CONFIRMATION by a commission of investigation that “significant quantities” of human remains have been discovered at a former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway, is profoundly disturbing.
Excavations at the site of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home came after historian Catherine Corless carried out research which found almost 800 death certificates for former residents of the home but burial records for only two.
The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes issued a statement last Friday saying a long structure divided into 20 chambers, thought to be part of the sewage system, was unearthed.
Significant quantities of human remains were found in at least 17 of the 20 chambers and of the small number recovered, the age range was from 35 foetal weeks to between two and three years.
The home operated from 1925 until 1961 and the remains recovered are likely to date from the 1950s.
This is a truly horrific discovery and deeply distressing for the relatives of the infants and children who died at this home.
How anyone believed it was acceptable for dead babies to be interred in a sewage tank without a proper burial, a marked grave or even in some cases their families being informed is beyond comprehension.
But after so much evidence in recent years about the cruel practices and harsh attitudes that prevailed in state and religious-run institutions in decades past, we should perhaps not be surprised at the appalling absence of compassion and basic human kindness for the unmarried pregnant women who ended up in homes such as the one in Tuam.
Had it not been for the diligent work carried out by Ms Corless – who was criticised by some who doubted her version of events – this latest shameful chapter in recent Irish history might never have been uncovered.
Unfortunately, there are fears that many more babies may be interred in unmarked graves in other homes in the Republic.
Justice minister Frances Fitzgerald has said it is inevitable that gardaí will be called in to investigate the mass grave in Tuam and it is beyond question that all agencies and organisations involved with the mother and baby homes offer full cooperation.
In particular the Catholic Church must ensure that all relevant information is made available to the authorities and be pro-active in providing answers.
It is time for the entire truth about Ireland’s mother and baby homes to be brought into the light.
