Tuam exhumation: 'Only the bones can tell us who they are and what happened to them'

Irish Examiner

12-07-2025

A leading humanitarian forensic specialist, who will play a key role in the forthcoming landmark intervention at the Tuam babies' burial site, has said the 'children's bones will be able to tell their own story, if they are given a chance'.
Oran Finegan will oversee the implementation of the forensic programme for the Tuam mother and baby home under the Director of Authorised Intervention.
The first ever mass exhumation will begin on Monday, July 14, more than a decade after the scandal of the children being buried in the grounds of the home emerged, some it is believed in a disused septic tank.
The site of the exhumation at the former Tuam Mother and baby Home. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/ RollingNews.ie
Local historian Catherine Corless uncovered the names of 796 children who died in the Bons Secours institution for unmarried mothers during its operation from 1925 to 1961. She discovered there were death records but no burial records.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Finegan the exhumation should not be 'shrouded in mystery'.
'Transparency is vital,' the forensic specialist said. 'What matters most are the families of the children and those affected most. But it should not be shrouded in mystery.
The process is also about ensuring the families are kept informed, and it is of great importance to make sure the dead are not forgotten.
'Their identity should be given back to them where possible. All efforts should be made to give those who died a dignified resting place.'
Mr Finegan will also be tasked with informing the families if the remains of their loved ones are found.
'Everyone reacts to our work differently,' he explained. 'We are there to give the facts of what we discovered and what the information shows us. Some accept our findings and others don't, and that's OK.
'But the need to know how someone died and the need to be able to mourn is universal.'
He said human bones 'will always tell their own story given the chance'.
'There is so much bones can tell us, and I do believe they speak in many languages,' he said. 'They should be given the opportunity to tell us what happened. That may sound strange, but only the bones can tell us who they are and what happened to them.
'Bones need different interpreters and translators, from anthropologists to forensic genetics or orthodontal specialists."
The Louth native's career has seen him working at the sites of some of the world's most horrific atrocities, including in the Balkans, Iraq, and South East Asia.
He is a former head of forensics for the International Committee with the Red Cross.
Over his 25-year career, Mr Finegan was involved in the forensic work in the aftermath of the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995 and the genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys from the town.
He has been watching the story of the Tuam babies mass grave in Ireland since it first emerged.
Test excavations conducted in October 2016 and January 2017, led by forensic scientist Dr Niamh McCullough, found a 'significant quantity of human remains' at the site that were aged between 35 foetal weeks and two and three years. Mr Finegan provided advice at the time and joined the team two years ago.
The intervention at Tuam overseen by director Daniel MacSweeney is mandated under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to excavate the entire site and to recover any human remains. It is also mandated to individualise them where possible and give them a dignified burial.
'I can only look at the facts' Mr MacSweeney explained. 'This work is like a jigsaw, and we don't have all the pieces. Part of my job is to find out what happened.
Daniel MacSweeney, Director of Authorised Intervention: 'This work is like a jigsaw, and we don't have all the pieces. Part of my job is to find out what happened
'What I am trying to do is build a multidisciplinary team so we can gain as much information as possible on the children's remains and evidence from the site.
'These things are never one-dimensional. Forensic medicine has advanced over the last few decades. A good scientist will step back and look at the best way to gather the information.
The dead should be allowed to speak and to tell their story.
He described his role as a 'sensitive' one, and from a humanitarian forensics point of view, he will be the intermediary between the bones and the families.
'The families should always be put at the centre of the work,' he said.
'I know the team and it is so important to see Irish forensic practitioners engaged in this project and to be part of this history, to understand our past.'
The exhumation will look at the 5,000sq m of the centre area of the Dublin Road housing estate in Tuam, which was built after the mother and baby home was knocked down in 1961.
'As with any operation of this nature, you decide where you're going to start, you will have a small excavator, to gradually scrape away the soil,' he said.
'If you think of a trifle, it's made of layers. If you put a spoon into it, and then try put the trifle back together, it will never be the same. The soil is the same if there is any disruption to it.
'The team will look for changes in the soil. If they find any, they will then stop the machine and look at that with an archaeologist, and, if necessary, go by hand to excavate a specific place.
'The soil will be observed forensically, to understand what these layers mean.'
When changes are identified in the soil, it will be examined further, until the archaeologist confirms the team can continue their work.
All documentation, including photographs, artefacts, maps, and human remains, will be recorded at the laboratory.