Tributes have been paid to Tuam Mother and Baby Home survivor and Dunmore native Rosie McKinney as she was laid to rest in Dublin yesterday (mon)
The 86-year-old long-time campaigner died in the Mater Hospital in Dublin on New Year's Day following a short illness
Rosie Furey as she was then was just 15 when she was placed in the controversial Tuam institution where two of her children were taken by the nuns and adopted, while a third died
She reconnected with her children in later years and her funeral mass in King Church in Cabra heard she was never broken by her life experiences
She also spent time in the Magdalene Laundry in Galway City but eventually she and another girl escaped by clambering over the wall and walking all night to reach her home in Dunmore.
She met her husband Thomas in Dublin from where she and her daughter Mags worked tirelessly with former Labour minister Joe Costello to bring about legislation to provide redress and support for survivors.
The Irish Examiner reports that during the offertory former Tánaiste Joan Burton brought up the ‘Thirst for Justice Award’ which was presented to Rosie McKinney by the Labour party in recognition of her bravery as a campaigner and activist
