Excavation commences at Irish location thought to contain the remains of approximately 800 infants | Ireland

A century after Irish nuns began burying infants in a mass, unmarked grave, an excavation is set to begin at the site in Tuam, County Galway. The Bon Secours order is believed to have interred 796 infants who died at the St Mary’s mother and baby home between 1925 and 1961. The operation is expected to last two years and marks a new stage in Ireland’s reckoning with the abuse and neglect of children in religious and state-run institutions. The site, now a housing estate, has been sealed off, and a team of археologists, anthropologists, and forensic experts will be led by a former International Committee of the Red Cross envoy. The digger will work slowly and pause when archaeologists see something of interest, and the team has offices and a laboratory on site to conduct preliminary analysis. The Bon Secours nuns ran their institution with state sanction, overlooking deprivation, misogyny, and high infant mortality rates. A local historian, Catherine Corless, uncovered death certificates for 796 infants and led to a judicial commission, a state apology, and a promise to excavate the site.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/14/ireland-excavation-tuam-mother-and-baby-home