“But you’re alive?”

By Abby Robinson

Published: Sunday, 10 September 2023 at 21:00 PM


The Woman in the Wall’s Lorna Brady had always hoped that her daughter Agnes had not only survived life in the laundry, for however long she had remained there, but also that she would one day come face to face with her child – and possibly even form a relationship with her.

But in the last episode, she was dealt a crushing blow when she found her baby’s death certificate.

Lorna had found the document at the wailing woman’s house, where it had been hidden underneath a floor board by Aoife, whose body has disappeared without a trace.

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Following that heart-rending development, Lorna was determined to find her daughter’s grave. But despite sifting through reams of archive material, she was unable to track Agnes down.

Like Aoife, and 295 other babies, she had vanished from the face of the earth.

“What did they do with their bodies?” she asked Michael as the pair sat surrounded by almost 300 death certificates.

“What if we’re looking at another Tuam, here in Kilkinure? Like a mass grave?”

Michael and Lorna sat on the floor of Lorna's living room surrounded by death certificates and candles
Mark Huberman as Michael and Ruth Wilson as Lorna Brady.
Motive Pictures/Chris Barr

But in the final moments of the drama, she received a visit from Detective Colman Akande which could change everything.

He had previously quizzed his adoptive mother about the identity of his biological mother, which led to a concerning confirmation about The House of the Sacred Shepherd.

The adoption agency, which oversaw the transfer of children from the mother and baby homes to new families (one of whom was Colman) closed down in 1979 according to official records. But numerous signs now point to it continuing its activities underground.

“If what you’re saying is right, we’re looking at a decade or more of illegal adoptions,” said Sgt Massey. “How many kids is that?”

“Hundreds, probably,” replied Colman. “Thousands even.”