Dig begins for the remains of 800 children believed to have been buried at Irish 'mother and baby home' where bodies 'were dumped into sewage tank called The Pit'
A long-awaited excavation has begun at a notorious former 'mother and baby home' in Ireland where the remains of almost 800 children are believed to have been buried.
Pre-excavation work began on Monday ahead of a full-scale dig to try to identify hundreds of children who died at the home in Tuam, Co Galway between 1925 and 1961, years after campaigners first aired their horrifying revelations.
The institutions mainly housed women who fell pregnant outside marriage, which was viewed as socially unacceptable in Ireland at the time. Unmarried mothers were often sent to such facilities at the behest of their own families.
An investigation into the facility was prompted by research by local historian Catherine Corless, who discovered that there were death certificates for 796 children at the home - but no burial records.
Many of the children who died at the institution are believed to have been dumped into a former sewage tank known as 'The Pit', according to Ms Corless.
She told Sky News she was 'feeling very relieved' as excavation work began at the site on Monday.
'It's been a long, long journey,' she told the outlet. 'Not knowing what's going to happen, if it's just going to fall apart or if it's really going to happen.'
A report in 2017 revealed that a mass grave containing the remains of children had been uncovered in a disused sewer during preliminary excavations. The ages of the dead ranged from 35 foetal weeks to three years old.
The story has sparked outrage and horror since coming to international attention in 2014, when the Irish Mail on Sunday first reported on the claims.
The work at the burial site, which is being undertaken by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT), will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible, and re-interment of the remains at the site.
Its objective is to 'recover and forensically analyse, and to memorialise and bury with respect and dignity, human remains recovered from the site'.
The pre-excavation work includes the installation of a 2.4-metre hoarding around the perimeter.
The site will now be subject to security monitoring on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the excavation.
Family members and survivors of the institution will have an opportunity to view the perimeter to see the works being carried out in the coming weeks.
The full excavation is anticipated to last two years.
Ahead of the preparatory work, Daniel MacSweeney, who leads the ODAIT, described the planned excavation as 'unique and incredibly complex'.
One of Mr MacSweeney's main responsibilities will be to ensure any remains that are uncovered are re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way.
In 2021, Irish premier Micheal Martin delivered an apology on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Ireland.
The St Mary's home for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns, until it closed in 1961.
The Bon Secours Sisters also offered a 'profound apology' after acknowledging the order had 'failed to protect the inherent dignity' of women and children in the Tuam home.
Ms Corless completed her efforts to collate the death certificates of 798 children who died at the home in September 2013. In all but two cases, she was unable to trace their burial records.
The Connacht Tribune interviewed Ms Corless about her campaign to memorialise the children the following February, and the story gained international attention that May, when the Irish Mail on Sunday reported on fears the children had been buried in a 'mass grave' at the home.
The Irish government ordered a nationwide commission of investigation into mother and baby homes a month later, coming together in January 2015 to look back on practices.
Test excavations at the site of the home in Tuam only began in October 2016, uncovering 'significant quantities of human remains' in a report published in March 2017.
It revealed that children at the home suffered malnutrition and neglect, which caused the deaths of many, while others died of measles, convulsions, TB, gastroenteritis and pneumonia.
The commission said the remains were found in a large underground 'structure', divided into 20 chambers. It said the structure 'appears to be related' to the treatment or storage of sewage or waste water.
The commission later said the remains were 'not in a sewage tank, but in a second structure...built within the decommissioned large sewage tank'.
Ireland's Minister for Children ordered a full forensic excavation of the site in 2018.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
26 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Explained: What is Tattle Life? Why was the operator's identity revealed?
