MORE THAN 200 people travelled to a remote island off the coast of
Donegal on Sunday last to remember more than 500 stillborn babies buried in a
secret burial ground.
The children, all born between the 18th and
19th centuries, could not be buried on consecrated ground because they
had not been baptised.
The memorial service took place after a
campaign by local people to remember the children who were laid to rest
on Oileán na Marbh (Isle of the Dead).
The poignant event was attended by representatives of the Church of Ireland and Catholic Church.
Séamus
Peter Boyle, one of the founding campaigners to have a plaque erected
on the island in honour of the dead, said he was happy the souls of
those buried could now always be remembered.
“This was so
important for our community to remember those on the island and to pass
our knowledge on. It is part of our heritage and it is a good thing that
it is not forgotten.
“We have all watched the mothers and fathers
on the beaches and pier over the years, some going to the island alone,
and we knew but it was never really spoken about.
“Now, there is a memorial cross and a commemorative stone to show that they will never be forgotten.”
Mr
Boyle (66), from Annagry, was first told about the island by an uncle
and decided to act to pay tribute to those who were buried on the remote
outcrop close to Carrickfinn.
“Things have changed so much and Oileán na Marbh is no longer a taboo subject.
“Only
recently, I was speaking to two ladies who had visited the island and
we were talking and they told me that they hadn’t said a prayer for the
babies but had said a prayer to the babies. That’s how much things have
changed.
“I well remember going with my uncle when I was eight or
nine years old and he was fishing off the rocks behind the island and
afterwards he would get down on one knee and say a prayer.
“When I
asked him what he was doing he told me it was for all the stillborn
babies and babies who weren’t baptised. Well, that stayed with me and I
grew up hearing different stories so it is a good thing for the whole
community that we can talk about it openly now.”
Among those who attended the ceremony was Kathleen Hanlon, whose great-aunt was buried on the island.
“We are so happy that we have now found where she was buried and we will be marking her grave.
“We are just so happy that this burial ground is no longer a secret,” she said.
Enscribed
on the memorial stone erected by the community are the words: “In
memory of the stillborn babies, Famine children and sailors buried here
in Oileán na Marbh (Isle of the Dead) up until the early 1900s. Erected
and dedicated by the community. ‘Is e an Tiarna m’aoire’.”