There are no guarantees that the child will ever know of its Irish citizenship. It could be sold to parents anywhere in the world, or far worse, could be sold into one of the international paedophile rings.

 I thought that Irish citizenship was the birthright of every child born in Ireland. What did our forefather fight and die for? What was James Connolly shot in an armchair for? The whole thing reminds me of a story in the Old Testament about how Joseph’s brother Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. The difference wit this case is that it wasn’t Esau who was doing the selling.

 There are some very very dark forces circulating in Ireland today. Are we going forwards or backwards? I thought the dreadful policies of Forced Adoption had been ended in Australia, withi its deep-seated impact on the lives of aborigines who were torn from their native places and compelled to adopt a persona in line with the then current “White Australia” policy.  What policy is the Irish government pursuing here, because it is one with which I don’t want to be associated.

F. J. Gillen (1856-1912

the 1850s for names and addresses. I looked for anyone called Gillen in the parish of Drumgoon, of whom Griffiths does not have any record. However, I did find a reference to a Philip Gillan of Mullaghard, Drumgoon, Co. Cavan. I think he may have been Thomas Gillen’s father, and therefore F.J.’s grandfather, as Thomas had a brother Philip who also emigrated to South Australia and who may, as an elder brother, have born the name of his father.