Website Tattle Life has been making headlines lately due to a high-profile court case in the North of Ireland. But what is the website? Why is it in the news? And why was the identity of the suspected operator revealed? Advertisement What is Tattle Life? Tattle Life is a gossip forum on which threads are started relating to a specific person. The threads often involve a public figure or celebrity, but also well-known community leaders. The website provides a platform for anonymous accounts to share their opinions on the person. Why is it in the news? Recently, there was a landmark legal victory secured against operator of Tattle Life. Advertisement Last week, the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland granted an application by an Irish couple to lift reporting restrictions and name the defendants in their successful defamation and harassment case against the suspected operator of Tattle Life, Sebastian Bond, after a two-year legal battle. The ruling was made in favour of Neil and Donna Sands who successfully claimed they had been subject to a campaign of harassment, invasion of privacy, defamation, and breach of data rights on the Tattle Life website, which attracts up to 12 million visitors monthly, mostly in the UK. Businesspeople Neil and Donna Sands were originally awarded £300,000 (€350,000) damages against the operators of Tattle Life in late 2023. On the website, Mr Justice McAlinden said: 'This is peddling untruths for profit. A site built to monetise people's misery." Advertisement Sebastian Bond After the ruling, the owners of Tattle Life can now legally be identified as UK national Sebastian Bond, who also uses the alias Bastian Durward, along with Yuzu Zest Limited (a UK registered company) and Kumquat Tree Limited (registered in Hong Kong). Sebastian Bond is known on the internet as a vegan cooking influencer and author of the book 'Nest and Glow'. The Nest and Glow Instagram account has 135,ooo followers. Neil and Donna Sands said they were motivated to undertake the action not just on their own behalf but for all those impacted by the site over the years. In making his award, Mr Justice McAlinden noted: 'A day of reckoning will come for those behind Tattle Life and for those individuals who posted on Tattle Life. Advertisement 'To hasten that day of reckoning, it is appropriate that the court makes an award of damages to each plaintiff in this case. 'It would be remiss of the court to award costs on any other basis than indemnity. And on the defendant's business model, he said: 'This is clearly a case of peddling untruths for profit. 'It is the exercise of extreme cynicism — the calculated exercise of extreme cynicism — which in reality constitutes behaviour solely aimed at making profit out of people's misery. Advertisement 'People facilitating this are making money out of it… protecting their income streams by protecting the identity of the individual posters.' Why did Neil and Donna Sands take it to court? Neil Sands first wrote to the website's operators in February 2021, asking them to remove the defamatory thread or face legal action. They then formally initiated proceedings in June 2023. The couple was subject to defamatory and harassing commentary over a 45-page thread that was only finally removed in May 2025. In December 2023, the High Court in the North granted the £300,000 damages award and ordered that legal costs be paid on an indemnity basis, with further costs and third-party compliance expenses raising the total to be injuncted to £1.8 million. The 'cessation' figure - the amount payable by the defendants to lift the freezing orders - now stands at £1,077,173.00. This is understood to be the largest damages award for defamation in Northern Ireland's legal history and includes extensive freezing orders against the identified defendants and their corporate interests, now subject to continuing enforcement and disclosure proceedings. Neil Sands said: 'We undertook this case not just for ourselves but for the many people who have suffered serious personal and professional harm through anonymous online attacks on this and other websites. 'We believe in free speech, but not consequence-free speech - particularly where it is intended to, and succeeds in, causing real-world damage to people's lives, livelihoods and mental health. "We were in the fortunate position to be able to take the fight to these faceless operators, and it took a lot of time, effort and expense. "Along the way we heard many stories from those damaged by the scurrilous commentary on the website and we are glad to be finally able to shine a light into this dark corner of the internet. What we have established today is that the internet is not an anonymous place."
