Latest news with #Corless
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Dark history of Tuam mother and baby home as 2-year dig begins to identify 800 babies in historic mass grave exhumation
THE excavation on the grounds of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home began on Monday, 100 years after it was first established in Co Galway. A team of 3 The excavation on the grounds of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home has begun 3 A team of Irish and international forensic experts are taking part in the dig Credit:3 Catherine Corless managed to trace 796 of the babies who died at the home Credit:They will try to The site, surrounded by a 2.4 metre-high hoarding, is security monitored on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the excavation. Daniel MacSweeney, who A visit for families and survivors to view the site ahead of the commencement of the full excavation took place last Tuesday. Read more in News Here, Emma McMenamy looks at the dark history of the Tuam mother and baby home. 1925: A former workhouse which housed destitute adults and children during the famine was converted into a mother and baby home. Despite it being owned by Many women who had children out of wedlock were sent here, one of several institutions that existed and housed those who had been ostracised by Irish society. Most read in Irish News According to research, a child from the Tuam Mother and Baby Home died every two weeks between the years of 1925 and 1961. 1961: After the building had fallen into disrepair, those who were still there were moved to other institutions and the Tuam Mother and Baby Home officially closed its doors. Tuam mother and baby home: Catherine Corless's research revealed that 796 children died at St Mary's in Galway 1972: Work begins on a new council-owned housing estate in the area of the now demolished mother and baby home. 1975: While playing near the site of the old home, two 12-year-old boys discover skeletal remains in a concrete structure. Locals assume they are remains from a famine grave and call for a priest to bless the site before it is re-sealed. Locals believe it is an old burial site and erect a memorial garden and shrine to mark the area. 'VERY HIGH INFANT MORTALITY RATE' 2012: But she also asks the question why there are no records of where the Tuam babies who died at the home were buried. 2013: A year later Ms Corless goes about collating the death certificates of a staggering 798 children who died at the home. She managed to trace 796. CAMPAIGN CALL 2014: In February, the regional newspaper, The Connacht Tribune, publishes an interview with Ms Corless about her campaign for a permanent memorial for the babies who died at the Tuam home to include a plaque which would display all 796 infant names. Two months later, Mail on Sunday journalist Alison O'Reilly published a story claiming that up to 800 bodies could be buried at the site and the article gains massive international attention. By June, just a few months after the initial interview with Ms Corless about the Tuam babies, the Government announce that it is setting up a nationwide commission of investigation into Ireland's mother and baby homes. 2015: The commission panel is asked to examine the living conditions in the homes as well as the mortality rates, causes of death and burial arrangements. TEST DIGS BEGIN 2016: Test excavations at the site begin as part of the commission of investigation. 2018: Ms Corless is among those honoured at Ireland's People of the Year Awards. Minister for Children Katherine Zappone announces plans for a forensic excavation of the Tuam site. 2019: Four years after being established, the commission outlines its conclusions on burial arrangements at the homes in its fifth interim report and states that a total of 802 children died inside the Tuam Mother and Baby Home while it was open, as well as 12 mothers. 'OPEN TO CHALLENGE' 2020: President 2021: The final report of the commission's findings are published and it concludes that about 9,000 children died in the 18 institutions under investigation and it makes 53 recommendations including In response to the report, the Bon Secours offer their 'profound apologies 'to all the women and children who lived at the Tuam home. The then-Taoiseach 2022: The Irish government agreed draft legislation to excavate the Tuam site. 2025: Excavation finally begins at the Tuam Mother and Baby home site.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Boise City Council might ask voters for $11 million tax increase. Here's why
The Boise City Council is set to vote Tuesday on whether to put an $11 million open-space levy on the ballot this November. Council members will decide on a resolution that asks Boise voters for a voluntary tax increase. Property owners would see just under $10 more on their tax bill for every $100,000 of property value, according to a city memo from Mayor Lauren McLean's office. Boise staff have used previous open-space money to acquire property at Table Rock in the Foothills and buy land within the city for new parks. '(Without a new levy) we would have very limited ability to expand our open space, conservation, and parks and pathways program,' Council President Colin Nash said in a phone interview Monday. 