Members of the Cork-based Right of Place group, which represents survivors of abuse in residential institutions, are in the United States alerting and meeting people there who had been in institutions in Ireland. Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent, reports.
Public relations officer Mr Tony Treacy and administrator Mr Billy O'Regan arrived in Boston on Saturday for a week-long trip which will also include a visit to Chicago. They plan to hold seminars in both cities giving details on the Laffoy Commission and the Redress Board, which compensates people abused in such institutions.
It is estimated about 10,000 people who had been in the institutions emigrated to the Boston area over the past 80 years, and it is believed hundreds are living in the New England area.
This is the second trip by representatives of Right of Place to the US. In autumn last year, outreach officer Mr Paul Moloney accompanied Mr Tracey on visits to Boston and New York on a similar mission. As Mr Moloney explained yesterday, "we feel a duty to make sure as many survivors as possible are aware of the Commission, its committees, and of the Redress Board".
The group had not been convinced the Commission or the Department of Education had made adequate efforts to inform survivors in the US about what was being done in Ireland to assist them.
Mr Moloney would not comment on the group's response to proposals for a revamped Commission made to survivor groups at a meeting with Department of Education officials on September 15th. The support groups will meet the Minster for Education, Mr Dempsey, on Thursday.