Report How hundreds of Irish babies came to be buried in a secret mass grave

[CharlieH]

 

An investigation is underway in Tuam, County Galway, where authorities have begun excavation work on a suspected mass grave at the site of a former mother-and-baby institution. The two-year operation began Monday on a small plot of grass adjacent to a children’s playground, where remains of nearly 800 children are believed to be buried.

 

The location was once home to St Mary’s, a church-run facility that housed unmarried pregnant women and their children between 1925 and 1961. Many of the children were separated from their mothers shortly after birth.

Death records list the first child to die at the home as Patrick Derrane in 1925, and the last as Mary Carty in 1960. In total, 796 children are recorded to have died during those 35 years. The area where the bodies are believed to lie was previously labelled a sewage tank on 1929 site maps.

 

PJ Haverty, who spent his early childhood at the home, described it as a prison and recalled being socially excluded at school. "We had to arrive 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early," he said. "You were dirt from the street."

The site's past remained largely hidden until 2014, when amateur historian Catherine Corless uncovered death records but found no corresponding burial records for the deceased children. Her investigation began in 2005, initially sparked by a local history course.

 

Catherine found resistance and a lack of documentation during her inquiries, but a key lead came from a cemetery caretaker who recalled that two boys had uncovered bones under a broken concrete slab in the 1970s. At the time, the discovery was believed to be linked to famine-era burials, but maps and other evidence led Catherine to question that assumption.

Comparing historical maps, she found a 1929 reference to a sewage tank and a handwritten 1970s note referring to the area as a "burial ground." She later obtained a list from the local registration office that confirmed 796 child deaths at the home. None appeared in official cemetery records.

 

Mary Moriarty, a resident of the estate in the 1970s, also gave testimony about seeing bundles of what she believed to be infant remains. She described falling into a hole at the site and finding small wrapped bundles packed in rows.

In 2017, a government inquiry confirmed the presence of "significant quantities" of human remains at the location. The age range of the remains was between approximately 35 weeks gestation and two to three years old.

Anna Corrigan, who founded the Tuam Babies Family Group, discovered in 2012 that she had two brothers born at the home, John and William. John's death was recorded at 16 months, but no burial location was found. William's burial remains unknown.

 

The current excavation is being overseen by Daniel MacSweeney, an expert in post-conflict recovery. He noted the difficulty in identifying remains, stating that infant bones are extremely small and often intermingled.

The operation marks the first of its kind and is expected to take up to two years. Families and campaigners hope the process will finally bring answers for the many relatives of the children believed to be buried at the site.

 

 

 Adapted from original story by BBC

 

[julsmark]

This is another example of the Catholic Churches cover ups of their “mortal sin” 796 deaths in 35 years!!!!!

An average of 22.7 deaths in a year. 
I am interested the hear the church’s 

Explanation for so many infant deaths in one example and how many more homes have similar death rates. 
RIP to these souls. 

[newbee2022]

10 hours ago, CharlieH said:

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7fa3/live/09ce2110-5e6f-11f0-b5c5-012c5796682d.jpg.webp

 

An investigation is underway in Tuam, County Galway, where authorities have begun excavation work on a suspected mass grave at the site of a former mother-and-baby institution. The two-year operation began Monday on a small plot of grass adjacent to a children’s playground, where remains of nearly 800 children are believed to be buried.

 

The location was once home to St Mary’s, a church-run facility that housed unmarried pregnant women and their children between 1925 and 1961. Many of the children were separated from their mothers shortly after birth.

Death records list the first child to die at the home as Patrick Derrane in 1925, and the last as Mary Carty in 1960. In total, 796 children are recorded to have died during those 35 years. The area where the bodies are believed to lie was previously labelled a sewage tank on 1929 site maps.

 

PJ Haverty, who spent his early childhood at the home, described it as a prison and recalled being socially excluded at school. "We had to arrive 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early," he said. "You were dirt from the street."

The site's past remained largely hidden until 2014, when amateur historian Catherine Corless uncovered death records but found no corresponding burial records for the deceased children. Her investigation began in 2005, initially sparked by a local history course.

 

Catherine found resistance and a lack of documentation during her inquiries, but a key lead came from a cemetery caretaker who recalled that two boys had uncovered bones under a broken concrete slab in the 1970s. At the time, the discovery was believed to be linked to famine-era burials, but maps and other evidence led Catherine to question that assumption.

Comparing historical maps, she found a 1929 reference to a sewage tank and a handwritten 1970s note referring to the area as a "burial ground." She later obtained a list from the local registration office that confirmed 796 child deaths at the home. None appeared in official cemetery records.

 

Mary Moriarty, a resident of the estate in the 1970s, also gave testimony about seeing bundles of what she believed to be infant remains. She described falling into a hole at the site and finding small wrapped bundles packed in rows.

In 2017, a government inquiry confirmed the presence of "significant quantities" of human remains at the location. The age range of the remains was between approximately 35 weeks gestation and two to three years old.

Anna Corrigan, who founded the Tuam Babies Family Group, discovered in 2012 that she had two brothers born at the home, John and William. John's death was recorded at 16 months, but no burial location was found. William's burial remains unknown.

