Latest news with #ChrissieTully
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Oldest survivor of Tuam mother and baby home to purchase first home after fundraising appeal
The oldest survivor of the Tuam mother and baby home has begun the process of purchasing her first home from Galway County Council thanks to a successful fundraising appeal launched in her name. Chrissie Tully, from Loughrea, Co Galway, was incarcerated in the notorious religious-run home for unmarried mothers twice, first at 18 and again aged 23. She was told that her first child, a boy, had died at birth, while her second son, Patrick, was adopted without her consent. With concerns raised by survivor communities over baby trafficking to the US at the time, as well as the regular falsification of birth and death certs, Ms Tully fears her first son — Michael — may have been adopted to the US without her knowledge. She never got to see either his death cert or a grave. 'He's either alive with no clue about me and his brother, or he is buried in that hole in Tuam,' she told the Irish Examiner. 'I don't know. It hurts me very much. I don't know where he is, but I am living with that all my life. For years I could accept he died, then when the mass grave in Tuam was discovered, that haunted me. 'I can't sleep at night, is he dead or alive? I have this image of the children all stuck in a pipe in that awful place in Tuam and my son is with them'. Following an appeal in the Irish Examiner earlier this month, which was picked up by The New York Times, a GoFundMe campaign raised almost €72,000 to help Chrissie buy her council home where she has been a tenant for more than 20 years. Chrissie Tully 91 from Loughrea with her son Patrick Naughton. Picture: Hany Marzouk Now, the 94-year-old, who never married, has submitted her application to Galway County Council to begin the purchase of the house in Loughrea, which was valued at €50,000 last year. 'I still don't believe all that money is there,' she said. 'I never owned a thing in my life. I had very little. I will believe it when I see the final papers. 'I asked for help and strangers helped me. There are some good people in the world. 'My other son Patrick who lives in England came home for a few days to help. 'I keep thinking someone will come and take all that money back and this is not real'. Ms Tully was sent to the Tuam home by a local priest in Loughrea when she was just 18 years old in December 1949. She suffered extreme pain during labour and was rushed to Galway Central hospital by the nuns where her boy, who was a breech baby, was taken away by doctors immediately. Ms Tully never saw his face and never held him in her arms and when doctors returned, they said he had died. There is one record she received under Freedom of Information that states the little boy, who she named Michael, died at birth and the hospital record says, 'Return to Tuam'. 'Those three words have haunted me since I got the record a few years ago,' said Chrissie. 'I don't know if he was returned to Tuam or sent away, you can't believe anything you are told by the nuns'. Ms Tully now awaits the exhumation of the Tuam babies' site which begins next month along with other family members. She is believed to be the only surviving mother from the Tuam home. 'That's the second part to this horror story, there is the generosity of people helping me to leave my son my house if he is alive, and the dread of what is to come out of that pit in Tuam next month. 'But I do want people to know that I am so grateful for their support. I am so shocked I haven't been able to take it all in.' Read More Just over €65m paid out in mother and baby home redress scheme
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Son of Tuam survivor ‘over the moon' to secure funds to buy mother's home
A man who was reunited with his birth mother, a survivor of one of Ireland's most notorious mother and baby homes, has raised more than 70,000 euro to buy her home. Patrick Naughton, 70, from Ealing, west London, was taken from his mother, Christina 'Chrissie' Tully, from the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway in 1954, just weeks after she gave birth to him aged 24. Mr Naughton, who moved to the UK with his adoptive parents aged 13, was reunited with Ms Tully, now 93, in 2013. In a bid to help his birth mother, whom he said 'never had anything in her life', Mr Naughton set up a fundraiser to help her buy her council home, which was valued at 50,000 euro (£42,000). Last week Ms Tully's story was picked up by the New York Times and since then their fundraiser has reached more than 71,000 euro (£59,000), hitting their target. 'Chrissie is stunned – the penny hasn't dropped yet,' Mr Naughton told the PA news agency. 'She never believed it would happen in her lifetime. 'I just can't thank everybody enough. It means the world and the earth to both of us. 