The primary goal of AdoptionIreland: the Adopted Peoples Association is to seek legislative change to benefit adopted people and their natural families. The APA believes that the Government has an obligation to provide adequate post adoption services. Until legislation is passed to provide these services we would like to offer the following advice to assist individuals wishing to reunite with their natural families. The APA is vigorously campaigning for a proper and adequate Post Adoption State Service.

The Adoption Authority does hold a file on every domestic adoption since 1952 but it will just refer you to the agency. Don't worry if you are not sure what agency was involved, the Adoption Authority will be able to let you know. You will need to write to them. Below is an example of what to write, just fill in your own details. Please use registered post.

To:
Mr. Kiernan Gildea,
Registrar,
The Adoption Board,
Shelbourne House,
Shelbourne Road,
Dublin 4.

Dear Mr. Kiernan Gildea

I request that you forward me the name and current address of the adoption agency that arranged my adoption. I would also like a copy of my non-identifying details from my file in the Adoption Authority and all relevant information that will assist me to obtain a copy of my birth certificate from the General Registrar's Office. My details are as followss:

NAME OF CHILD: Joseph Bloggs D. O. B. : 19 / 2 / 1963
NAME OF NATURAL MOTHER : Anne Bloggs
ADDRESS AT TIME OF BIRTH : 100 Sycamore Drive ,Co. Dublin.
NAME OF NATURAL FATHER : Joe Smith
ADDRESS AT TIME OF BIRTH : 101 Seashore Drive , Co. Dublin.
My Current Address is:

I would also like to request the date of the Adoption Order.

I hope this information will assist your enquiries on my behalf.

Yours faithfully,

Anne Murphy (nee Bloggs)

The information you should try and obtain from the agency is:

1. If the adopted person is aware that they are adopted?
2. If the adopted person as a child or adult has ever made any contact with the agency and the nature of the contact?
3. Did they leave a current address or contact details for natural family to contact?
4. What the person's adoptive First/Christian name(s) are?
5. What the average age of the adoptive parents was at the time of placement?
6. Where they came from, rural or urban, the county, the country?
7. What the adoptive parent's occupations are/were?
8. Are the adoptive parents living or deceased?
9. If the person's adoptive parents adopted any other children?
10. How many brothers and sisters the person has?
11. The last known contact with the agency by the adoptive parents?
12. If they have any knowledge as to person's current status i.e. health, married, widowed, deceased?
13. If the adopted person is married and/or living in their own home in Ireland or abroad?
14. If the person is attending college? What level of education they attained i.e. Primary/Secondary/Third level?
15. Their interests/hobbies?
16. If they contact the agency what advice/help will they be given?
17. Will they be informed that their natural family is seeking contact?
18. If adopted abroad, do they speak English?
19. Will the agency make contact with the person directly at their place of residence on reaching 18 years?
20. Does the person have any knowledge of medical history from the natural family?
21. If there is any other relevant information that the agency can provide to me about the adopted person?

Do not even consider going to Joyce House without a reasonable amount of spare cash — we suggest €45.00, but you may only need €10.00. There is a research room located on the first floor, which is open to the public Mon.-Fri. 9.30 am-4.30 p.m. In order to see the books you must fill out a year search form. Do not hesitate to ask the staff for help. They are very helpful, but please be patient as they are understaffed. It costs €1.90 to search a particular year, €15.24 for a general search. Take your time looking through the books and make sure to have some pens and a notepad with you.

The format of the registers changed in January 1966 so we shall explain both formats.

EXAMPLE:

SURNAME	CHILD'S NAME	MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME	AREA OF REG.	DATE OF BIRTH	VOL	PAGE
BROWN	KENNETH	SMITH	DUBLIN N	2	346
BLOGGS	JOSEPH	BLOGGS	DUBLIN N	2	568
BROWN	FEMALE	CARTER	ROSCREA	4	361

* Adopting parents may have changed Child's name.

