Latest news with #CatherineCorless
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Ireland begins dig at mass grave of 800 babies exposed by historian
After more than a decade of tireless research and ridicule, Catherine Corless—the historian who uncovered the burial site of nearly 800 babies at Tuam, County Galway, beneath a former Irish home for unwed mothers—is finally seeing justice take root. Excavation crews began work this week at the grounds of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, marking a major turning point in one of Ireland's darkest historical reckonings. In an interview with The Irish Times, Corless reflected on her struggle to bring the truth to light. 'It's just beginning to dawn on me now,' she said. 'It has taken a while to sink in.' Her work first gained national attention in 2014, when she uncovered death certificates for 796 children who died at the Tuam home between the 1920s and 1961—but found only one corresponding burial record. Convinced the children's remains were still on site, she pushed for answers while facing relentless opposition. The local backlash was immediate and intense, she reportedly told the news outlet. 'People would cross the street to avoid me,' Corless told The Irish Times. Strangers harassed her in supermarkets, while others accused her of smearing the town's name. 'You're about as credible as Santa Claus. You're a disgrace,' a man wrote in an email to her just days ago, on June 15. 'I hope those nuns bring you to court.' But on Monday, Corless was vindicated. The fenced-off site where the babies' bodies were buried—some inside a decommissioned septic tank—is now under forensic control, with a full-scale excavation underway. In 2017, government investigators confirmed what Corless had long suspected: a mass grave was found beneath the grounds of the home. DNA analysis later revealed the remains belonged to babies and children ranging from 35 weeks gestation to three years old. The home, run by an order of Catholic nuns until its closure in 1961, was one of many institutions in Ireland where unmarried pregnant women were placed—often forcibly—and their children hidden, mistreated, or adopted without consent. 'All those lovely little children and babies, that's the one thing that drove me,' Corless told The Irish Times. 'That's all that was in my mind—these babies in a sewage system, they have to come out.' The broader scandal is staggering: nearly 9,000 children are believed to have died in 18 mother-and-baby homes across Ireland. Most succumbed to illnesses like gastroenteritis, whooping cough, diphtheria, and tuberculosis. But the lack of burial records—particularly in Tuam—points to deep institutional neglect. In 2021, the Irish government issued a formal apology for the mistreatment of women and children in these homes, acknowledging that 'a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity' had occurred. Daniel MacSweeney, head of the excavation project, said the process is expected to take two years. Families will have the opportunity to view the work as it progresses. Identified remains will be returned to relatives; unidentified remains will be buried respectfully. 'This is not just an excavation,' MacSweeney noted. 'It is a national act of recognition and dignity.' For Corless, that long-overdue dignity is finally beginning to emerge from the soil of Tuam. As she quietly watches the start of the dig she spent years fighting for, her words ring as powerfully now as when she began: 'It's about doing the right thing.'
New York Post
2 days ago
- General
- New York Post
796 dead babies expected to be found hidden in septic tank at unwed mothers' home run by nuns
Excavation has begun on a septic tank at a site in Ireland that authorities believe contains the remains of nearly 800 dead babies and children who died at a home for unwed mothers run by Catholic nuns. Many of the infant remains are feared to have been dumped in the cesspool known as 'the pit' at the former institution in the small town of Tuam, County Galway, local historian Catherine Corless told Sky News. In total, 798 children died at the home between 1925 and its closure in 1961, of which just two were buried in a nearby cemetery, Corless' research found. Advertisement 10 Beneath the ground at this peaceful spot in the town of Tuam, significant quantities of human remains have been identified. Getty Images 10 The land, attached to a home run by nuns between 1925 and 1961, was left largely untouched after the institution was knocked down in 1972. AFP via Getty Images The other 796 children's remains are believed to be under the site of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, which was demolished in 1971 and is now surrounded by a modern apartment complex. Bon Secours, known locally as The Home, was a maternity home for unmarried mothers and their children, run by a religious order of Catholic nuns. Advertisement Unmarried pregnant women would be sent to the home to give birth and would be interned for a year to do unpaid work. They were separated from their newborn children, who would be raised by the nuns until they were adopted, often without the consent of their families. The full scale of the tragedy at Bon Secours was only uncovered in 2014 thanks to Corless's findings. Advertisement 10 Her research pointed to the children's likely final resting place: a disused septic tank discovered in 1975. REUTERS 10 Excavation crews will seal off the site before beginning the search for remains next month. Getty Images 10 It was only in 2022 that legislation was passed in Parliament enabling the excavation work to start at Tuam. Getty Images Now, finally, more than a decade on, a team of investigators began their forensic investigation this week. Advertisement It is expected to take up to two years to identify the remains of the infants and give them a dignified reburial and offer some degree of closure to survivors. 'I don't care if it's a thimbleful, as they tell me there wouldn't be much remains left; at six months old, it's mainly cartilage more than bone,' Annette McKay, whose sister is believed to be one of the 798 victims, told Sky News. 10 After giving birth at the homes, mothers were then separated from their children, often through adoption. AFP via Getty Images Her mother, Margaret 'Maggie' O'Connor gave birth to a baby, Mary Margaret, at the home after she was raped at the age of 17. The girl died six months later, and her mother only found out when a nun told her. 'She was pegging washing out and a nun came up behind her and said 'the child of your sin is dead,'' said Annette, who now lives in the UK. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Bon Secours was just one institution that made up a network of oppression in Ireland, the true extent of which has only been revealed in recent years. Advertisement Mothers at Bon Secours who 'reoffended' by having more children out of wedlock would be sent to Magdalene laundries, the infamous Irish institutions for so-called 'fallen women,' usually run by Catholic orders but quietly supported by the state. Originally the term 'fallen women' was applied mostly to sex workers, but the Magdalene laundries would come to take in 'seduced' women, victims of rape and incest, and female orphans or children abandoned or abused by their families. 10 The commission report concluded that 9,000 children had died in the homes across Ireland. Getty Images 10 Homes were run in various ways — some funded and managed by local health authorities and others by Catholic religious orders. Getty Images Advertisement 10 In her kitchen, she showed AFP a copy of a 1947 inspection report of the Tuam home. AFP via Getty Images 10 It described John as 'a miserable emaciated child,' even though he was born healthy a year earlier. AFP via Getty Images The last of the Magdalene laundries only closed their doors in the 1990s. Ireland's government issued a formal state apology in 2014 and, in 2022, a compensation scheme was set up which has so far paid out the equivalent of $32.7 million to 814 survivors. Advertisement The religious orders that operated many of the laundries have rejected appeals from victims and Ireland's Justice Minister to contribute to the program.
