ADOPTEE: I was adopted as a baby by two wonderful people. I grew up knowing that somewhere there was a lady who had given birth to me but due to circumstances beyond her control was unable to care for me.
When I was 18, I decided to try to find her. I went to St Patrick's Guild, the agency through which I was adopted. At St Patrick's I met Sister Gabriel. (Sister Gabriel was sister in charge of St Patrick's Guild for many years and retired about a month ago. She has been replaced by Sister Francis Ignatius as director.)
We spent several hours talking about my reasons for wanting to meet my birth mother. Sister Gabriel said she would try to locate my mother but that I would have to be prepared for disappointment. I accepted this, as I felt it was my birth mother's right to choose if she wanted to meet me.
Sister Gabriel couldn't have been more helpful. Shortly she contacted me to say she had found my birth mother and to my delight she was willing to make contact. We wrote to each other, sending the letters via Sister Gabriel, who then forwarded them to us. This was to ensure that if either of us changed our mind during the initial contact our identity would be safeguarded.
Finally, we decided to meet. Sister Gabriel arranged the whole thing and even allowed us meet in St Patrick's Guild, so she would be available if we needed anything. We finally met three months after the initial contact. We spent four or five hours talking, with Sister Gabriel popping in and out with refreshment and moral support.
She is a special person to me as she enabled me to be reunited with my birth mother. She made our meeting as stress free as was possible under the circumstances. Birth Mother: I don't doubt the kind of trauma people have gone through. But in the last five years St Patrick's Guild has been supportive, particularly Anne Beirne. Her performance was exemplary. (Ms Beirne is a social worker who left St Patrick's Guild some months ago. Adoptees who have spoken to The Irish Times have consistently praised her for being helpful and honest.)
I went to see Anne Beirne maybe five years ago having had a baby adopted in the 1970s. She immediately referred me to Barnardos which runs a tremendous birth mother's course.
The information she got me in relation to my child was entirely accurate.
My experience really was entirely positive.