iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 24/08/2026

[reposting with ALT-Text] The story of a mother who worked in #Bessborough, and didn’t leave until the day she died. This post was a long time coming. Read it here: danielloftus.substack.com/p/mabel

Post promo graphic with a black and white silhouette of a woman, with the blog post title, subtitle and publication title.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 17/07/2026

And now, Patricia appears as a search result on IrishGenealogy.ie! #Genealogy

Search entry result for Patricia Brennan giving her age at death, date of death and district.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 09/06/2026

Blast. Just when I was hoping to do some research. #Genealogy

Error message which reads: "Sorry, we had trouble getting those results.
Please try again or contact our Customer Support team for help."

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/05/2026

Thank you to Terri Harrison & the Society of Survivors, I wasn’t able to attend the event in person, but this arrived in the post yesterday. ☺️ #motherandbabyhomes #projectinfant #ireland #award

Photo of me holding a framed award which reads: “Special Award to Outstanding Support in Highlighting our Cause by Exposing our Truth” with my name underneath.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 14/03/2026

I don’t intend to create squabbles but I can’t let the work of my volunteers at @projectinfant.ie not be highlighted. Only for them would those boards (and extra 74 names) have been found and created. Please give credit where credit is due. #MotherandBabyHomes Video: Corruption Awareness Ireland

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 05/03/2026

❌ Attend RootsTech online while it happens. 🥲 ☑️ Work on a 5,000 word long research project for university about #MotherandBabyHomes…

Photo of Microsoft Word, where the word count up to 4,248 words.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 15/02/2026

Anyone know of any WordPress plugins that could do this? I'd look for a plugin that does this if I knew the technical term to try searching for. Webpage: nationaltreasures.ie/submissions/...

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 06/02/2026

(Part 2 as original file was too big)

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 06/02/2026

Another #Tuam excavation #update. A step closer to answers but still a long road ahead. #ireland #motherandbabyhomes #galway For the full update, see: odait.ie/news/technic... (Part 1 of 2)

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 26/11/2025

If you have some time, please do listen to the two parts of Breda’s story. Breda speaks so eloquently, openly & passionately that I can only hope that this will be heard by many people. Trigger warning for both episodes, but it’s compelling accounts like this that make change.

Screenshot of Taboo (by Dr. Fiona Barry) podcast page showcasing Breda’s episodes in two parts.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 20/11/2025

So, went on to the Irish Newspaper Archive website, forgetting the site revamp has gone live and oh, my GOD it's a massive improvement. Way more smooth when trying to view pages with more than 10 results to them. [and the infinite loading screens] - still getting used to the search, but good so far!

The new dashboard for the Irish Newspaper Archive website.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 01/11/2025

The number of times I know what I want to do but can't think of the term for it. 🙄 Question. When you see on websites, you have like a path? Like: [photo] - what are these called and is this a plugin possible for WordPress? 😅

Site path reading: Home > Support > Building and Estates > Room Bookings > My Timetable

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 20/10/2025

So, when you block someone — a user can see you have done so & you can see when someone has blocked you. You’ll see the below tags on someone’s account if that’s the case. But, a list of who you’ve blocked & those who are blocking you can be found by looking your profile up on Clearsky.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 24/09/2025

I have a lot to say, but can't put it all into one post, so hopefully the image below will express it better than 280 characters could ever. It's a big change for @projectinfant.ie but one that needed to be done. Thank you all who support our work. 🩷🩵🤍 🔗: projectinfant.ie/forster

In a period of Ireland’s history where its impact still rings through to the present day, affecting thousands of families (including my own), it’s important that all institutions are afforded the same respect when remembering those who lost their lives in the institutions.

Since Project Infant began in July 2022, it had originally served as an online tribute to mothers and children who died in Mother and Baby Institutions, County Homes and Adoption Homes, so far collectively, eleven have been recorded to date - amounting to recording to just over 6,500 names.

But things change, and Project Infant is no different.

In August 2024: the first Industrial School was added. To date, we have recorded deaths in six of them, recording the names of 452 children.

Now, in September 2025: we have added the first Magdalene Laundry to the website. This is the Magdalene Laundry which was located in Forster Street in Galway City. This new inclusion has resulted in the names of 128 women who died in the Forster Street Laundry being added to Project Infant.

