The upcoming dramatic feature film The Lost Children of Tuam, directed by Frank Berry and produced by Liam Neeson, centers on the tireless efforts of amateur historian Catherine Corless to expose the dark reality of Ireland’s mother and baby homes. Based on a 2017 New York Times article by Dan Barry, the film details how Corless uncovered the historical truth surrounding the Tuam institution. English actress Monica Dolan stars as Corless, bringing an unvarnished approach to a narrative that sheds light on one of the greatest scandals in the history of the Irish Catholic Church.
Monica Dolan’s Preparation and On-the-Ground Research
To prepare for the demanding role, Monica Dolan spent significant time visiting Catherine Corless in Tuam to understand her subject’s daily life and motivations. Director Frank Berry provided the Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress with a comprehensive research pack, but Dolan felt meeting Corless in her home environment was essential. According to Dolan, observing Corless’s home and garden provided crucial insight into her character.
“I went over with the idea that we would probably be looking at maps or documents,” Dolan noted regarding her initial visit. “As we spoke, and particularly when she showed me the model she had created of the mother and baby home, she made it because there just wasn’t the photographs of it available. It was important for her to have something to show the survivors.”
Dolan observed a strong spiritual grounding in Corless, noting that her smallholding, her garden, and her dog, Shadow, form the core of her personal life. Throughout their meetings, Corless focused the discussion away from herself, emphasizing that the cinematic project belongs entirely to the babies and survivors rather than her own historical discovery.
The Pacing and Structure of the Film
The Lost Children of Tuam adopts a measured, non-sensationalistic tone to chronicle an ordinary woman confronting monumental institutional wrongdoing. Rather than relying on dramatic exaggeration, the screenplay focuses on the genuine personal challenges Corless faced, including public speaking and addressing large crowds.
Dolan highlighted that her character arc required finding internal obstacles to overcome, culminating in a key scene where Corless addresses the public at a hotel. Filming the sequence involving actual survivors of the mother and baby homes proved to be an emotionally overwhelming experience for the cast and crew.
“The second last day of filming was an extraordinary day,” Dolan said. “We were filming the scene where Catherine is speaking to the actual survivors in the hotel and is challenging everyone to create another event around the story when the Pope visits Ireland—that day was extremely affecting because those people were so supportive of what was happening in the room.”
Historical Context and Cultural Impact
The film brings renewed attention to Ireland’s mother and baby homes, the last of which closed as recently as 1998. These institutions operated as crucibles of fear, abuse, and shame for unmarried mothers and their children.
Reflecting on her own background, Dolan—whose parents immigrated to England from Enniscorthy and Swords, Dublin—noted that her family rarely discussed the institutions during her youth, as older generations often maintained a protective silence regarding certain aspects of Irish culture. However, witnessing the public reckoning brought by previous cinematic projects, such as the film Philomena, demonstrated how deeply these concealed histories affected Irish families both at home and abroad.
Worth a look