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Woman Who Exposed Tuam Mass Baby Grave Told to "Just Leave Them There"

By Trevor Quinn
Irish Mirror
March 3, 2017

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/woman-who-exposed-tuam-mass-9959924

Historian Catherine Corless and the Tuam mass baby grave (Photo: Andy Newman)

The woman who exposed the sickening Tuam mass baby grave today revealed that she had been told: “Just leave them there.”

Today brought shocking confirmation that hundreds of infants were discarded in the septic tank of a former mother and baby home, following recent digs in the Galway town.

Historian Catherine Corless, 62, who drove the campaign for justice for nearly 800 dead tots, said she was told to IGNORE their plight.

Catherine Corless and her husband Aidan reading a copy of the report from the Commission of investigation this morning at their home in Brownsgrove just outside Tuam (Photo: Andy Newman)

She said when she started her research it was “nicely covered in and forgotten about”.

“I was asked, ‘What are you doing? It’s a long time ago. If there’s bodies there just leave them’.”

The site at Tuam Mothers and Babies home where there is now verified evidence of remains of a significant number of babies and young children being buried. (Photo: Ray Ryan)

And today as her search for the truth was vindicated by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, she said the entire area around the home, run by the Bon Secours nuns, now needs to be fully excavated.

She obtained death certificates for 798 of the missing children.

She then discovered none were buried in any local cemeteries and her research was made public in 2014.

The Commission was established in February 2015 to investigate alleged abuse between 1922 and 1998.

The grim discovery of the human remains happened after a test excavation of the site which began last November.

The site at Tuam Mothers and Babies home where there is now verified evidence of remains of a significant number of babies and young children being buried. (Photo: Ray Ryan)

Some of the skeletal remains are now being analysed and the Commission estimated their age of death as 35 foetal weeks (stillborn babies) to 2-3 old, their deaths dating back to the 1950s.

Ms Corless spoke out as calls were made to probe the sites of 13 former mother and baby homes around the country.

Speaking about the test excavation findings, she said: “It’s a total relief to be honest as this could have gone either way.

"It could have been covered up as it was in the 1970s when this investigation should have taken place.

“The county council knew at the time that there were remains there, the guards knew it, the religious [orders] knew it and it was just all nicely covered in and forgotten about.

"When I started this research I was asked, ‘What are you doing? It’s a long time ago. If there’s bodies there just leave them’.

The site at Tuam Mothers and Babies home where there is now verified evidence of remains of a significant number of babies and young children being buried. (Photo: Ray Ryan)

“I mean to say how could you just leave them there? The main Tuam graveyard is quite near this area and why would those ‘illegitimate’ babies and children just be discarded, because that’s what they were, literally discarded.

“I do believe that that graveyard extends above ground as well, because it is known from locals there that there were burials over ground as well in coffins and there’s a green area there, a playground, which may be over some of the burials in coffins.

"So the whole area needs to be investigated. It wouldn’t be as big as a football pitch but it’s near enough to it.”

Ms Corless, whose own mother was raised in one of the appalling facilities, said: “My research revealed this [burial area] was a septic tank for the women.

"It became defunct in the 1930s when the mother and baby home was joined up with the main sewerage system.

"And then we came across the death certs of 796 babies and children.

“The next step then was to see were they buried in their mothers’ or grandparents’ graveyard. That proved negative. And the question was the 798 babies, children missing, where are they?

“And the obvious answer became apparent, that they must have been buried within the [surroundings] of the mother and baby home in Tuam. Everything pointed to this area being a mass grave.”

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone TD (Photo: Collins Photo Agency)

Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone today described the discovery as “sad and disturbing”.

She said: “Up to now we had rumours. Now we have confirmation that the remains are there, and that they date back to the time of the Mother and Baby Home.

The Commission investigating the treatment of unmarried mothers and babies from 1922 to 1998, said they were “shocked” by what they uncovered.

It said test trenches were dug revealing two large structures, one of which appeared to be a ‘large sewage containment system or septic tank’.

The human remains were found in the second ‘long structure’, and distubingly human remains were found in 17 of the 20 underground chambers contained in that structure.

A spokesperson for the Mother and Baby Homes Commission said: “The Commission is shocked by this discovery and is continuing its investigation into who was responsible for the disposal of human remains in this way.

“Meanwhile, the Commission has asked that the relevant State authorities take responsibility for the appropriate treatment of the remains. The Coroner has been informed.

“A small number of remains were recovered for the purpose of analysis. These remains involved a number of individuals with age-at-death ranges from approximately 35 foetal weeks to 2 to 3 years. Further scientific tests are being conducted.”

There is a dedicated Telephone Information line being made available for people seeking further information over the coming days.

01-6473118 / 01-6473232 during Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.

Anyone affected can also directly contact the HSE information line on 1850-241-850.

 

 

 

 

 




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