We endeavour to continue our work in restoring the names of the thousands who died in Ireland’s institutions.

– Daniel Loftus, Project Infant Founder

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 23/09/2025

Just when I sit down to work on some Project Infant research, Irish Genealogy goes to hell. 😖🥴 [And this is happening to me on eeeeeevery record I try to look at.]

Screenshot of taskbar and top half of a browser window giving an Error 404 message.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 11/08/2025

Good to see the family history section in W. H. Smith has plenty of choice… #genealogy

A range of magazines and publications in a shop shelf from titles such as “Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine” and “Family Tree Magazine (UK)”.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 02/08/2025

So, 2 people found Project Infant's website from ChatGPT. I wonder how my website came about in a ChatGPT exchange?

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 16/07/2025

The plot is poorly kept, with the only two 'monuments', a broken plaque for Julia O'Donoghue in May 1984 & a metal cross with the wrong name inscribed: Doris Walsh instead of Ann Walsh in January 1985. Below are 13 women & 4 children from Bessborough that are buried in the plot.

In Memory Of:

Bridget McCarthy - November 22nd 1927 - 23 years
Michael Thompson - December 19th 1927 - 2 months
Joseph Grace - May 28th 1928 - 1 month
John Grace - June 22nd 1928 - 6 weeks
John Swanton - June 26th 1928 - 2 months
Catherine (Kate) O’Brien - July 27th 1929 - 25 years
Eliza (Lizzie) McCarthy - September 23rd 1932 - 26 years
Margaret Mahony - December 5th 1940 - 40 years
Josephine Larkin - January 10th 1942 - 19 years
Mary Cuddihy - December 30th 1942 - 39 years
Nellie Grosse - September 18th 1943 - 58 years
Mabel Jessie Huckvale - January 22nd 1953 - 82 years
Elizabeth Susie Hope - September 21st 1957 - 47 years
Joan Twomey - June 25th 1958 - 62 years
Louise Bridget O’Leary - March 23rd 1974 - 81 years
Julia O’Donoghue - May 17th 1984 - 81 years
Ann Walsh - January 23rd 1985 - 85 years

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 16/07/2025

In November of 1927, the Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary purchased three graves, combined into one plot in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Cork. This is what the grave looks like now. @timbre-breda.bsky.social & I finished looking at the cemetery registers for this plot. 17 people are buried here.

Broken shield style plaque in two pieces.

Black Metal Cross with the name 'Doris Walsh' inscribed.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 16/07/2025

3 years ago today, I took a chance. Wasn’t sure how this would work out for me. With the help of @projectinfant.ie volunteers, we’ve found 6,547 mother & baby home (adoption home etc.) children, 66 mothers and 367 Industrial School children — covering 17 institutions so far. More to come!

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 10/07/2025

Anyone on #Genealogy Bluesky able to help decipher this cause of death? So far, we've got Croupous pneumonia (double pneumonia) 17 days. Then: M_____ F____ Disease Certified. Any ideas? Link to the page is: www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/...

A snippet of a death certificate with the cause of death that needs to be deciphered.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 07/07/2025

Looking forward to attending the premiere of "In Plain Sight" by @nollieb.bsky.social & Camille O'Sullivan with @sharonloftus.bsky.social tomorrow. Please do try and make this if you can! Tickets are available here: www.thesourceartscentre.ie/whats-on/eve...

Promo for In Plain Sight by Noelle Brown and Camille O'Sullivan. It is taking place from July 8th to 12th 2025 at the Sacred Heart of Mary Convent.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 07/07/2025

Update your Bluesky app, people! 🙂 Post notifications are here!

- Activity subscriptions: receive push notifications when users post by subscribing to their activity.
- More detailed notification settings: change which notifications you receive and from whom.
- New notification types: likes on reposts, reposts of reposts.
- Multiple visual improvements to post threads.
- Fixed a bug which made it difficult to link to search results.
- Multiple other bugfixes.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 05/07/2025

But I had received no such thing from them until *JUNE 26th*, nearly a month after. But it didn't directly answer my request, instead they referred me to others, one from the COIMBH Preferring to look at the source material myself I wrote back saying I want to arrange access…

