Over the course of 36 years, nearly 800 babies and young children died at the home, which was run by nuns of the Bon Secours order, and their bodies are believed to have been disposed of in mass graves.
The excavations, which began this summer, are overseen by the independent body ODAIT. Director Daniel MacSweeney confirmed that the second cemetery is about 50 to 100 meters away from the septic tank where the bodies were originally dumped. Since the excavation began, the remains of 11 infants have been found, and DNA analysis is ongoing to identify the victims. So far, 160 family members have submitted DNA samples.
The story of the Tuam home came to light in 2014 thanks to local historian Catherine Corless, who discovered that 796 babies had died without any burial records. The home was only one of a dozen such institutions in Ireland to which pregnant girls and unmarried women were sent during the 20th century. Many mothers were forcibly separated from their children, and hundreds of children died in secret.
Annette McKay from Manchester remembers her mother, who gave birth to a baby girl, Mary Margaret, in 1942 after being raped. The girl died six months later, and Annette hopes her remains will be found so they can be buried next to her mother.
The Irish government apologized in 2021 for high infant mortality rates in maternity homes. It was determined that around 9,000 children died in 18 institutions covered by the investigation. The order of Bon Secours sisters recognized the unacceptable way of burial and offered financial compensation.
Excavations that can last up to two years reveal a legacy of neglect and contempt. Historian Corless points out: “The church preached care for the weak, but children born out of wedlock were never included. I can’t understand how they did this to small, vulnerable babies.”
(Vijesti.ba)
