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A woman yesterday told how cruel nuns forced her to continue slaving in a hellhole mother and baby home as she went into labour.

Joan McDermott was interned at Cork’s Bessborough House at age 17 and gave birth to a boy in harrowing conditions.

She didn’t see her baby for another 50 years – and now wants a State-run agency to reunite mothers like her with their lost children.

Joan said: “I was in labour, but I was still forced to continue polishing the floors on my hands and knees.

“By 11pm that night I was in excruciating pain and I was locked with a key into what I can only describe as a prison cell.”

Speaking from her home in Midleton, Co Cork, the 69-year-old said: “By 8am the next morning I was banging on the door begging to be let out.

“I was in excruciating pain. When she opened the door I could feel the baby’s head presenting.

“I couldn’t walk but I was made to go down the corridor to another room and there I was asked to get up onto the examination table where I was supposed to give birth, but I couldn’t climb up on to it.

“I fell on to my belly and that’s how I gave birth.

“A woman who had just had her baby came in and lifted my leg up while my other leg was on the ground and the baby came out in that position.

“I asked for painkillers and I was told no because I had done the Devil’s work.”Afterwards, Joan moved to the UK. She became a nurse and subsequently a social worker, she married and had two other children

She said: “I never lost sight of the fact this State had taken something from me illegally. I never signed any adoption papers. In 2000, I returned to Ireland and my main objective was to find him.”

Joan was reunited with her son two years ago.

When she discovered the files relevant to her case were stored with the child and family agency Tusla in Cork, she called them persistently.

What she didn’t realise is that for nine years her son was desperately trying to find her as well.

Joan said: “I called them continuously and I was told they haven’t got enough staff, it could take eight years for the files to be found. I said I could be dead by then.”

Before the pair were allowed to meet they had to exchange letters and photos which were vetted by a Tusla social worker.

When they were finally allowed to meet in 2015, Joan was asked to arrive at the office a half an hour earlier than her son, but both arrived at the same time.

She said: “We recognised each other from our photos. He swooped me up into the air... it was instant affection.

“We had to go in and meet the social worker, but we just both wanted to get out of there and spend time together. We drove straight to a hotel and had lunch.

“He wanted to meet his sister Jane immediately so we headed out to Midleton and they met.

“My son came home from Cape Town in South Africa and for the first time I had all of my children together.

She is now calling on the Government to set up a taskforce to help reunite mothers with their stolen children.

Joan said: “My message to mothers is to never give up.

“It’s very demoralising to have doors slammed in your face. But my story has a happy ending.”