Bon Secours Tuam's St. Mary's Mother and Baby Home

BRON: Technical Report on the Tuam Site
Stage 2: Options and Appropriate Courses of Action available to Government at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway
Delivered to Minister Katherine Zappone, Department of Children and Youth Affairs By the Expert Technical Group

BRON

Galway historian Catherine Corless, whose work resulted in the discovery of the remains of hundreds of babies and infants on the site of the former mother-and-baby home in Tuam, has urged members of the public to support full exhumation and DNA testing of the remains.

Galway County Council recently opened the consultation on options for the site following the publication by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone of an expert technical report in December.

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That commission was set up in February 2015 after Ms Corless published research that revealed death certificates for 796 children at the Tuam home with no indication of their burial places.

In June last year, the minister appointed an expert technical group to outline to the Government what options were available for the site and for dealing with the remains.

While the technical report outlined five options – from creating a memorial to continuing examinations on the site – the Government has not made a decision on how to proceed.

At the request of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Galway County Council has opened a public consultation, which will close on Friday March 16th.

The five options it has provided on a printed form are: that a memorial be built on the site; exhumation of known human remains; forensic excavation and recovery of known human remains; forensic excavation and recovery of known human remains with further evaluation and excavation of other areas of interest, and forensic excavation of the entire site.

However, Ms Corless has criticised the nature of the process, stating it amounted to a “vote” on what to do with the site. She and many survivors of the home favour a full forensic investigation, exhumation and DNA testing.

“Unfortunately, it has come to this, that a decision will be made by a voting system,” Ms Corless said. She felt this was a “cold and callous” approach.

“However, if we can get enough people interested to fill in the form and show a preference for an all out forensic excavation, exhumation and DNA testing, the result will bring the long awaited justice to the families of the babies buried in this tank”

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