Cover of the Irish Mail on Sunday, on May 25, 2014; the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed to journalists last Saturday that excavation work at the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway, will begin in the latter half of 2019.
Further to this…
The Tuam Home Survivors’ Network have since released a statement saying:
“It is now four and a half years since Alison O’Reilly broke the story of Tuam to the world press on Sunday the 25th of May, 2014.
“In March 2017, Minister Katherine Zappone advised that the remains uncovered during the test excavation dated to the period of the home (1925-1961) and were of babies and children aged between 35 fetal weeks and three years.
“This revelation, while confirming what many survivors and family members suspected, brought a new urgency to the situation.
“Finally, Dr Geoffrey Shannon’s report focused on the human rights which continue from cradle to beyond the grave attributing to the 796 in an effort to provide much needed dignity and respect to the lost children of Tuam and six mothers whose burial place remains unknown.
“To that end, we look forward to the New Year in the hope that it brings some element of closure to an injustice that weighs heavily on families seeking return of loved ones and an elderly population of survivors who seek answers in their lifetime.
“Tuam Home Survivors Network looks forward to direct involvement in decisions by Government and appointed experts along every step of the way throughout this comprehensive programme of activity required to bring about a resolution that meets with international best practice protocols for the recovery of human remains and to bring comfort to our network participants, primarily family members and survivors.”
