This lecture will discuss the adoption of 'illegitimate' babies from Ireland - often to America - in the mid 20th century. The overseas baby trade was rife in this period, especially for those born to unmarried mothers in notorious Mother & Baby homes. Church objections to the implementation of state welfare meant that Ireland was the last country in Western Europe to legalize adoption. Its eventual implementation in 1952 was heavily overseen by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, and its implementation in the latter half of the century offers a prism into the cooperation that existed between Church & State in policy-making in that period, during which thousands more babies were still illegally adopted, despite The Adoption Act.

Amy Bracken is History TV Producer and journalist who studied History & Politics at UCD (University College, Dublin), before completing an MPhil in Modern Irish History (Trinity College, Dublin) in 2012. Amy's television career has taken her from Dublin to London, New York and LA and has spanned multiple historical productions for the BBC, CNN, National Geographic Channel, NBC, Netflix, Discovery and many more.