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Grim excavation begins at site believed to contain remains of around 800 babies
Irish officials have begun excavating the grounds of a former home for unwed mothers which authorities say contains the remains of around 800 babies and young children who died there. "It's a very, very difficult, harrowing story and situation," Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Monday. "We have to wait to see what unfolds now as a result of the excavation." The former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in western Ireland — which closed in 1961 and was run by Catholic nuns — was one of many mother-and-baby homes during the 20th century in the European country. The homes housed unmarried pregnant women as well as tens of thousands of orphans, according to The Associated Press. Historian Catherine Corless tracked down death certificates in 2014 for nearly 800 children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home between the 1920s and 1961. However, she could only find a burial record for one child, the AP reported. A mass grave was later discovered by investigators in an underground sewage structure at the home. DNA analysis found the structure contained the remains of infants and young children between the ages of 35 weeks gestation and 3 years old, according to the AP. Family members and survivors will soon have the opportunity to view the works, according to Daniel MacSweeney, who is leading the exhumation of the infant remains. "This is a unique and incredibly complex excavation," MacSweeney said in a statement. Any remains recovered from the site will be analyzed and preserved by forensic experts. Identified remains will be returned to family members, while unidentified remains will be buried. The work is expected to take two years to complete, the AP reported. The sisters who ran the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home previously offered a "profound apology," acknowledging they failed to protect the dignity of the women and children that lived there, according to the AP. In 2021, Prime Minister Martin issued a former state apology after a report found that 9,000 children died in 18 mother-and-baby homes during the 20th century in Ireland. Daniel MacSweeney and Ireland's National Police and Security Service, An Garda Síochána, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
796 Babies Buried Under Shelter Home For Unmarried, Pregnant Women
In Ireland's small town of Tuam, County Galway, authorities will soon start excavating a site believed to be the burial ground of nearly 800 babies and children. A team of investigators has initiated a forensic probe this week. According to Catherine Corless, a local historian, 798 children died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home between 1925 and 1961, but only two were buried in a proper cemetery. The other 796 children are believed to have been dumped in a septic tank, known as the pit, The NY Post reported. Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, also know as The Home, now a modern apartment complex, was demolished in 1971. The unmarried pregnant women were sent to Bon Secours Home to give birth. The Home was run by a group of Catholic nuns who used to take care of both the children and the mothers. After the babies were born, they were taken away from their mothers and handed over to the nuns without the consent of their families. However, the mothers were forced to stay there for a year to do unpaid work. At Bon Secours, the women who became pregnant again were often sent to Magdalene laundries. This institution held women who were tricked or forced into sexual activities, victims of rape or incest, orphaned girls and those abandoned or abused by their families. The tragedy at Bon Secours was uncovered after Ms Corless's findings in 2014. However, the excavation at the site could only begin after the Irish government passed a new law in 2022 allowing it to officially dig the site and search for the remains of the children. Annette McKay, whose sister is thought to be among the 798 victims, told Sky News, "I don't care if it's a thimbleful, as they tell me there wouldn't be many remains left; at six months old, it's mainly cartilage more than bone." The excavation may take up to two years to identify the remains of the infants and rebury them in a dignified manner.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Ireland: Remains of 800 infants expected to be found in former home for unmarried mothers
The remains of nearly 800 infants and young children are expected to be found in a former church-run home for unmarried women, as excavation work began in Ireland earlier this week. The long-awaited excavation at the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, in western Ireland, will shed light on the history of abuses in church-led institutions in the country. The home was run by an order of Catholic nuns. It closed in 1961. It was one of many such institutions that housed tens of thousands of orphans and unmarried pregnant women who were forced to give up their children throughout much of the 20th century, reported AP. In 2014, historian Catherine Corless tracked down the death certificates for nearly 800 children who died at the home in Tuam between the 1920s and 1961, but could only find a burial record for one child. Also read: Mass grave of children found at former Catholic orphanage in Ireland Investigators later found a mass grave with the remains of babies and young children in an underground sewage structure on the grounds of the home. The ages of these children ranged from 35 weeks of gestation to 3 years. In total, 9,000 children died in 18 different mother-and-baby homes across Ireland. These deaths include those from several ailments, including respiratory infections and gastroenteritis, otherwise known as the stomach flu. Daniel MacSweeney, who leads the exhumation of the babies' remains at Tuam, said survivors and family members will have an opportunity to view the works in the coming weeks. The remains recovered from the site will be forensically examined. Any identified remains will be returned to family members. Unidentified bodies will be properly buried as per religious conventions. Annette McKay's sister is believed to be buried at the site. Her mother, Margaret 'Maggie' O'Connor gave birth to a baby, Mary Margaret, at the home after she was raped. "I don't care if it's a thimbleful, as they tell me there wouldn't be much remains left; at six months old, it's mainly cartilage more than bone,' she told Sky News.
