Catherine Corless featured in film about Ireland’s mother and baby homes

Unlocking the Role of Catherine Corless Through Her Garden

Playing a real-life figure demands careful preparation. Monica Dolan spent significant time with Catherine Corless in Tuam to ground her performance, noting that a simple walk in the historian’s garden proved essential for capturing her essence.

“When I found out I was playing the role, Frank Berry very kindly created a sort of pack for me of research but I thought it would be really useful for me to go and meet Catherine and I am very, very glad I met her in her home environment because her home is so important to her and her family and her garden,” Dolan explained.

Instead of merely reviewing maps and documents during her visit, Dolan discovered a deeply personal side of the researcher. Catherine Corless shared her handmade model of the institution, crafted because photographic records were scarce, designed specifically to give survivors a tangible reference.

“There’s a real spiritual aspect to Catherine. I found myself asking her what her favourite thing is and what’s important to her and she said ‘my garden’. They have an incredible field at the back of their small holding and Shadow the dog came with us. Catherine being Catherine found out as much about me as I did about her,” Dolan said.

Throughout the production, Corless maintained a strict focus. As Dolan observed, “It’s really clear when you meet her and her approach to the whole thing, she really is without ego. Everything about her is about wanting to get the message out there and the truth out there.”

Bringing an Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Fight to Screen

Adapted from Dan Barry’s 2017 New York Times article, the film charts how Ireland’s benignly-named institutions functioned as crucibles of fear, abuse, and shame. Director Frank Berry and his creative team deliberately focused on the measured pacing of an ordinary life upended by the pursuit of justice.

While Corless insisted the film center on the babies and survivors rather than herself, Dolan had to manage internal character arcs, such as overcoming public speaking anxiety.

Reflecting on the emotional weight of production, Dolan described meeting various survivors at their hotel and sensing a unifying thread among them. Filming the penultimate day’s sequence—where Corless addresses actual survivors and challenges attendees to organize an event coinciding with the Pope’s visit to Ireland—proved profoundly moving.

“There were so many survivors in the room that day that I was addressing as Catherine. I did have to stop at one stage. It was very overwhelming. I really felt the bravery in the room,” Dolan recalled.

Family Connections and Confronting Historical Opposition

The dark legacy of these facilities—the last of which closed as recently as 1998—resonated deeply with Dolan, whose parents immigrated from Enniscorthy and Swords to England. Though her parents initially shielded her from these histories, watching the film Philomena years later left them ashen-faced yet seemingly unburdened.

When asked about potential opposition to The Lost Children of Tuam, Dolan expressed confidence in the undeniable reality of the history being told and praised Corless’s unwavering resolve against past critics who tried to discredit her work.

“Essentially, we’re telling a story about something that happened and somebody, who is a very beautiful soul and who cares, discovering the truth and being a hero. That’s undeniable. Maybe there will be people who will try and deny it but Catherine Corless will not be frightened. She is very much a woman of conviction,” Dolan stated, referencing Corless’s guiding philosophy: the truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. If you let it out, it will defend itself.

Liam Neeson’s Involvement and the Stacks of History

Liam Neeson served as the primary catalyst for the project, purchasing the rights to Dan Barry’s New York Times piece after being deeply moved and angered by the reporting. Neeson visited the set during a critical, technically demanding sequence where Corless details the layout of the institution using her physical model for a roomful of survivors.

“That wasn’t an easy scene. I had to get it right; there were an awful lot of lines and you’ve got all of those people listening. It was at that point that Liam Neeson came to watch and it was probably the most difficult scene in the film. Did him being there help? No! Hopefully, there isn’t a glint in eye of me trying to show off to Liam Neeson!” Dolan noted.

Ultimately, the production aims to underscore the vital importance of engaging honestly with difficult pasts. I hope that we learn about history and that we need to use it for the future and that it is a valuable tool for our humanity, Dolan reflected, noting that a cut portion of the film features Corless reading an essay challenging her classmates: why are we studying history if you want to leave well enough alone? Should we have left the Holocaust alone? Should we have left slavery alone? If we can be brave enough to embrace the gravity and the truth of history then hopefully we can bring it forward.