EXAMPLE:

SURNAME	CHILD'S NAME	MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME	AREA OF REG.	DATE OF BIRTH	VOL	PAGE	QTR
BROWN	KENNETH	SMITH	DUBLIN N	4-5-66	2	346	2
BLOGGS	JOSEPH	BLOGGS	DUBLIN N	1-12-66	2	568	4
BROWN	FEMALE	CARTER	ROSCREA	28-3-66	4	361	2
BROWN	LUKE	JONES	DELVIN	1-9-66	3	421	3

Copies of an entry cost €1.90 each. A small white photocopy request form must be filled in. You will receive a copy of the entry, which has as much detail as a full birth cert. For pre 1966 births, sometimes a birth at the end of one quarter might not have been registered until the next quarter. Example: a birth for 28 Sep. 1965 might not have been registered until Oct. 1965 and will not be in the book until Dec. 1965. Also check the back of the books for late handwritten entries.

You should now have the birth certificate of the person when they were placed for adoption; the next step is coming forward and obtaining the person's new adoptive identity. This procedure needs to be conducted with precision and with careful attention to detail. The original identity of the person who was placed for adoption is of no help to you, the exact date of birth of this person contained in the birth certificate is the key in this search process to obtaining the person's new adoptive identity.

What you need to do is obtain a copy of the "Extract From The Adopted Children's Register" for the person who was adopted which is a public record, recorded in the Adopted Children's Register and is open to inspection by the general public. This record should say where the person was born (County only), the person's adoptive name, adoptive parent's name and address and the profession or rank of the adoptive father, also the date on which the adoption order was granted.

The process of accessing the Adopted Children's Register is slightly more restricted than the other records contained in the Registrar's Office, nonetheless this should not inhibit you in anyway. To gain access to the register you must ask a staff member in the research room to facilitate your request to view the Adopted Children's Register. To do this you will be charged €15.24.

There are two main books, the first goes up to roughly 1970 and the second is from 1970 onwards. If the person was born in 1969-70, you will have to look at both books. Otherwise, just ask for the book that applies to you. The books contain a record of every person that an adoption order was granted for by the Irish Adoption Board since its inception in 1952. There are over 40,000 entries. The format of these books is as follows:

SURNAME	FIRST NAME	DATE OF BIRTH
KENNY	ANDREW	16-9-81
KENNY	WILLIAM	1-12-66
KENNY	MICHELLE	2-6-76
KENNY	KEVIN	22-10-55

As the entries are listed alphabetically, every page of the book must be checked from A to Z. As you can see children adopted in the fifties are entered beside children adopted in the eighties so it is absolutely necessary to check all the books properly. What are you looking for? You are looking for a match on the date of birth only, the surname, the first name and the date the adoption order was granted are of no consequence at this stage.

When checking these books when you find a date of birth that matches with the one you are looking for, note its contents and the reference number, the page number and book number on a notepad and continue to check the rest of the books. If you think you have found a match, it could be the right one but keep going and check all the entries! It is not impossible (and has occurred) for two babies to have been born on the same day with the same adoptive name so it's important to keep going, hard as it is to do.

When you have finished checking all of the entries you must then fill out request forms for the entries that you found. This is done as if you were making a request for a birth certificate but indicate on the form that person was adopted in the appropriate section. If you are researching in Joyce House you should hand this form into the staff with payment and they will forward it to the GRO's offices in Roscommon, where the registers are held. The cert should be posted out to you. If you are researching in Roscommon, you should be able to get the cert there.

If you find 2,3 or more matches of entries with the same date of birth a process of elimination is required. This can be done by matching the date of the Adoption Order that was granted. At present only natural mothers may request this information from the Adoption Board, by requesting it in writing from the Board. If you are not a natural mother, you should use the non-identifying information from the agency to help narrow it down. Hopefully you now have one certificate.

Please Note: Don't throw away extra photocopies and notes away; they might be useful to someone else.