'We had a wonderful woman in San Diego who was moved by our story and she donated 50,000 dollars (£37,000). I'm just over the moon.' Ms Tully, who had given birth to another boy in 1949, when she was 18, via Caesarean section, was told by doctors at the time that he had died. But she believes her son, whom she named Michael, is still alive. As many as 68,000 people went through the religious-run mother and baby homes. Women's babies were forcibly taken from them and adopted. Up to 9,000 children died in institutions across the country, in appalling conditions. Mr Naughton said he had set up the fundraiser to buy her home from Galway council in case Michael ever returned like he did. He said he and his mother have searched 'high and low' in recent years for records of her first child, but have been unable to find anything. He said Ms Tully received a record from a Freedom of Information request that said the baby had been 'returned to Tuam home' after he died. In 2014 it was revealed that hundreds of babies had been 'indecently buried' in a sewage tank at the Tuam mother and baby home. The research by local historian Catherine Corless found that 796 babies and young children had died and been 'indecently buried in a defunct sewage system' at the home between 1925 and 1961. Ms Tully, who said 'he could be in that pit in Tuam, but he could also have been adopted', said she wanted to keep her home for after she had died, in case he came looking for her, like Mr Naughton. After they hit their fundraising target Mr Naughton said: 'We will get a plaque and we will put it up over the door and call it 'Michael's home'.' Mr Naughton, who regularly travels to Ireland to visit his birth mother said: 'I am so happy because all of her life she's never had or owned anything. 'She worked in a priest's house for 13 years and then she worked in another home for 26 years simply because they were live-in jobs as she had nowhere to go. 'That's the icing on the cake is that she can spend the last few years of life knowing that she's an equal. 'Thanks isn't enough for the people that have done this. 'I just hope and pray to God Michael does come back.'
BreakingNews.ie
13-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Son of Tuam survivor 'over the moon' to secure funds to buy mother's home
A man who was reunited with his birth mother, a survivor of one of Ireland's most notorious mother and baby homes, has raised more than €70,000 to buy her home. Patrick Naughton, 70, from Ealing, west London, was taken from his mother, Christina 'Chrissie' Tully, from the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway in 1954, just weeks after she gave birth to him aged 24. Advertisement Mr Naughton, who moved to the UK with his adoptive parents aged 13, was reunited with Ms Tully, now 93, in 2013. In a bid to help his birth mother, whom he said 'never had anything in her life', Mr Naughton set up a fundraiser to help her buy her council home, which was valued at €50,000. Chrissie Tully, 93, a survivor of the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway (Patrick Naughton/PA) Last week Ms Tully's story was picked up by the New York Times and since then their fundraiser has reached more than €71,000, hitting their target. 'Chrissie is stunned – the penny hasn't dropped yet,' Mr Naughton said. Advertisement 'She never believed it would happen in her lifetime. 'I just can't thank everybody enough. It means the world and the earth to both of us. 'We had a wonderful woman in San Diego who was moved by our story and she donated $50,000 (€44,800). I'm just over the moon.' Ms Tully, who had given birth to another boy in 1949, when she was 18, via Caesarean section, was told by doctors at the time that he had died. Advertisement But she believes her son, whom she named Michael, is still alive. As many as 68,000 people went through the religious-run mother and baby homes. Women's babies were forcibly taken from them and adopted. Up to 9,000 children died in institutions across the country, in appalling conditions. Mr Naughton said he had set up the fundraiser to buy her home from Galway council in case Michael ever returned like he did. Advertisement He said he and his mother have searched 'high and low' in recent years for records of her first child, but have been unable to find anything. He said Ms Tully received a record from a Freedom of Information request that said the baby had been 'returned to Tuam home' after he died. A mass unmarked grave at the former site of the Bon Secours mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway (Niall Carson/PA) In 2014 it was revealed that hundreds of babies had been 'indecently buried' in a sewage tank at the Tuam mother and baby home. The research by local historian Catherine Corless found that 796 babies and young children had died and been 'indecently buried in a defunct sewage system' at the home between 1925 and 1961. Advertisement Ms Tully, who said 'he could be in that pit in Tuam, but he could also have been adopted', said she wanted to keep her home for after she had died, in case he came looking for her, like Mr Naughton. After they hit their fundraising target Mr Naughton said: 'We will get a plaque and we will put it up over the door and call it 'Michael's home'.' Mr Naughton, who regularly travels to Ireland to visit his birth mother said: 'I am so happy because all of her life she's never had or owned anything. 'She worked in a priest's house for 13 years and then she worked in another home for 26 years simply because they were live-in jobs as she had nowhere to go. 'That's the icing on the cake is that she can spend the last few years of life knowing that she's an equal. 'Thanks isn't enough for the people that have done this. 'I just hope and pray to God Michael does come back.'
