledge the critical part played by Catherine Corless whose work at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home site led directly to the establishment of the Commission.” Click here.
The Sisters of Bon Secours said they were willing to contribute to a redress scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby Homes. “We offer our profound apologies to all the women and children of St Mary’s Mother and Baby Home, to their families and to the people of this country.” Click here.
“The film Lost Children of Tuam has echoes of Stephen Frears’s Philomena but is a much tougher trip...” The Times. (It’s available for FREE on You Tube.)