In December 2024, the University of Limerick announced the launch of a ‘major new study’ entitled ‘Experiences of Irish Mother and Baby Institutions’ (EIMBI). The study is funded by the Health Service Executive’s National Counselling Service (NCS), and also appears to be part of a larger project which is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. According to the researchers, the key purpose of the EIMBI project is to ‘document the social, psychological and health needs of those with experiences of Irish Mother and Baby institutions’.
Considering its intended purpose, and the fact that there is a dearth of academic research on this subject in Ireland, the study should arguably be welcomed. However, an examination of the publicly available information about the project raises significant concerns which are addressed in the analysis of a paper which can be downloaded here.
Click here for a Word version of the analysis which includes alt-text.
Informational materials which are referenced in the above analysis are available at the links below.