Time to get Angry!

The time for silence is long gone. We have watched this country hide too many scandals under the carpet, we have seen too many reports which did nothing more than whitewash. We have heard the church's silence or mealy mouthed apologies. We have shamed ourselves because we too have remained silent for far too long. Now is a time to get angry and demand answers.

There has been much written in recent weeks about the mass children's grave of 796 children at the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home. The story broke first with the Irish Mail on Sunday detailing historian Catherine Corless's research into the grave. The Irish press for the most part remained silent. This gained ground because of anger and social media. Anger at the scale of the find, anger at the media's casting a blind eye and anger that no one seemed to be listening. International media picked up on it, Irish media remained for the most part, silent. With the exception of the Irish Times who then wrote that there couldn't possibly be 796 bodies in the one tank. Oh well, that's okay then isn't it? Catherine Corless through the Freedom of Information act purchased 796 death certificates of children who had died in the Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, they are in the tank, or the ground, they are there somewhere and we need to know where.

A snowball effect happened as more information about other such mass graves came out, evidence of more than 2000 children being used in drug trials without their mother's consent. The media picked up its pace, the issue was raised in the Dáil. We are losing time, the government will vote on whether or not to have a full public inquiry. The good sisters at Bon Secours decided to hire a PR adviser. Wednesday the government will vote, Wednesday may be too late.
We have played softly softly for far too long with these scandals in the past. We cannot allow any more church files to 'disappear' in fires. We need to demand that they hand over their files on these homes and they need to hand them over now, no ifs or buts and no asking nicely.

We have been silent for far too long. It is time to get loud and angry and demand that for once we see accountability. Let's be outside the Dáil on Wednesday evening as they vote, let's get angry, let's make a racket and let's never, ever stop until for once we see some justice!