Dear Mr Loftus
I refer to your Freedom of Information request seeking the following and apologise for the delay in response caused by heavy workloads
"to view the burial registers for St Joseph's Cemetery, Ballyphehane and St Finbarr's Cemetery to search for the mothers and children connected to Bessborough Mother and Baby Institution who are buried in those cemeteries. To view records from the 1948 to 1998 St Joseph's and 1930- 1998 for St Finbarr's"
did an extensive search of these same records on behalf of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission and his findings would have been included in the
Report. In addition,
spent a considerable time searching through the records of St Joseph's Cemetery in relation to any
Bessborough records. I would suggest in the first instance checking the Commission Report or with
specifically in
relation to St Joseph's Cemetery records.
If you are not successful, we can arrange supervised access to the records.
You may appeal this decision under Section 21. Please note that a fee applies for an appeal, with the exception of an appeal against the imposition of a fee. The level of this has been set at €30.00 or €10.00 for medical card holders. In the event that you need to make such an appeal, you can do so by writing to:

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 05/07/2025

I filled the form on May 2nd, in the CCC lobby & handed it in. I would receive no acknowledgement of its receipt until May 13th, over a week's worth of working days later. I was told that I would receive a response by May 30th...

Dear Mr Loftus,
Please find attached acknowledgement letter in respect of FOl request 130-25.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 05/07/2025

I'm incredibly disappointed by Cork City Council [CCC] in their handling of my Freedom of Information Request [FOI] and how I am no closer to answers over 2 months later. I was very clear in what I was after - to examine the burial registers of St. Joseph's & St. Finbarr's... 🧵

To view the burial registers for St. Joseph's Cemetery, Ballyphehane + St. Finbarr's Cemetery to search for the mothers and children connected to Bessborough Mother and Baby Institution who are buried in those cemeteries. To view records from 1948-1998 for St. Joseph's + 1930-1998 for St. Finbarr's.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Then the event concluded with one final song from the Underwoods & Hannah Fitzgerald. The event was beautifully organised. Once again, you can see the recording of the Commemoration [which is divided into segments with the event in its entirety] here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

A distance shot of the Bessborough boards that have the children's and mother's names on them, with yellow flowers off to the side.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

The Special Advocate, Patricia Carey (@patriciac.bsky.social) had shared the story of one family who had attended Bessborough commemorations and their connection to Bessborough through their mother. youtu.be/9_FTXHSo2A0

A woman looks down at the sheet of paper she is holding, speaking into a microphone.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Next was Cork City Councillor, Terry Shannon who paid tribute to his late wife, adoption campaigner & former Lord Mayoress, Ursula - speaking about her life and his work with Bessborough. youtu.be/wN_umwYlQFs

A man in a white shirt wearing a sleeveless jacket speaks into a microphone.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Subsequently, Professor Katherine O'Donnell (@ka-od.bsky.social) also paid tribute to Mari T. Steed & had spoke about Mari's activism as part of Justice for Magdalenes Research [JFMR]. youtu.be/F0tJWKAAlDY

A woman looking out at the crowd speaking into a microphone.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Afterwards was Dr. Claire McGettrick (@cmcgettrick.bsky.social), who paid tribute to campaigner, Bessborough baby & mother and baby home survivor, Mari T. Steed who had died last October speaking about her activism. youtu.be/vqa4hAdr-64

A lady wearing a black top holding sheets of paper speaking into a microphone.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Then was the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. He pledges to work with survivor groups on memorialisation for #Bessborough. youtu.be/qpkUffTM3Tc

A man in a blue suit holding a green binder speaking into a microphone.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Firstly, was the opening address from Carmel Cantwell (@carmelcantwell.bsky.social) addressing the importance of investigating #Bessborough to establish the burial place of 859 missing children, calling on the authorities to take action. youtu.be/A7MNRECGRbg

A woman is speaking into a microphone holding a clipboard.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

Music throughout had been provided by Karen Underwood, her daughter - Christiana Underwood and Hannah Fitzgerald. Their performances are below: youtu.be/5CaA8DjToI8 youtu.be/t1SeD4cTa4Q youtu.be/InSJgquMjaQ

The three women are singing and the one on the left is playing the piano.
L-R: Hannah Fitzgerald, Karen Underwood & Christiana Underwood.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 30/06/2025

The event was MCed by the formidable PJ Coogan (@pjcoogan.bsky.social) allowing the event to flow naturally.

