After being adopted in the 1930s, an 87-year-old woman named Gladys Johnston discovered the true identities of her biological parents and met living relatives who she had never known existed. Johnston was adopted when she was only three years old from an Irish orphanage and lived as an only child in the Scottish Highlands. At the age of 12, she discovered that she was adopted, but it wasn’t until recently that she found out who both her parents were with the help of her family and BBC Alba documentary-makers.
Johnston expressed regret over not having met her half-sisters earlier but accepted that they have to make the most of the time they have together. She uncovered that her mother, Catherine Kearney, was a servant working at a boarding house in Drogheda in Ireland when she became pregnant. Her father was a married man, and he likely didn’t know about the pregnancy. Given the attitude towards children born out of wedlock at the time, Catherine was pressured into giving Gladys up for adoption.
Gladys was raised by Mary and Duncan Cameron in Ardtoe, a small community on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Gladys knew at a young age that the couple was not her biological parents but never mentioned it to them. She did not wish to upset them in any way, given their fantastic treatment of her. Gladys discovered her mother only eight years ago with the help of documentary-makers. Still, sadly Catherine had already passed away a few months before Gladys’ discovery.
Furthermore, Gladys now knows that her mother had married and had another daughter, but she was unable to find any information about her father. Last year, Gladys took a DNA test that was offered by an Ancestry website, which enabled her to discover her father’s identity. She found out that her father was an Irishman named Joseph Quinn. The results led her to finding her two half-sisters, Mari and Annette. Joseph’s profession was an electrician, and it is unknown how he met Catherine.
Gladys traveled to Ireland to visit her father’s grave and maintains regular contact with her sisters. She expressed relief at finally knowing who her biological parents were and remarked that she had joined a “lovely, lovely family.” Johnston said that she is now at peace after discovering the identity of her father. The BBC iPlayer has a new documentary available titled ‘Gladys: Story Complete,’ chronicling her emotional journey of discovering her true heritage and meeting family she never knew existed
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