Hundreds of additional children may have been sent overseas for adoption than originally thought. At least 256 of these children were sent to Northern Ireland, 64 to England, 23 to Scotland and 16 to Wales. In total, the Adoption Board data shows that at least 356 previously unknown children were sent out of the State to be adopted. While the vast majority went to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, children were also sent to at least seven other countries to be adopted. It was also not detailed in the 1996 press release as this was issued by the Adoption Board prior to the audit having commenced.

Source: Irish Examiner May 08, 2021 05:30 UTC