A man wearing a Hawaiian shirt with palm trees holding a sheet of paper in one hand, holding a microphone in the other

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 29/06/2025

Will do more tweeting about the #Bessborough commemoration but feel this in itself deserves a separate post. Got to speak to the Taoiseach about my #MotherAndBabyHomes research. A surreal moment nonetheless but I’m glad I got to convey the importance (and necessity) of investigating Bessborough.

Me speaking to Taoiseach, Micheál Martin.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 29/06/2025

In memory of the 923 children & 32 mothers who died between 1922 and 1994 in / connected with Bessborough House. See next post for ALT-text. [Note: We only have 890 children & 25 mothers, but we're working hard at @projectinfant.ie to try and find the remaining names.] #MotherAndBabyHomes [1/2] ❤️

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 21/06/2025

Going through old school notes, found this assignment from my TY year in secondary school. 😅 #Genealogy

Me holding a booklet that I made called “a Teen’s Guide to Researching Your Irish Roots”.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 21/06/2025

Sunday, June 29th at 2pm is Bessborough’s annual commemoration. If you’re in Cork / want to visit, see the poster below for details. All welcome, regardless of a Bessborough connection or not. Speakers are Dr. @cmcgettrick.bsky.social & Prof. @ka-od.bsky.social. #MotherAndBabyHomes

Promotional poster which reads:

Commemorating the Women & Children of Bessboro

MC: PJ Coogan
Guest Speakers:
Dr Claire MeGettrick &
Professor Katherine O'Donnell
Music by Karen, Christiana Underwood & John O'Brien
Bessborough Centre
Blackrock, T12 CRAO, Cork
29th June 2025 at 2pm
- Tea/Coffee after in the Blackrock Inn ~
E: bessboroevent@yahoo.com
All Welcome

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 14/06/2025

She was born in early July 1941 to her mother Annie Roughneen. Annie was one of the 796 children who died in Tuam, she died on July 29th 1941 at the age of 3 weeks. Her mother, Annie died just over 2 weeks later on August 13th at the age of 42. Their deaths are recorded side by side. [2/8]

Death entries of Annie Roughneen Jr. & Sr.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 14/06/2025

I've no idea if anything can even be done about it now, but I *need* someone to amend the Institutional Burials Act (2022), there is one glaring oversight and it's already affecting the impact of the Tuam exhumation before it has even begun. Her name is Annie Roughneen... [1/8] 🧵

Photo of the corner of the Tuam memorial garden in Galway.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 11/06/2025

After 11 years, the Tuam exhumation finally has a date. June 16th, 2025. This is less than a week away! At long last, the journey for proper answers will begin. #MotherAndBabyHomes

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 05/06/2025

With the Tuam exhumation due to begin in mid-June, these are the over 800 most important people at the centre of this. Found by Catherine Corless and shared with the world in 2014, it's taken 11 years to get to this stage. #MotherAndBabyHomes (Red = mothers) [Accessible file version, see post 2]

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 04/06/2025

It feels really surreal to see this recorded officially, but it happened. 🥲 It’s never too late to rectify something, but it shouldn’t have had to take so long to do it.

Excerpt of a death record for Patricia Brennan, a 2 year old child who died on 16th May 1938 in Pelletstown.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 31/05/2025

The timeline is working! These showed up next to each other… 😅 bsky.app/profile/blue...

Screenshot of timeline showing two posts about the DNA Painter matrix tool together.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 29/05/2025

I try to visualise the work that my volunteers & I do at @projectinfant.ie, but sometimes I need it in front of me. These are the 2,452 names [mothers & children] we've found, continuing to work to the total: 3,658. It really hammers it home seeing it all there in black & white.

A photo of the St. Patrick's Mother and Baby Home names.

A close up of some of the St. Patrick's Mother and Baby Home names in sharp focus with a slightly blurred background.

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Daniel Loftus @danielloftus.projectinfant.ie · 20/04/2025

Next blog post is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd at 7pm Irish Time. [because having two posts go out in one day might seem a bit much... 😅] What do you think it could be about? Read it here when it goes live: open.substack.com/pub/daniello...

A monochrome image of a speech bubble with an ellipsis made of three crumpled pieces of paper inside. The post is called "I heard a rumour..." with the tagline, 'when a rumour turns out to be nothing of the sort.'

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