London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Number of children sent overseas for adoptions even higher than previously thought

Number of children sent overseas for adoptions even higher than previously thought

Hundreds of additional children may have been sent overseas for adoption than originally thought.
Evidence that at least 356 previously unknown Irish children were sent to Northern Ireland, Great Britain and a range of other countries for adoption was given to the Department of Health over 20 years ago but never made public.

Up until now, the State has only ever acknowledged that 2,132 children were sent abroad to be adopted between the late 1940s and the early 1970s - and all but 51 to the USA.

The original figures were published in the seminal book, Banished Babies in 1997 by journalist Mike Milotte and were based on Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) passport data compiled after a large archive of records detailing the adoption of children to the USA was discovered in the National Archives in 1996.

However, explosive new evidence discovered in Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) records reveals that at least 356 additional children were sent to a minimum of 13 countries between 1921 and 1994.

This information has been with the Department of Health for over two decades.

It reveals that when the 'Banished Babies' scandal broke in 1996, the Department of Health privately asked the AAI’s predecessor - the Adoption Board - to audit all registered adoption societies to ascertain the scale of the practice.

The audit revealed that 14 of the 15 adoption societies that responded sent at least 1,343 children to some 17 countries between 1921 and 1994.

While the overall figure was much lower than the Department of Foreign Affairs data, the audit revealed eight agencies had sent 384 children to countries outside of the USA. These had never before been accounted for.

At least 256 of these children were sent to Northern Ireland, 64 to England, 23 to Scotland and 16 to Wales. The only placements outside of the State between 1970 and 1994 were to Northern Ireland. Only 18 of these children show up on the DFA data as passports were not required for children travelling to Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

A further 12 children were sent to seven other countries - Belgium, Channel Islands, Netherlands, North Rhodesia (now Zambia), Norway, Serbia and Singapore.

None of these countries are referenced in the DFA data despite the fact that all of these children would have required passports to legally leave the country.

In total, the Adoption Board data shows that at least 356 previously unknown children were sent out of the State to be adopted. While the vast majority went to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, children were also sent to at least seven other countries to be adopted.

In a series of responses issued to the Irish Examiner, the AAI declined to express confidence that all of the children were removed by legal means stating that it “does not have sufficient information on each child to comment on this”.

It declined to name the 14 adoption agencies that provided the data in 1996 - citing data protection concerns but confirmed that both Catholic and Protestant agencies are involved.

The AAI also confirmed that the then Adoption Board furnished all this evidence to the Department of Health in 1996 and that it received no response nor was it instructed to make any further investigation into the matter.

The AAI notified the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of the new data in May 2019. However, it is not cited in the Commission’s final report, nor is the AAI cited as a source of information for its section on ‘Foreign Adoptions’ in chapter 32 of the report.

In response, the Department of Children stated that the AAI informed it that the data was “in the public domain at the time " and that the then Adoption board issued a press release on the issue on March 5, 1996.

However, the data was never placed into the public domain. It was also not detailed in the 1996 press release as this was issued by the Adoption Board prior to the audit having commenced.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×