 

The current excavation is being overseen by Daniel MacSweeney, an expert in post-conflict recovery. He noted the difficulty in identifying remains, stating that infant bones are extremely small and often intermingled.

The operation marks the first of its kind and is expected to take up to two years. Families and campaigners hope the process will finally bring answers for the many relatives of the children believed to be buried at the site.

 

 

 Adapted from original story by BBC

 

as it is said, it's an old story.

When I left Ireland after retirement there were already rumours and on site historical researchers to find out how many babies were buried there. It was not a question WHY but only HOW MANY.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, julsmark said:

This is another example of the Catholic Churches cover ups of their “mortal sin” 796 deaths in 35 years!!!!!

An average of 22.7 deaths in a year. 
I am interested the hear the church’s 

Explanation for so many infant deaths in one example and how many more homes have similar death rates. 
RIP to these souls. 

 

I'm no big fan of the Church, but you'd have to know how many passed through the facility and how the infant mortality rate compared to the rate in the general population.  And the infant mortality rate of the destitute, who were generally the ones being served.  Keep in mind there were some cataclysmic events during that period, and I suspect a lot of their wards were in pretty dire straits when they arrived.

 

A few years ago, I recall Canada having a similar scandal with one of their Indigenous schools and it turns out the claimed number was right on par with the deaths in the general population.  Then they found out that there were no buried bodies (or very few).

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

No suggestion  that the cause of deaths was suspicious. Death certificates were found for each but it is the irregular 'burials' and number of infants that have attracted attention. What surprised me was a specific certificate for a 15 month old infant on which the cause of death is written:

 

'Congenital idiot and measles'

[impulse]

2 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

No suggestion  that the cause of deaths was suspicious. Death certificates were found for each but it is the irregular 'burials' and number of infants that have attracted attention. What surprised me was a specific certificate for a 15 month old infant on which the cause of death is written:

 

'Congenital idiot and measles'

 

Idiot used to be an accepted clinical diagnosis not that long ago.

 

Idiots. —Those so defective that the mental development never exceeds that or a normal child of about two years.
 

Imbeciles. —Those whose development is higher than that of an idiot, but whose intelligence does not exceed that of a normal child of about seven years.
 

Morons. —Those whose mental development is above that of an imbecile, but does not exceed that of a normal child of about twelve years.

— Edmund Burke Huey, Backward and Feeble-Minded Children, 1912

 

[Nick Carter icp]

2 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

. What surprised me was a specific certificate for a 15 month old infant on which the cause of death is written:

 

'Congenital idiot and measles'

 

   As they were Irish, that's to be expected 

[PETERTHEEATER]

39 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Idiot used to be an accepted clinical diagnosis not that long ago.

 

Idiots. —Those so defective that the mental development never exceeds that or a normal child of about two years.
 

Imbeciles. —Those whose development is higher than that of an idiot, but whose intelligence does not exceed that of a normal child of about seven years.
 

Morons. —Those whose mental development is above that of an imbecile, but does not exceed that of a normal child of about twelve years.

— Edmund Burke Huey, Backward and Feeble-Minded Children, 1912

 

Yes. Those epithets are commonly used today on AN but in a different context.😀

 

I was trying to understand how the doctor signing the certificate could assess the mental capacity of a 15 month old infant other than through discussion with one of the carers.

[Magictoad]

These " mother & baby homes" were notorious for their cruelty and the suffering of the inhabitants.  Indeed their very existence was a form of subjugation with which to threaten girls and women with.

The same places exist now in Saudi Arabia for the same purpose; to break the will of girls and women.

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 minute ago, Bert got kinky said:

Please show me any of my posts, anywhere on the board, where I have said that I am against vaccines.

Show me where I have posted regarding strange or unusual deaths.

Yet again, you go off at the mouth without even bothering to research anything.

 

 

23 hours ago, Bert got kinky said:

 

Off topic.

 

Bertie, you're off topic.

 

Practice what you preach. 

 

[JAG]

Wasn't this exhaustively covered in a TV documentary by RTE 10 or so years ago?

[JAG]

20 hours ago, Magictoad said:

These " mother & baby homes" were notorious for their cruelty and the suffering of the inhabitants.  Indeed their very existence was a form of subjugation with which to threaten girls and women with.

The same places exist now in Saudi Arabia for the same purpose; to break the will of girls and women.

They were. Terrible places and terrible things were done. My brother was adopted, at least partly, to prevent him and his natural mother (my aunt) being sent off to one in 1958. They existed in England too, albeit less savage and cruel in the way they operated. The whole business was traumatic for my aunt, who emigrated shortly after to Canada, and for my brother when he was told what had happened, in his late teens. All concerned had been sworn to secrecy, that was lifted the day my grandmother died. Families! Perhaps in 1958, for a staunch Catholic family it was the best of available options?

 

I am not sure that they should be regarded as indicative of the social mores of the church 65 years on.

[Bert got kinky]

57 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

 

 

Bertie, you're off topic.

 

Practice what you preach. 

 

 

I was answering your post, so how is that off topic? 

 

[liddelljohn]

All religions are forces of evil, control and manipulation of weak minded  credible people and are used by the powerful to enforce their rules and greed ....

[ElwoodP]

Troll posts removed.