Poignant exhibition at Linenhall Library Belfast brings stories of mother and baby home survivors to life

The Sunflower Project Exhibition brings together the writings, paintings and personal items of a group of women whose lives were deeply impacted by their experiences of these notorious institutions. Prints created by the women - Marie McGinn, Attracta McGuigan, Fiona O’Doherty, Carmel McCallion and Caitriona Cunningham - with the guidance of artist Brónagh Corr will be the main part of the exhibition.

The poignant exhibition also includes christening robes, baby outfits knitted at the homes, and ornate tiles from the Marianvale mother and baby home in Newry. It is the result of two and a half years of workshops aimed at supporting the women to express themselves through drama and art, it provides a deep insight into the impact of the homes on the lives of the women and their babies.

The director of The Linen Hall, Julie Andrews, said: “The Linen Hall welcomes this important and profoundly moving exhibition that draws attention to the legacy of mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland and to the lasting impact those institutions had on people’s lives. The Linen Hall has a long history as a space for the discussion and exploration of difficult subjects and we hope that this exhibition will help to give people a deeper understanding and appreciation of the experiences of victims and survivors of mother and baby homes. We are delighted to be working with Sole Purpose Productions and to support a project that shows so powerfully how the arts can help people to find a voice and tell even the most traumatic stories.”

Lizzie Devlin, community arts development officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, core funders for Sole Purpose, said: “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to support Sole Purpose, thanks to The National Lottery. National Lottery funding has been a game changer in supporting their important work which demonstrates the power of the arts in shining a light on and creating discussion around important societal issues. I would encourage everyone to go along and experience this moving exhibition at the Linen Hall Library this November.”

The project was managed by Patricia Byrne, artistic Ddirector of Sole Purpose Productions who brought together experienced theatre practitioner Shauna Kelpie, mental health and trauma researcher Dr Colette Ramsey, and artist Brónagh Corr to work with the group to find their creative voices. They describe how the women developed during the process, losing any sense of stigma about the past, becoming more confident, open and free to express their emotions.

A short film of monologues written and performed by the group will be part of the exhibition and will be shown on a loop on November 12, 20 and 28, 10am – 12noon. The group also made a one hour film which follows their journey over the two years of the project, ‘In Each Other’s Shelter We Survive’, which will be screened at the library on November 27, 1-2pm. After the screening, some of the women and facilitators involved in the project will discuss the issues raised in the exhibition. Booking is essential, please book at https://www.linenhall.com/event/the-sunflower-project-screening

Patricia Byrne said the project had been deeply moving and profound for all those involved: “It was incredible and really heartening to see how the women developed during the process, how they were able to find their voices and end the years of silence and shame.”

One of the participants, Caitriona Cunningham, has now written a powerful, emotional play, The Marian Hotel, which stunned audiences in her native city of Derry and will play to sold-out audiences at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre, November 21 - 23. Caitriona said the past two and half years has had a life-changing effect on her and her fellow participants. “

It was so cathartic. It started conversations and got a lot of feelings out about those places that had haunted us, memories that had been buried. The workshops were very safe, everything was handled so sensitively. We had support all the way through,” she added.

Both the exhibition and play are part of a major creative heritage project which aims to dispel the shame of those affected by the institutions, encourage more people to come forward and tell their stories, and preserve this part of Ireland’s dark history.

Heritage outreach activities also include creative writing ‘Reminiscence Workshops’, an Oral History archive involving one-on-one interviews with survivors and a Digital Exhibition called ’The Marian Hotel: Memories from Northern Ireland Mother and Baby Homes’, launching in 2025. If anyone would like to take part in the workshops please contact Mairéad at [email protected]

The Sunflower Project Exhibition is funded by The Ideas Fund - a grants scheme run by the British Science Foundation and funded by Wellcome which enables the UK public to develop and try out ideas that address problems related to mental wellbeing by working with researchers. You can find out more here: www.theideasfund.org/.

The Marian Hotel production, workshops and oral histories is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council of Northern Ireland Commissioning Programme, Foyle Foundation and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The Sunflower Project Exhibition is in The Linen Hall Library from November 4 to November 29 in The Vertical Gallery. It is free entrance.

For more information on the Sunflower Project Exhibition go to: www.solepurpose.org