• If you have access to the internet, if you haven't done so already, join our online support group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adoption-ireland
• If you do not have Internet access, please phone our helpline on 01-6790011, where a member of staff will advise you further.
• AdoptionIreland holds meetings occasionally as a useful source for help and advice. We are also hoping to run Tracing Workshops in the future.

Remember patience and perseverance will get you there (eventually). If you would like to be notified by post or e-mail of future meetings and events for adopted people, please write to us or e-mail us and ask to be included on our mailing list.

If You Feel Your Agency Is Not Doing Enough For You
Make your views known to the Adoption Authority. If you are still not satisfied with that response, then please forward copies of your details and the nature of your complaint to AdoptionIreland and we will try to assist you. If all else fails, you can request the Adoption Authority to disclose the information to you. If they refuse, you are within your rights to make an application to the High Court for a Judicial Review of their decision to refuse. The costs involved ensure only the privileged few take this route.

Please Note Your Adoption Agency May Have Closed
If this is the case the files are normally transferred to the relevant Health Service Executive (previously known as the Health Boards). Unfortunately if this is the case, it will take longer as they regard this type of enquiry as low priority, but follow the same procedure. If in the event of the Adoption Authority not being able to inform you where your file is held, then contact the Minister responsible and request her/him to locate it. If this fails, demand an explanation in writing outlining the reasons why and contact AdoptionIreland who will do all in its power to assist you. Once again we advise that you register all post.

If You Are Not Sure About Anything Just Ask!
Remember, there are no "stupid questions" — please contact our helpline at 01-6790011 or mail us at info@adoptionireland.com if there is anything you are unsure of.

National Adoption Contact Preference Register
The Irish Adoption Authority launched the National Adoption Contact Preference Register (NACPR), in April 2005. This involved a leaflet drop to every household in Ireland inviting adopted people and natural parents and family members to register. If you have not yet received a Registration Form, or if you live outside Ireland contact the Adoption Authority at www.adoptionboard.ie or Shelbourne House, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, Tel. 01-2309300

Please visit the AdoptionIreland website or ask to be included on our mailing list for updates on adoption matters and public meetings in Ireland. AdoptionIreland wishes you the very best of luck and we hope you reach a successful outcome!

Adoption Loss (formerly NPNI): Adoption Loss (formerly the Natural Parents Network of Ireland) is a voluntary self-help organisation formed in 1996 by a group of women who had been parted from their children by adoption in the past. They provide help to natural families separated by adoption in four ways: Individual advice by email or letter; Monthly open meetings; Information to Media on adoption issues; Views to Government on adoption legislative reform. Postal address: PO Box 6714, Dublin 4; Email:secretary@adoptionloss.ie Telephone helpline: Sundays 2pm-4pm only 1890-200046 Or visit the Adoption Loss website at www.adoptionloss.ie

ACE (Adopted Citizens of Éire): Northeast US-based group promoting awareness of Irish adoption to the US. ACE is a NY-registered non-profit organisation. Contact: ACE, P.O. Box 628 Islip, N.Y. 11751-0628.

Adoptive Parent's Association of Ireland: Representative association for adoptive parents. Secretary: Helen Gilmartin, APAI, Glendalough Post Office, Co. Wicklow Tel 0404 45184, Fax 0404 45700, e-mail: apai@tinet.ie Public Relations Officer: Helen Scott, APAI, 40 Fairyhouse Lodge, Fairyhouse, Ratoath, Co. Meath Tel 01 8252043.

AFPAI (Adopted and Fostered Person's Association of Ireland): Bernadette Joyce 23 Portmarnock Crescent Portmarnock Co. Dublin. Tracing and information for people who were in long-term foster care and/or raised in institutions.