BreakingNews.ie
26 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Elderly sex abuser (89) jailed for 10 years for multiple rapes of young girl
A 89-year-old Tipperary man who sexually abused a young girl has been jailed for ten years. Sid Green of Kennedy Park, Roscrea, was convicted of 22 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of the child, on dates between 1993 and 1998. He has no previous convictions. Advertisement Detective Garda Oliver Hennelly told George Burns BL, prosecuting, that the woman reported to gardaí that the offending began when she just turned seven. Green was 57 years old. The women reported that Green took any opportunity he could to rape her and that it happened many times. The abuse ended when she was about the age of 12 years old. The woman subsequently engaged with mental health services and the rape crisis centre but did not feel ready to go to gardaí until after she disclosed the abuse to her own family. The woman made a complaint to gardaí in 2020 and when Green was interviewed in 2021, he denied the allegations. He was charged in 2022 and found guilty following a trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Tullamore earlier this year. Advertisement In her victim impact statement, the woman described the profound and devastating effects that the abuse continues to have on her life as a result of the emotional and psychological damage caused. She described how she battles with fear and trust and how her relationships with family, friends and loved ones have suffered. She outlined how anxiety has transferred into her own parenting. She suffers with depression, flashbacks and nightmares, feels isolated and misunderstood, leaving her with a profound sense of loneliness. She described how she found temporary escape in drugs and alcohol, but recognised this led to a destructive cycle, creating a barrier between her and loved ones. She told the court how she felt shame and guilt, despite being the innocent victim in the situation. Advertisement She said the long-term consequences of the abuse are still unfolding, but she is determined to seek healing and support. She thanked those who have supported her, especially her husband and said she is ready to 'confront the shadows of the past and step into a hopeful future together.' The injured party indicated to the court at a previous hearing that she has no issue with Green being named, but she does not wish to be identified. She told the court how the damaging effects of the abuse had been 'far-reaching and enduring' and had affected every facet of her existence. The court heard defence submissions that Green, who has recently been resident in a Co Offaly nursing home, has medical issues that would make custody difficult for him. He has been on bail and appeared via video link from the nursing home for his sentence hearings. The prison service have indicated that they will be able to take Green into custody on July 10 next and will be able to accommodate his medical needs. Advertisement Dermot Cahill SC, defending, said that Green had moved to Ireland from the UK, raised a family here and had a good work history. His wife passed away in 2013. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said these were 'appalling offences' noting that Green coldly engaged in a cynical campaign of rape which he perpetrated whenever the opportunity arose. He noted that there has been no remorse shown. Mr Justice McGrath noted the profound impact the offending has had on the woman's life. He said she is a young woman who has shown remarkable resilience and strength, and he commended her for the manner in which she dealt with the case and gave her evidence. He noted the support the young woman had from her husband and parents throughout the process. Advertisement He noted defence submissions that due to his age any custodial sentence is in effect a life sentence for Green, that he has no prior convictions and that there had been no violence additional to the inherent violence of rape. He said the difficulty which arose in this case was the age of the accused, with the only mitigating factors being his absence of prior convictions and that he had been a productive family man. Mr Justice McGrath set a headline sentence of 16 years, which he reduced to 15 years, taking into account the circumstances of the case. He noted that the prison service had liaised with Green's carers and the prison service had formed the view that they can accommodate him and deal with his needs from July 10, 2025. Ireland Man (37) who anally raped woman on their first dat... Read More Mr Justice McGrath said he had considered the medical reports in the case and while Green has a considerable range of medical difficulties, most are those that would be expected for a man of his age. He said the difficulties mostly relate to mobility and ensuring that Green takes his various medications. Mr Justice McGrath imposed the 15 year sentence, and taking into account Green's advanced age, suspended the final five years of the sentence. It will take effect from July 10th, 2025. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help .