'Waiting on new developers to propose new parks that they would dedicate is not a realistic way to acquire new parks.' Only a simple majority of voters would need to approve the levy. Levies in 2001 and 2015 passed with 59% and 74% approval, respectively. As of June, there's only about $1 million of that funding left, according to Doug Holloway, the city's outgoing parks and recreation director. The 2015 levy originally raised $10 million, which the city used to acquire nearly 1,800 acres in the Foothills and purchase three future park sites, Holloway told the City Council on June 10. 'Dirt is hard to come by in this community,' Holloway said. Overall, since 2001, the city has used about $19 million to buy properties worth at least to $43 million, he said. The money has also funded carbon sequestration research and goathead mapping and removal, according to his presentation. People who live in Boise love the parks and trails, Council Member Kathy Corless said in a phone interview Monday. It's healthy not to have all parts of the city developed, she said. 'Once (open space) is gone, we won't have access,' Corless said. Part of the goal is to address a lack of parks in West Boise, according to Corless, Nash and Alexis Pickering, the executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho. The group is supporting the levy, as it did with the previous tax increase in 2015. Idahoans have been loud in their support for public lands in recent weeks because of provisions U.S. Sen. Mike Lee kept trying to insert in President Donald Trump's so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Lee, R-Utah, proposed selling some public lands, stating the proceeds would help to address housing affordability. However, the bill did not include any language requiring such housing to be affordable. After public outcry, part of Idaho's congressional delegation opposed the bill. The provision was ultimately removed. Pickering said by phone Monday that she believes the widespread opposition to the provision makes it more likely people will approve this levy if the council puts it on the ballot. 'I also think it demonstrates to folks that we can't take these lands for granted,' Pickering said. 'We can't just assume that folks are always going to be looking out for what we believe are inherent values and interests, because clearly, that's not the case.'
Powys County Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
Families to visit Tuam mass grave site ahead of excavation
Families and survivors of a notorious former mother and baby home in the west of Ireland are to visit the site on Tuesday ahead of its major excavation next week. The full-scale excavation of the site of St Mary's mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway will try to identify the remains of infants who died at the home between 1925 and 1961. In 2014, research led by local historian Catherine Corless indicated that 796 babies and young children were buried in a sewage system at the Co Galway institution across that time period. The St Mary's home for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns. In 2021, Irish premier Micheal Martin delivered an apology on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Ireland. The Bon Secours Sisters also offered a 'profound apology' after acknowledging the order had 'failed to protect the inherent dignity' of women and children in the Tuam home. Speaking to the PA news agency on Monday, Ms Corless said she found it 'overwhelming' to see the excavation work proceed after her 10-year campaign. 'There was no will to do anything for those babies except leave them there and put a monument over them. 'But this was a sewer system and I couldn't give up on them. They were all baptised, they deserve to be in consecrated ground.' Ms Corless said it was a 'huge relief' to be able to 'let go and back off', after being faced with obstacles in her campaign from people she initially thought would be helpful. 'It is huge for me to know those babies are finally going to get the dignity they deserve – it is a wrong put right.' Anna Corrigan, who discovered that she had two older brothers who were born while her mother was a resident at the Tuam home, visited the site on Monday. Speaking to reporters, she said: 'These children were denied every human right in their lifetime, as was their mothers. 'They were denied dignity – and they were denied dignity and respect in death. 'So I'm hoping that today maybe will be the start of hearing them because I think they've been crying for an awful long time to be heard.' The work at the burial site, which is being undertaken by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT), will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible and re-interment of the remains at the site. On Monday, ODAIT held a media briefing which gave members of the press access to the site. The site, surrounded by a 2.4 metre-high hoarding, is subject to security monitoring on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the excavation. The excavation is scheduled to begin on Monday and is anticipated to last two years. Speaking to reporters, ODAIT leader Daniel MacSweeney said the family and survivor visit will be 'the most important event of the week'. He said: 'We continue to work closely with the residents living close to the site to ensure minimum disruption is caused to them by the works.' Mr MacSweeney said the excavation will work to international best practices when it came to forensic standards. He said ODAIT was trying to restore dignity in death for the infants, adding that