Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

RITE AND REASON:The long-awaited report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is to be published tomorrow. One of the first former residents to go public on her experiences in the Goldenbridge institution reflects on events of recent decades, writes CHRISTINE BUCKLEY

TWENTY-FIVE years ago I started what seems now a fairly simple investigation to find out who my parents were. Perhaps, I thought, if they were still alive 37 years after my birth, I might even meet them. Little did I know that thousands of other people would be inspired by that investigation and the spin-off from it – some to undertake similar voyages of self-discovery and others to go beyond this through counselling support and education to develop renewed selves.