Philomena Lee has called for an apology from the Catholic Church ahead of the publication of a new investigation into Ireland's "awful" Mother and Baby Homes.
The 87-year-old – a survivor of one of the homes and the subject of world-famous film Philomena – welcomed the release of a report she says will help other survivors finally get the truth about what happened them and their children in the institutions.
Controversy currently surrounds the report after details of it were leaked to the Sunday Independent.
But Ms Lee said this morning: "In a way, I'm glad that it's come to the fore once again."
Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio, the Limerick native – who spent three and a half "awful" years in a Mother and Baby Home in Roscrea – opened up about the experience of having her son taken from her by nuns working in the Abbey.
"When he was adopted, I cried the whole weekend," she said, in a heartbreaking description of the loss of her son. "They took him away a week before Christmas."
Philomena was forced to sign papers that allowed the Church to give her son up for adoption – a fate that saw him eventually move to the United States.
Her story is depicted movingly in the film Philomena, created by Steve Coogan and released back in 2013.
Of the report, she said: "It's given them a chance so they can come forward and find out so much about themselves.
"For women today – they really, really need to have access to their records."
Calling for an apology from the Church, Philomena added: "Sometimes I think, too, there should have been an apology from the church. There should be an apology from the church.
"That would help a little bit, I think – it would ease some of the sadness."
