Burial ground at mother and baby institution
An excavation team said it had found evidence of a burial ground at Tuam in County Galway, on the site of the former institution for unmarried mothers and their children.
The agency began working in July with the goal of finding and identifying as many remains as possible.
The institution in Tuam came to international attention in 2014After local historian Catherine Corless discovered that there were 796 death certificates for children and babies who died there, but no burial records.
Authorized Intervention Directorate Tuam (ODAIT) has published its fourth regular update.
It was stated that “graves the size of children or babies” were found at the western end of the area where excavations were carried out under the tent.
This area corresponded to an area labeled “cemetery ground” on historical maps of the area.
ODAIT said: “Despite these historical references, there was no indication at surface or ground level of the potential for a burial site at this site prior to excavation.
“The existence of graves in this area has now been confirmed.
“The arrangement and size of the graves are consistent evidence that there was a cemetery in this part of the site dating from the period when the mother-baby institution was in operation.”
The institution was open from 1925 to 1961.
ODAIT said it found four more sets of human remains in the same area, in addition to the seven sets it found in its previous update last month.
“Initial assessments” indicated that all 11 remains belonged to the baby and were found in coffins.
Further analysis is being carried out on the remains.
Excavations under the tent are done by machine and hand.
The area is about 100 meters from another part of the site where researchers in the government investigation found a “significant amount” of remains in underground chambers in 2017.
The institution in Tuam was owned by Galway County Council and run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order.
The ruling had previously acknowledged and apologized for the “disrespectful and unacceptable burial” of children and babies.
It contributed £2.14 million to the cost of the excavation.
Galway County Council also apologized to “failing mothers and children” following its 2021 investigation report.
Excavations are expected to continue until 2027, with follow-up work expected to take several more years.
