A memorial event is set to take place in Tuam, Co Galway to honor those who lived and died at the town’s Mother-and-Baby Home. The event precedes the beginning of preparatory work to exhume human remains discovered following research by local historian Catherine Corless.
Over 796 infants and children were identified to have died in the facility from 1925 to 1961, without any burial records. The resulting Commission of Investigation into Mother-and-Baby Homes brought to light the practices in Tuam and beyond during most of the 20th Century.
Survivors and relatives of those affected are hopeful for justice after more than a decade of waiting. The home was operated by the Bon Secours religious order, with over 3,000 children residing there, half of whom were born in the home, 802 of whom died there.
The excavation and exhumation will be overseen by Daniel MacSweeney, appointed as Director of Authorised Intervention by the Government. The process will be done with the highest forensic standards, aiming to identify remains and provide closure for families.
While progress is being made, there is still a long road ahead to address the dark chapters in society’s history that have gone unacknowledged for so long.