I thought there was a bit of editing going on.
Historically ( and Long Lost Family isnt exactly balanced - it is told from the finders point of view) we should look at the situation as it was then and not as it is now
and as someone said somewhere at the end - these young women had very few courses of action. esp if the grandparents were manky.
I noticed that if the Act were 1875 ( against false information on BCs) then it was enacted when the glorious British EMpire extended to Dublin and beyond. Everyone was quiet about THAT ! everything british in the republic has to be bad you see.
Politically de Valera had just gone ( 1959) and was replaced by Sean Lemass ( Irish eyes are smiling) who was industrialising the country. Free entry to the awful british north, and 60% of the workforce 25-44 ( 'navvy') has migrated to England.
Thing I cdnt understand, is the adopted child was slapped around by his ( adoptive ) mother. well why did she adopt him?
Perhaps she found adoption just not what it was claimed to be. Perhaps 'Daddy would help' and he didnt. or the child played up. Or she wasnt up to it.
He asked his mother late on whether he was adopted, and she turned pale.... ( he reported) - and I thought she thought " christ now he knows why I used to clout him - representing something I cdnt do myself ( have a baby) "
so I was less censorious, and much more wondering what the back-story was .
( brought up in the back end of the fifties in Darzett aaaargh where if the grandparents didnt play ball, the girl would have to give the baby up. I didnt think there was an single parent family anywhere -except war widows and they of course had pensions)