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Lisa Thompson's daughter tells killer's getaway driver she is 'guilty and always will be'
A HSE addiction counsellor, who acted as the get-away driver for "violent and abusive thug" Brian McHugh after he murdered Lisa Thompson, has been told by the victim's daughter that while the defendant tried to paint herself as "the victim" in the trial, she was "guilty and always would be". The teenager, who was 12 years old when her mother was strangled with a blind cord and stabbed to death in her own home by her former lover, also told Deirdre Arnold: "I hope every time you close your eyes you see what we live with. I hope in the silence of the night it reminds you of how you silenced my mam's voice forever". Advertisement On March 10th this year, Brian McHugh (40), with a former address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11, was sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murdering 52-year-old Ms Thompson after a jury found he had inflicted 11 stab wounds to her chest and wrapped the cord around her neck. Six of the wounds had penetrated her heart. Lisa Thompson (52) was found dead at her home in Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun on May 10th, 2022. Photo: Family/Garda In a separate trial last April, a jury found Deirdre Arnold was not an "innocent abroad" and had "decided at every turn" to assist her then-partner McHugh, whom she knew to have murdered mother-of-two Ms Thompson. Arnold's defence counsel, Mr Patrick Gageby SC, told her sentence hearing on Friday, that "in one of those terrible twists of fate", soon after becoming acquainted with McHugh, the addiction worker herself became addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. He said she has since resigned from her State job. Advertisement Arnold, whom the court previously heard is the sole financial support for her three children, remains on bail pending her sentence next month. Evidence was heard at McHugh's trial that Ms Thompson was dealing prescription drugs from her home, with gardai who searched the house finding thousands of tablets worth nearly €50,000 hidden in the attic. The trial was told that Ms Thompson and McHugh had a "bit of a fling" in the year before she died. At Arnold's trial, the jury heard that she had made domestic abuse complaints and got an interim barring order against McHugh. She also told gardaí that McHugh had broken her arm by holding it on the bottom of a stairway and stamping on it. Mr Gageby argued that his client was in fear of McHugh and reminded the jury that, even if they were satisfied she assisted the murderer, for a conviction they had to find it was without reasonable excuse. Advertisement The jury unanimously accepted the State's case that Arnold impeded McHugh's prosecution by driving him to Ms Thompson's home at Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun on May 9th, 2022, where she waited outside for "well over an hour" before driving him away from the scene. Arnold later checked McHugh into the Clayton Hotel near Dublin Airport in an effort to help him evade prosecution. It was also the prosecution's case that the defendant allowed her silver Hyundai Tucson to be used to dispose of evidence taken from Ms Thompson's home. Deirdre Arnold, with an address at Briarfield Grove, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5 was charged that on a date between May 9th, 2022, and May 10th, 2022, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Brian McHugh, a person who had committed an arrestable offence, namely murder, whilst knowing or believing Brian McHugh to be guilty of the offence or of some other arrestable offence. Arnold was also charged that on a date between May 9th, 2022, and May 10th, 2022, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, acted or embarked upon a course of conduct which had a tendency to and was intended to pervert the course of public justice. Advertisement She had pleaded not guilty to the two counts. 'She is truly sorry' Detective Garda Fergus Burke, of Ballymun Garda Station, told the court on Friday that Arnold has three children and one previous conviction from 2022 for attempting to drive under the influence of drugs. She she received a fine and was disqualified from driving for 18 months for this offence. In his submissions on Friday, Mr Gageby said Arnold accepted the verdict and the matter would rest there. He said a letter had been handed up to the court which was not a plea for forgiveness but an indication of "true sorrow for her part" and that she would never forget the consequences of that day. Advertisement Counsel added: "She also indicates that she recognises her actions no matter how unintentional had become part of something that caused the family great harm and is truly sorry." Mr Gageby said his client became a heroin user in early 2020, having formed a relationship with McHugh in the preceding year. In mitigation, Mr Gageby said there was demonstrably a pattern of abuse in the case and there was a text message deployed by the prosecution in the trial where Arnold had nominated McHugh as a danger to women. He said there were some unfortunate aspects to Arnold's upbringing and to date she has had three relationships with partners; "none of which had ended well and there seemed to be a pattern". Mr Gageby said his client had worked from the age of 16, had done a number of courses and had provided counselling. He added: "In one of those terrible twists of fate, soon after becoming acquainted with Brian McHugh she became herself subject to the addiction of heroin and crack cocaine; a pathetic aspect to this". The lawyer asked the court to consider if Arnold had not been in a relationship with McHugh at the time, would she ever have offended or come to the attention of authorities or ended up in the Central Criminal Court. Ireland Sliabh Liag killers denied legal aid for third bar... Read More He said the defendant's conviction is incompatible with State employment and she has resigned. He said Arnold had worked incredibly hard from the age of 16 to provide a stable home but unfortunately established a relationship with someone who brought her down to his level and she was responsible for that. He submitted that there is no facility for an open prison for female prisoners and asked the court to take that into consideration. Mr Justice Patrick McGrath remanded Arnold on continuing bail until July 4th, when she will be sentenced.
