'The priest called me a tramp, looked up my skirt to check if I had knickers on, then banished me'

Helen Culpan from Co Carlow is one of 34,000 survivors who are entitled to a redress payment for the time they spent in one of the country's many mother and baby homes

Helen Culpan was banished from her home in Castledermot, Co Kildare, to Dublin by her local priest when she became pregnant at the age of 17 after being raped by a neighbouring farmer. Photo: Patrick Browne

• This article is part of our Best of 2024 collection. It was originally published in August. Find more stories like this here.