Barnardos: Adoption Advice Service, Tuesday 2-5pm and Thursday 10-2pm.Christchurch Square, Dublin 8 Tel. 01-4546388. Website: www.barnardos.ie

Births, Marriages and Deaths, (General Registrar's Office): Dublin Office: Joyce House, Lombard St., Dublin 2. Tel: 01-6711968. Roscommon Office: General Register Office, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon. Tel: 090 6632900 LoCall: 1890 252076 Fax: 090 6632999 or www.groireland.ie

Birth Parents of Adopted Children (Cork): "We are a support group based in Cork for birth parents of adopted children. We meet quarterly for support and provide a telephone support service. If anyone is interested in further details, you can email bpacsg@eircom.net"

Justice for Magdalenes: Former members of the Magdalene Memorial Committee have joined with a group of Magdalene Laundry survivors to form a new group to campaign for justice for women who were incarcerated in Magdalene Laundries. Contact: Claire McGettrick, PRO, Justice for Magdalenes at Crocknahattina, Bailieborough, Co. Cavan. Web site: www.magdalenelaundries.com E-mail: info@magdalenelaundries.com; Telephone: +353 (0)87 9526345.

Know My Own: Know My Own is a Cork-based support group for adopted people, allied to AdoptionIreland. Monthly meetings are held in the Ardmanning Inn, Togher. Please see the AdoptionIreland Mailing List for further details (details of meetings are posted there) or e-mail knowmyown@gmail.com

Mathair Áil: Mathair Áil is a group of Irish mothers who lost one or more children to adoption. They run monthly support meetings, have an internet based support group and a helpline number at 087 645 1494 which is available to callers on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm and on Thursdays from 7pm to 9pm. Access to information and support is provided on the Mathair Áil website www.mathairail.org

The National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 2, Tel.01 4783711

Treoir: The Federation of Services for Unmarried Parents and their Children, Information Centre, 36 Upper Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 Telephone & Fax 01-4964155.

Irish Health Boards: For information on specific contact details for relevant Health Boards, visit the Oasis server hosted by the Irish government at www.oasis.gov.ie

St. Patrick's Guild: 203 Merrion Rd., Dublin 4. Tel. 2196551

Sacred Heart Adoption Society: Blackrock, Cork. Tel. 021-4357730.
Also has the records for Sacred Heart, Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath and Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.

St. Louise's: 1st Floor, Park House, N.C.R. Dublin 7 Tel. 01-8387122.

Cunamh: 30 South Anne St. Dublin 2 Tel. 01-6779664.

R.G.A.S.: PLEASE NOTE, THE ROTUNDA GIRLS AID SOCIETY HAS NOW CLOSED DOWN, PLEASE CONTACT OUR HELPLINE AT 01-6790011 FOR FURTHER ADVICE.

P.A.C.T.: 15 Belgrave Rd. Rathmines, Dublin 6 Tel. 01-4975155.

St. Brigid's: 16 The Coombe, Dublin 8 Tel. 01-4542917.

St. Anne's, Cork: (This agency has now closed and all files and casework have transferred to the Southern Health Board).

Limerick Catholic: Unit 3, St. Camillus Hospital, Shelbourne Rd. Limerick Tel. 061-326677.

Challenge: Waterford Rd. Kilkenny. Tel. 056-21653.

St. Attracta's: St. Mary's Sligo. Tel. 071-43058.

St. Catherine's: Clarecare, Harmony Row, Ennis, Co. Clare Tel. 065-28178.

St. Kevin's: South Eastern Health Board, 32 the Mall, Waterford Tel. 051-78574.
Also has the records for St John's, Waterford and Challenge, Waterford.

St. Mary's: 20 Denny St. Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel. 066-22524.

CLANN: Merlin Park Hospital, Galway Tel. 091-751131 ext 311.
Also has the records for St Nicholas', Galway

St. Mura's: Pastoral Centre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal Tel. 074-21653.

REMEMBER — DO NOT DEAL WITH AGENCIES OVER THE PHONE, EXCEPT TO ARRANGE APPOINTMENTS.