Forensic team digging for remains of nearly 800 babies at former ‘mother and baby home’

A forensic team has begun excavating the site of a former “mother and baby home” in Tuam, Ireland, in search of the remains of nearly 800 children believed to be buried there.

The Bon Secours-run home, which operated from 1925 to 1961, saw the deaths of at least 798 infants and toddlers—many believed to have been discarded in a disused septic tank. Only two were formally buried in a nearby cemetery.

Local historian Catherine Corless uncovered the mass grave through years of research, first publishing her findings in 2014. Her work led to a national investigation and growing calls for justice.

Excavation crews began sealing off the site on June 16, with digging set to begin soon. “There are so many babies, children just discarded here,” Corless told AFP.

So-called “mother and baby homes” were institutions for unmarried pregnant women, often run by religious orders. A 2021 inquiry revealed nearly 9,000 child deaths across 18 such institutions in Ireland.

The Sisters of Bon Secours have issued an apology. Corless, though, still struggles with the cruelty: “I never understand how they could do that to little babies, little toddlers.”