'It’s an awful thing to have to ask and wait for compensation for something that was done to you'

When Helen Culpan's mother reported the rape to the gardaí, they sent her to the local priest.: 'He abused my poor mother and lifted my skirt to see if I had any knickers on.' Picture: Patrick Browne

A 90-year-old woman who was raped by a local farmer as a teenager and had her child adopted by the nuns has said she is still waiting on her redress payment — despite the State promising to make elderly people a priority.

In March, the Government rolled out the long-awaited Mother and Baby Home Redress scheme for people who were incarcerated in the religious and state-run institutions for unmarried mothers.

However, despite her age, Helen Culpan who lives in Carlow and recently revealed her story to the , has still not received compensation.

“I have had nothing yet,” she said. 

“It’s an awful thing to have to ask and wait for compensation for something that was done to you.

I held my story a secret for more than 70 years and now everyone knows and I am overwhelmed with the response, thank you everyone for your support.

In a statement, the Department of Children said, “As of 16 September, 5,104 applications have been received.

“There are 4,430 fully completed applications which have proceeded into the processing system.

“2,922 notices of determination have issued to applicants. Applicants have 6 months to consider their offer before they need to respond.

“With regard to those who have accepted an offer, 1,376 payments are either processed and completed or in the process of being made.

“674 are incomplete applications. In such cases, applicants are being supported by the Payment Scheme Office in order to provide the outstanding information required so that their application can move forward. This could be, for example, a supporting document such as certified photo ID.” 

Ms Culpan’s story has also gone viral on TikTok and has received more than 600,000 views.

The survivor of St Patrick’s mother and baby home on the Navan Rd in north Dublin, where her only child was born and later taken from her, described how she was raped by a local farmer at 17.

When her mother reported the matter to the gardaí, they sent her to the local priest.

“He abused my poor mother and lifted my skirt to see if I had any knickers on,” she said.

“He abused me and called me a tramp and then threw us out and I had to go to a mother and baby home.

“He then got up on the pulpit the following Sunday morning and said, ‘there’s too many bastards being born in this town’."

Ms Culpan said she went on to marry but never had any other children and suffered with issues with her womb after the birth of her son and later had a hysterectomy.