Ms Susan Lohan:

Some of the experts speaking later today will be better placed to answer that.

I will revert to a question by Senator Seery Kearney about the benefit of local knowledge. The Philomena Project was set up in 2014 as a joint enterprise between the Adoption Rights Alliance and Ms Philomena Lee, whose experience at Sean Ross Abbey was immortalised in a film that year. It has been a lightning rod for families, and mothers in particular, who suspect their children are buried at the home, although the commission was unable to come to a conclusion on that.

However, more people would be turned if they were to hear the absolute grief endured by the family members, and mothers in particular, who do not know if their children are even alive, never mind where they are. We must use every measure possible to convince people. As Ms Corless said, they probably have guilty consciences. We must move on from that. If people really want to assuage their guilty conscience, they must demonstrate they want to help and assist.

Similar to Ms Corless, I believe the knowledge is held locally because, at a number of the Sean Ross Abbey commemorations, people from the crowd have come forward to offer snippets of information which have proved very valuable. We must capture the good nature of people, people who want to do the right thing, and tell them now is the time to come forward.