Cherish All The Children is the remarkable story of brave single mothers who refused to give up their children for adoption 40 years ago. Those brave mothers formed 'Cherish', changed the law on illegitimacy and fought to get a single parent's allowance.
The documentary marks the 40th anniversary of this ground breaking organization and was broadcast on Today FM on Sunday 29th December at 9am. You can listen back to it in full here:
Cherish was Ireland's first 'self help' group, set up by single parents, for single parents.
Focusing on core founder members - Maura O'Dea Richards, Margaret Murphy, Evelyn Forde and Annette Hunter Evans - this documentary tells the story of how Cherish grew to become one of the most influential charities in the country, with patrons such as Mary Robinson and Bishop Eamon Casey, bringing about massive social and legal change for both parents and children.
By telling this important story, we also learn how Irish policy, laws and attitudes have changed since Cherish was set up forty years ago, in a time when unmarried mothers were encouraged to give their 'illegitimate' babies up for adoption, mend their ways and look for a good man to make them respectable; when contraception was unavailable and abortion unmentionable.
We hear how Cherish was responsible for changing the law on illegitimacy, getting the term abolished and thereby ensuring some equality for all children, and for successfully getting the State to introduce a Single Parent's Allowance.
Contributors:
- Mary Robinson: first President of Cherish
- Maura O'Dea Richards, Margaret Murphy, Evelyn Forde, Annette Hunter Evans: founder members of Cherish
- Nuala Feric and Anna Lee: first staff members of Cherish
- Minister Frances Fitzgerald
- Fintan O'Toole: Irish Times journalist and social commentator
- Karen Kiernan, CEO One Family (formerly Cherish)
- Stuart Duffin, Director Policy & Programmes One Family (formerly Cherish)
Credits:
- Producer/ Presenter: Hilary Fennell (hilary@hilaryfennell.com)
- Editor: Daragh Dukes
- Funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee
