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Irish Post
23-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Post
Families in Britain urged to come forward as Tuam exhumation work begins
THE Office of the Director of Authorised Interventions at Tuam (ODAIT) is set to begin work this summer on exhuming the remains of children who were buried in underground chambers on the grounds of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway. These chambers were previously part of a sewage system, and the institution operated from 1925 to 1961. The intervention follows two years of preparation and planning due to the sensitive and complex nature of the work. A shrine and garden at the site of the mass burial plot in Tuam The aim of the intervention is to restore dignity in death and, where possible, to identify those believed to have died while resident in the institution. ODAIT will recover the remains from what has been described by the Commission of Investigation as an inappropriate burial site, and, if identification is possible, offer dignified reburial in accordance with the wishes of family members and survivors. Identification will rely on DNA samples from people who believe they may be related to those buried at the site. ODAIT has stated that this process will be 'challenging due to the young age of the children at death, the elapse of time since their death, the environmental conditions in Tuam and the likely small number of close relatives who can provide samples'. To support this process, the agency is currently appealing for people to come forward who know or suspect they had a relative who died while resident in the Tuam Mother and Baby institution. Initially, ODAIT is prioritising the collection of DNA from elderly and/or vulnerable individuals who may not be in a position to wait for the general phase of the Identification Programme to begin due to concerns about their age or health. Those eligible to provide DNA samples under the legislation include (but may not be limited to): child, parent, sibling, half-sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, half-niece, half-nephew, grandniece or grandnephew. Further information is available at the ODAIT website or by contacting the office at [email protected] or by phone at 00353 1 539 1777. The work at Tuam forms one element of a broader set of measures announced by the Government as part of the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, published in November 2021. Two additional key supports include: Access to birth information, now available under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, which provides a clear right of access to birth certificates and early life records for all those who were adopted, boarded out, nursed out, or affected by illegal birth registration. More details are available at The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, which offers financial payments and enhanced health supports to eligible individuals in recognition of the circumstances they experienced while resident in these institutions. To learn more or apply, visit For those living in Britain who have been affected by the Mother and Baby and County Home system in Ireland, support is available through the following organisations: The National Response Line (London Irish Centre): 0800 519 5519 Coventry Irish Society: 0247 625 6629 Fréa – Renewing Roots: 07432 138 682 If you live in Britain and are affected by any aspects of Mother and Baby and County Homes in the Republic of Ireland you can contact; The National Response line 0800 519 5519; Tuesday to Thursday 10am-4pm (The London Irish Centre), 0247 625 6629 (Coventry Irish Society) or 07432 138 68 See More: Exhumation, Galway, Irealnd, Mother And Baby Homes, Tuam
BBC News
29-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Tuam: Excavation of former mother-and-baby institution to begin this year
The agency in charge of the excavation of the former mother-and-baby institution at Tuam in County Galway has said work is due to start in the second half of 2016, investigators found what they described as "significant quantities of human remain" in underground confirmed the bodies were those of babies and children up to three years in leader of the current team, Daniel McSweeney, said: "Substantial and meaningful planning has gone into this unique and incredibly complex excavation." The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT) said the work would go ahead pending the appointment of the excavation institution for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters and closed in past of the home came to international attention when a local historian, Catherine Corless, discovered that there were death certificates for 796 children and infants but no burial Irish government set up a Commission of Investigation into the network of mother-and-baby institutions, which later said the chambered structure containing the children's remains at Tuam was in a disused sewage tank. 'Forensically sealed' The excavation team will aim to identify as many of the remains as McSweeney said the exact start date would be confirmed in said: "Our work is centred around the people and groups who have been most impacted by the former mother-and-baby institution in Tuam."This includes families, survivors and the Tuam community."Our work will be conducted in accordance with international standards and best practice, and in keeping with our core values."He explained the process would take place in two parts, and further details of the forensic approach would be shared at the start of the McSweeney said: "As the site will be forensically sealed at all times during the excavation, we are hoping to facilitate on-site visits for survivors and family members at the beginning of the excavation."Preparatory surveys began at the site last McSweeney was appointed in 2023, he previously worked around the world for the International Commission of the Red Cross.
