Meanwhile, in today’s Irish Daily Mail, Alison O’Reilly and Neil Michael write [not online]:
A second burial ground has been discovered near the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam. It adjoins the controversial septic tank site at the centre of the baby deaths’ scandal that erupted in May. According to archive plans, it is at least three times the size. Documents also show Galway County Council planners have known about the additional burial ground since at least 1979.
Catherine Corless, who discovered that 796 babies died in the Tuam mother and baby home run by the Sisters of Bon Secours, has already passed details of the grave on to Children’s Minister James Reilly. The researcher met the Minister three weeks ago as part of discussions he is having with interested parties, before he draws up the terms of reference for the Government’s investigation into the homes.
…[Ms Corless’] latest discovery shows the area of land used to bury babies who died at the home could be considerably larger than first thought.
Previously: Reputable History
Investigating the Tuam Mothers and Babies Home: A Question of Human Rights
Irish Centre for Human Rights (NUI Galway)
Isn’t it great – the babies were buried in separate plots, not thrown into a big communal grave.
Can someone explain why this mass grave isn’t treated as a crime scene?
Ollie, because there is no indication that there was a crime committed?
Actually, the lack of any paperwork relating to the burials *is* a crime in and of itself, as has been noted many times at this stage.
Ah no
Deaths on this scale was unnatural even for those days. Starvation and neglect I would have thought were crimes, no?
“Documents also show Galway County Council planners have known about the additional burial ground since at least 1979.” I have not seen it reported but if my memory is correct ‘the Home’ was not demolished all in one go. I think it was around 1975 that work began on demolition, but at the time the new houses were been constructed on the Athenry Road & Dublin Road sides of the Home site, the vast majority of the Home buildings were still intact…..it is probably highly likely that the ‘planners’ knew exactly what was there!