“As I’ve got older, I’m just getting more disabled.”Dunne is one of about a dozen unacknowledged survivors of thalidomide represented by the Irish Thalidomide Association (ITA). In 1961 there was an international withdrawal of the drug, but the Irish government did not issue a public warning about its dangers. Campaigners from the ITA met politicians at Leinster House on Wednesday, marking the 64th anniversary of that withdrawal and seeking “justice, recognition and historical truth for [their] unacknowledged members”. [ Thalidomide survivors: ‘Having no arms is an unusual disability, there’s no guidebook. “There’s only a handful left alive – only about four or five mothers of thalidomide people left alive.

Source: The Irish Times November 26, 2025 21:05 UTC