An 86 year old woman who was sent to Tuam Mother and Baby Home at the age of 15 has passed away following a short illness, her family revealed.
Rosaleen McKinney was born in Dunmore, Co. Galway in 1938 and had two babies taken from her during two five years in religious institutions in the 1950s, the St. Mary’s home Tuam and Galway Magdalene laundry.
Rosaleen, or Rosie as she was also known, campaigned for more recognition for her fellow survivors of the homes. In 2021, after a report from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, Rosie was the only survivor of Tuam to waive her right to anonymity.
“They said they had no evidence of violence against us, but we were treated like animals,”she told the Irish Examiner. “I lost the hearing in my right ear from a beating I got from a nun.”
Rosie’s daughter Mags, who she reconnected with later in life, said that her and her mother “always will be best friends”.
Rosie “passed away peacefully after a short illness in the Mater Hospital surrounded by her loving family,” her death notice stated.
“Rosie will be very sadly missed and remembered with love by her daughter Margaret, step son Tony, grandchildren Paul and Tegan, relatives, neighbours and friends, in particular Joe.”
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Dublin Central TD Marie Sherlock, paid her respects, stating: “Theirs was a fight for over 25 years for the thousands of young women wronged in our country. Very sad that Rosie McKinney has left our world and our hearts go out to her daughter, our beloved Mags. She was indomitable in spirit right to the end.”
After escaping from Tuam, Rosie “set the dogs” on nuns who pursued her to take her back after she arrived back to her home in Dunmore, she said in an interview with the Irish Examiner.
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