Ireland

Excavation to be carried out at former Tuam mother and baby home

The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway. Picture by Niall Carson, Press Association
The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway. Picture by Niall Carson, Press Association The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway. Picture by Niall Carson, Press Association

A PRELIMINARY excavation is to be carried out at a former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.

The test excavation was requested by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, set up following allegations about the deaths of almost 800 babies and their burial in Tuam.

The commission said the test excavation will take around five weeks to complete. It said a "sample of the site" will be excavated through test trenches. A geophysical survey of the site was carried out in October 2015.

The commission said the excavation would focus on "timeline" and the manner in which soil is layered at the site.

It is hoped the work will help resolve questions about the burial of babies at the site. A total of 796 infants and children were recorded as having died in the Tuam home between 1925 and 1961.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone, who visited the Tuam site yesterday morning, said the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes aims to deliver its reports by February 2018.

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, the minister said: " ... in terms of my meetings with them [the commission], I believe they are the people; they bring the expertise and commitment in order to do the best possible job for this".