Show Notes
Derry Born and based, the formidable documentary filmmaker tells the Talking Derry Girls about her latest film. Currently showing at selected cinemas across the UK and Ireland, "Stolen" captures the anguish, anger and the horrors surrounding Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions.
A true Derry Girl Margo has a back catalogue of work which carries social injustice, particularly the rights of women, at its core. The scandal that surrounded these "homes'' which has only come to light in recent years has sent ripples and shockwaves around the world. Babies separated from their mothers and sent for adoption, trafficked and sold into servitude. The unimaginable cruelty has been the subject of a Government enquiry with much of the horror still left untold or recognised.
In one mother's words "She took him off me, turned her back and walked away" is just one of the babies taken for adoption without his mother's consent. Just one of thousands of stories which may never be told. "Stolen" gives a voice to some of those lost children and their mothers.
Pregnancy in Catholic Ireland was the theme of Margo's 1990 film "Hush a Bye Baby". Set in 1980's Derry it showed the harsh realities of teenage pregnancy. How a baby conceived in the innocence of young love was feared more than a cancer diagnosis. The film itself has glimpses of what we all grew to know and love in "Derry Girls", though as she readily admits herself "not as many laughs". Margo's priest is very reminiscent of Father Peter…but then Father Peter is very like a lot of priests…
Margo has a tale or two to tell about how Sinead O'Connor came to appear in the film - "there wasn't a lot of call for bald headed schoolgirls in Derry at the time". There is also the secret to the perfect sausage roll and did they dare ask about clitoris allsorts…
Margo Harkin
Besom Productions
Aosdana
Hush a bye Baby (1990)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102080/
Stolen (2023) review in Guardian
Derry Film and Video workshop
Field Day Theatre Company
Brian Friel
Fear of Gods - Derry band, Jim Curran who worked with Margo Harkin suggested a young up and coming singer/songwriter to do the music for Margo’s film Hush a bye Baby. (1989) https://fanningsessions.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/fear-of-gods/
Bronagh Gallagher - The Commitment from the Finale of Derry Girls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronagh_Gallagher
We also had a chat about Bronagh who turned up at Marie-Louise’s Mother’s doorstep as a child wanting to learn how to be an actor!
Ep 1 Talking Derry Girls
Ann Lovett's death came just four months after the outcome of a divisive abortion referendum in which a two-thirds majority voted to enshrine the right to life of the unborn in the constitution, creating confusion over where that left the rights of the mother. Jan 31 1984 co Longford https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/ann-lovett-death-of-a-strong-kick-ass-girl-1.3429792
Abortion referendum in Ireland 1983 https://theconversation.com/abortion-the-story-of-suffering-and-death-behind-irelands-ban-and-subsequent-legalization-182812
The Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam
The Letter Mural picture from Derry of the past photos -
Poems referred to for both Stolen and Hush a Bye Baby
https://www.doirepress.com/writers/annemarie-ni-churreain
https://allpoetry.com/poem/11030643-Limbo-by-Seamus-Heaney
https://www.brinkerhoffpoetry.org/poems/cherishing-for-beginners
More from Talking Derry Girls
Marie-Louise is being an individual on her own in New York City! She says she misses Jeanie and Pauline but distracts herself back stage with actor Matthew Broderick who is in a play with a “Derry Girls” connection!
The Talking Derry Girls spoke to Roisin after the series premiere in Belfast and wondered how she felt now that six months' work and a year in production had reached an audience.
The Talking Derry Girls caught up with Caoilfhionn prior to the red carpet premiere in Belfast.
The Talking Derry Girls chatted with Darragh before the series premiere and wondered how he was feeling prior to the launch.
Robyn is one of the Holy Trinity of friends alongside Dara and Saoirse.