Evidence of a burial ground has been discovered at the site of a former institution for unmarried mothers and their children in Tuam, County Galway.
The mother and baby home came to international attention in 2014, after research led by local historian Catherine Corless, indicated that 796 babies and young children had died there without burial records.
“The presence of burials at this location has now been confirmed,” the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT) wrote in its fourth update since the agency began its work at the site in July.
It said it had found “graves of child or infant size” at the edge of the site, which was open from 1925 until 1961.
“The layout and size of the graves is consistent evidence that, at this part of the site, there is a burial ground from the time of the operation of the mother and baby institution,” it continued.
Four sets of infant remains are believed to have been recovered in the dig according to initial assessments, in addition to seven sets of remains, all buried in coffins, discovered last month. Further forensic analysis is underway.
Historical documents had indicated the possibility of a burial ground but there were no initial signs of its existence at the ground or surface level, according to ODAIT.
In 2017, a government inquiry found “significant quantities” of human remains in underground chambers, just 100m from another part of the site.
At last 160 people have offered to give DNA samples to help identify the bodies, Daniel MacSweeney, director of authorised intervention at ODAIT, told RTÉ.
“I know from experience that sometimes the discovery of remains can be a catalyst for people to come forward,” he said.
In 2021, Irish leader Micheal Martin issued an apology on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Ireland.
His apology followed the final report of an inquiry, which concluded that over 9,000 children had died in 18 mother and baby homes that housed mothers who became pregnant outside marriage.
“They should not have been there,” he said in Ireland’s parliament. “The state failed you, mothers and children in these homes.”
The report said 15 percent of all children in the homes had died from disease and infections like stomach flu, a figure almost double the nationwide infant mortality rate.
