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3mo ago

Preparations Start for Forensic Excavation at Tuam Mother and Baby Home Site

Installation of perimeter hoarding with 24-hour monitoring paves way for a two-year excavation focused on the identification of nearly 800 infant remains followed by their reinterment

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Historian Catherine Corless at the site of the former St Mary's Mother and Baby Home, in Tuam

Overview

  • Pre-excavation work began on June 16 with installation of 2.4-metre hoarding, controlled site access, 24-hour security monitoring
  • Full-scale digging is scheduled to start in mid-July under the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, with work expected to span two years
  • Investigators aim to recover the remains of 796 infants who died between 1925 and 1961; DNA testing will be used when possible to restore individual identities
  • The former St Mary’s Mother and Baby Home was operated by the Bon Secours Sisters, with the site now situated beneath a housing estate
  • A 2021 state apology and a separate apology from the Bon Secours Sisters acknowledged past abuses, and gardaí may be notified if unlawful deaths are uncovered during the dig