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  • convent in old camden street 1915

    Hi I'm new to this board. I'm just looking for some tips. My fathers mother was born in the Coombe in 1915. We know her mother was a single parent. The address she gave was in Old Camden Street. I know there was a convent there just wondering if anyone knows if the nuns took in unmarried mothers. Last info we have on my nana was when she was christened 2 days after her birth. She disappears off the radar and turns up 3 years later after been 'fostered' from St Patricks Guild. Any advice would be greatly received as I feel I'm banging my head off a wall!!! Thanks

  • #2
    The Convent was in Camden Street Upper, the order of nuns were the Little Sisters of the Assumption. They were a nursing order, they visited the sick in their own homes in the area. I served Mass there in the early sixties and they didn't take in unmarried mothers as far as I know. Old Camden Street no longer exists, it was demolished early 80's but it appears on many old maps. This is not very helpful for you I'm afraid.

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    • #3
      convent old Camden street

      Thanks Auld dub I am going to pay a visit into the national Archives with the info I have gathered and see if I can make anymore headway.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by sheridan View Post
        Thanks Auld dub I am going to pay a visit into the national Archives with the info I have gathered and see if I can make anymore headway.
        Would be interesting to see your findings,We lived in Rathmines and for some reason my Da used to put a Penny in the slot on the railings every time he passed there,regardless of how many times he passed during the day or night,
        I'm a Freeborn Man of the Travellin' People

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        • #5
          Originally posted by sheridan View Post
          Hi I'm new to this board. I'm just looking for some tips. My fathers mother was born in the Coombe in 1915. We know her mother was a single parent.
          Here's what I found out....Times were pretty tough in those early years for unmarried mothers, as there were really no organisations for these girls to turn to for help, and with the stigma of being a 'loose female' with what was in effect a bastard child, there was little hope.

          Except for one woman who saw a need to help the babies if not the mother too, but the children came first. She was called Miss MJ Cruice, and in 1910 she set up a charitable organization called St Patrick's Guild, whose motto was 'Save The Child'......

          The address she gave was in Old Camden Street.
          I have researched Old Camden Street and there was never an institution that dealt with unmarried mothers. I knew Old Camden Street and it was a very short street with few houses, as can be seen from the census records or street directories of the time. I would say your relations were probably just boarding there of maybe temporary fostered while waiting for a better solution.


          I know there was a convent there just wondering if anyone knows if the nuns took in unmarried mothers. Last info we have on my nana was when she was christened 2 days after her birth.
          Aulddub has answered this question very well, and he / she should know.

          She disappears off the radar and turns up 3 years later after been 'fostered' from St Patrick's Guild. Any advice would be greatly received as I feel I'm banging my head off a wall!!! Thanks
          It would appear that your relation,...was processed for adoption by St Patrick's Guild, and although the guild had the child's interest at heart, they did some underhand dealing with paperwork which has made it very difficult for people trying to connect.

          What made matters worse was in 1943 the whole of the St Patrick's Guild organization was handed over into the care of the Sisters of Charity of which Archy McQuiad might well have had a hand in....anyway the upshot was that the nuns lied through their teeth to anyone who tried to trace their mother or child....to hide the fact that they had exported kids for money all round the world, especially 572 we know of to the USA.

          It has all finished now as a statement was issued by St Pats from 203 Merrion Road, Blackrock, states their tracing service would cease by the 31 Dec 2014, and all their files would be handed over to the new state Child and Family Agency' who will deal with any business of tracing from now on.

          One thing St Patricks was good at it seems, was keeping records, especially Miss Cruice and her helpers are reputed to have kept meticulous records.....so I would recommend you get in touch with the state organisation called TUSLA.... it's the relatively new state Child and Family Agency....who will deal with all future enquiries about adopted children for the period you are interested in and right up to recent years....they should be able to put you on the right track as to what happened to your Nana.

          Good Luck.
          We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

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          • #6
            I wonder.....Why was there a shortage of babies in the USA.....
            Here Rex!!!...Here Rex!!!.....Wuff!!!....... Wuff!!!

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            • #7
              Originally posted by DAMNTHEWEATHER View Post
              Here's what I found out....Times were pretty tough in those early years for unmarried mothers, as there were really no organisations for these girls to turn to for help, and with the stigma of being a 'loose female' with what was in effect a bastard child, there was little hope.

              Except for one woman who saw a need to help the babies if not the mother too, but the children came first. She was called Miss MJ Cruice, and in 1910 she set up a charitable organization called St Patrick's Guild, whose motto was 'Save The Child'......

              I have researched Old Camden Street and there was never an institution that dealt with unmarried mothers. I knew Old Camden Street and it was a very short street with few houses, as can be seen from the census records or street directories of the time. I would say your relations were probably just boarding there of maybe temporary fostered while waiting for a better solution.


              Aulddub has answered this question very well, and he / she should know.

              It would appear that your relation,...was processed for adoption by St Patrick's Guild, and although the guild had the child's interest at heart, they did some underhand dealing with paperwork which has made it very difficult for people trying to connect.

