Hi there. Adoption in Northern Ireland became legal in 1929 and before that was arranged informally by organisations or directly between the birth mother and adoptive parents.
Your post indicates that Joyce Burdett was born around the middle of 1911. Just thinking out loud, what strikes me is how strange the name is in the context of Ireland for that era. As an example of what I mean:
- taking the 1911 Ireland census as a snapshot, I can only see 17 individuals listed for that surname (unless I'm doing something wrong) - most in Dublin, one in Co. Galway, four in Kings County / Offaly;
- then there is that forename Joyce... again taking the 1911 Ireland census as an example, I can only find 167 persons in the whole of Ireland with that forename (regardless of surname).
And I'm talking about a 1911 Ireland census with approaching 4.4 million people recorded. So I'm perplexed, for one wouldn't make that name up. My suspicion has to be that she came from outside of Ireland.
BTW, just to add.. and if really clutching at straws, I would throw in is this illegitimate birth of a Joyce McClean
Burnett to a domestic servant Mary Ann Burnett on 17 October 1911, it took place just south of Ballyclare County Antrim in the right time frame give or take a few months - obviously nowhere near county Cavan - and I'm far from convinced - but just to add it, until it can be ruled out:
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1911/01512/1614059.pdfhttp://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Ballylinny/Lisnalinchy/110090/
