touching tributes Hundreds visit poignant Mother and Baby Homes art show in Dublin's Mansion House

A poignant exhibition honouring the women and children who suffered at the hands of religious orders in mother and baby homes concludes today.

The art show, entitled 'Stay With Me', opened at the Oak Room in the Mansion House in Dublin city centre on International Women's Day and has been visited by hundreds of people since.

The display includes paintings, sculptures and poems.

A pair of baby shoes has been created by well known glass sculpture Alison Lowry, whose currently has full exhibitions on display at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin and An Táin arts centre in Dundalk, Co. Louth.

Her piece - called 'Lennon’s Shoes' - was made from the child’s original first pair of shoes for the Stay With Me Art Show.

Journalist and Director of the exhibition Alison O’Reilly said: "We are delighted to have this show on display again in its physical form.

"It began in the Inspire gallery in January 2019 and has been to UCC and the Sarajevo International Women’s Festival.

"Glass sculpture Alison Lowry has been with us since the show opened in 2019 and we are delighted to have ‘Lennon’s Shoes’ in this show.

"Lennon is a very special boy.

“Our other artists include Veronica Buchanan, Catherine McGagh, Pat Owen, Sash Quinn, Kayleigh Ryall, Immanuel Godson, Melissa Curry, Holly Mullarkey, Clare O Hagan, Rachael Keogh, Barbara O’Meara, Karen Morgan, and Martine Sterck but there are just so many pieces.

"This is only part of the show, we have more than 60 artists who have kindly loaned us their work.

“Without these artists we would have no show, they have gone away and created sensitive beautiful pieces in response to the scandal the Tuam babies and all children who died in state care.

“We are very grateful to them all.

"The survivors and families of the children who died in the mother and baby homes are very grateful to the artists and have always been supportive of the show.”

The Lord Mayor Alison Gillilan said: “I am delighted to welcome this very poignant exhibition 'Stay With Me' to the Mansion House for public viewing. It is very beautifully and delicately curated.

"It's artefacts remind us of the unheard voices of the babies and their mothers who were silenced and shamed in the mother and baby homes”.

The Stay With Me Art Show is also available on YouTube.

The show ends at 8pm today at the Mansion House.