              What made matters worse was in 1943 the whole of the St Patrick's Guild organization was handed over into the care of the Sisters of Charity of which Archy McQuiad might well have had a hand in....anyway the upshot was that the nuns lied through their teeth to anyone who tried to trace their mother or child....to hide the fact that they had exported kids for money all round the world, especially 572 we know of to the USA.

              It has all finished now as a statement was issued by St Pats from 203 Merrion Road, Blackrock, states their tracing service would cease by the 31 Dec 2014, and all their files would be handed over to the new state Child and Family Agency' who will deal with any business of tracing from now on.

              One thing St Patricks was good at it seems, was keeping records, especially Miss Cruice and her helpers are reputed to have kept meticulous records.....so I would recommend you get in touch with the state organisation called TUSLA.... it's the relatively new state Child and Family Agency....who will deal with all future enquiries about adopted children for the period you are interested in and right up to recent years....they should be able to put you on the right track as to what happened to your Nana.

              Good Luck.
              Goodman DTW , fair play to you .

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by quinner View Post
                I wonder.....Why was there a shortage of babies in the USA.....
                Most likely there were plenty, but with a no questions asked option from the lovely nuns....why not..... it just needs a few bob sent through the post and presto...McQuaids aids would make it so. I mean not all Nuns are bitches ghosts....but guess what ?.
                We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Twobob View Post
                  Goodman DTW , fair play to you .
                  We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

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                  • #10
                    A little more info on this, Miss M. Cruice pops up again in Thom's Directory for 1952 at Number 50 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1 where St. Patrick's Guild is listed beside her name,so it was still on the go then.

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                    • #11
                      convent in Old Camden Street

                      Thanks so much for all the information definitely gives me more scope to work with. I hope to find out what happened to Lily Sheridan who was my Nanas mother this all would have happened 100 years ago this year. My dad has been trying to find out for years and has got no where.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Aulddub View Post
                        A little more info on this, Miss M. Cruice pops up again in Thom's Directory for 1952 at Number 50 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1 where St. Patrick's Guild is listed beside her name,so it was still on the go then.
                        That's right, and still in existence today, as I said, at 203 Merrion Road, Blackrock, but they don't deal with any queries now as that's all been stopped by the Govt and handed over to TUSLA.

                        The first premises was at 46 Mid Abbey St in 1910.....Then 50 Mid Abbey 1915, and it stayed there for most of it's life.

                        They also had a babies home in Mountjoy Square 1918......and later still opened a Nursing College 1920.

                        Then in 1930 they opened a premises in Temple Hill at No 35 and 41 Alma Road. And in 1936 they had St Gerard's Merrion Home for Unmarried Mothers, then being run by the Nuns of Charity, from 1934, and the exportation of babies round the world, including Canada, USA, and UK to name a few.

                        The story goes, that the Nuns did all they could to prevent people getting reunited with their natural parents, or parents finding their kids by giving them bum steers. People were told the babies were signed off by the mothers with full legal OK, and after that the adoptive parents would register the kids in their own names as first registration.... This was found to be lies, as all the children had their births registered in the natural mothers name with full details as per normal.... the records kept are reputed to be very thorough, and all information was meticulously kept on file by Ms Cruice and Co in the first place, and later on by the Nuns, so there is every chance that an enquiry with TUSLA will uncover a lot of info on those processed by St Patrick's Guild.
                        We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by sheridan View Post
                          Thanks so much for all the information definitely gives me more scope to work with. I hope to find out what happened to Lily Sheridan who was my Nanas mother this all would have happened 100 years ago this year. My dad has been trying to find out for years and has got no where.
                          It can be hard work, I know as I've been stuck at 1810 in Kilcullen, Kildare for a good few years now and can't get any further, for now anyway, but ye never know, where's there's a will there's a way, and info on 100 years ago should be accessible.... the parish records are your best bet especially after the Custom House and then the Four Courts burn outs, but all avenues are worth a try. Best of luck and do drop in to let us know how you get on.
                          We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

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                          • #14
                            Hi all, just popped in to say hello and having a read of this thread. What about the place that's boarded up on Camden Street facing the bleeding horse was that a convent? I remember Archangel putting something up about it before

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by jeangenie View Post
                              Hi all, just popped in to say hello and having a read of this thread. What about the place that's boarded up on Camden Street facing the bleeding horse was that a convent? I remember Archangel putting something up about it before
                              Always a pleasure to see you JG.....It was discussed and Ark I think got it wrong....he got the wrong building, what looks like the old convent was NOT, it was a couple of houses down from the arched house.

                              Auldub gave the lowdown on the Convent here at post No 2.
                              Hi I'm new to this board. I'm just looking for some tips. My fathers mother was born in the Coombe in 1915. We know her mother was a single parent. The address she gave was in Old Camden Street. I know there was a convent there just wondering if anyone knows if the nuns took in unmarried mothers. Last info we have on my nana
                              We'll sail be the tide....aarghhhh !!

                              Comment

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