the remains would be reburied following consultation with families. The work will involve a long, complex process of recovering all the remains within the site and then separating the 'mixed up' skeletal specimens by sorting them by age and using processes to assess sex. This will allow for the individualisation of each set of remains and it is hoped that identification of some of those buried can take place with the assistance of DNA provided by families as well as other records. Mr MacSweeney said the Bon Secours Sisters had provided ODAIT with access to its archive material and it is hoped that this will also help the identification process. The team will also attempt to establish cause of death where possible. Dr Niamh McCullagh, a forensic archaeologist with ODAIT said a 2016 'test excavation' discovered 20 chambers within a disused sewage tank that contained infant remains ranging from 35 foetal weeks up to three years old, from a period matching the operation of the institution between 1925-1961. Asked if it was possible that criminal cases may arise out of the work, Dr McCullagh said ODAIT is obliged to notify the local coroner of any evidence of violent or unnatural deaths. Dr McCullagh said it is difficult to estimate how long it will take to separate and complete the process of identification of the 'commingled remains', as they are yet to establish the scale of the work ahead. The team also expects to find personnel effects associated with the operation of the institution, having discovered items like shoes and feeding bottles in the 2016 dig. However, the work will be complicated as excavators expect to uncover artefacts relating to previous uses of the site, including as a workhouse. Meanwhile, 14 people have provided DNA to ODAIT to assist with identification thus far. Around 80 others have expressed interest in providing DNA samples to the team, including 30 who made contact in the last month. Mr MacSweeney said he expects that more people will get in touch as the work proceeds. The team has a 9.4 million euro budget for 2025, with further allocations yet to be finalised by the Department of Public Expenditure.
Rhyl Journal
07-07-2025
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Families to visit Tuam mass grave site ahead of excavation
The full-scale excavation of the site of St Mary's mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway will try to identify the remains of infants who died at the home between 1925 and 1961. In 2014, research led by local historian Catherine Corless indicated that 796 babies and young children were buried in a sewage system at the Co Galway institution across that time period. The St Mary's home for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns. In 2021, Irish premier Micheal Martin delivered an apology on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Ireland. The Bon Secours Sisters also offered a 'profound apology' after acknowledging the order had 'failed to protect the inherent dignity' of women and children in the Tuam home. Speaking to the PA news agency on Monday, Ms Corless said she found it 'overwhelming' to see the excavation work proceed after her 10-year campaign. 'There was no will to do anything for those babies except leave them there and put a monument over them. 'But this was a sewer system and I couldn't give up on them. They were all baptised, they deserve to be in consecrated ground.' Ms Corless said it was a 'huge relief' to be able to 'let go and back off', after being faced with obstacles in her campaign from people she initially thought would be helpful. 'It is huge for me to know those babies are finally going to get the dignity they deserve – it is a wrong put right.' Anna Corrigan, who discovered that she had two older brothers who were born while her mother was a resident at the Tuam home, visited the site on Monday. Speaking to reporters, she said: 'These children were denied every human right in their lifetime, as was their mothers. 'They were denied dignity – and they were denied dignity and respect in death. 'So I'm hoping that today maybe will be the start of hearing them because I think they've been crying for an awful long time to be heard.' The work at the burial site, which is being undertaken by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT), will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible and re-interment of the remains at the site. On Monday, ODAIT held a media briefing which gave members of the press access to the site. The site, surrounded by a 2.4 metre-high hoarding, is subject to security monitoring on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the excavation. The excavation is scheduled to begin on Monday and is anticipated to last two years. Speaking to reporters, ODAIT leader Daniel MacSweeney said the family and survivor visit will be 'the most important event of the week'. He said: 'We continue to work closely with the residents living close to the site to ensure minimum disruption is caused to them by the works.' Mr MacSweeney said the excavation will work to international best practices when it came to forensic standards. He said ODAIT was trying to restore dignity in death for the infants, adding that the remains would be reburied following consultation with families. The work will involve a long, complex process of recovering all the remains within the site and then separating the 'mixed up' skeletal specimens by sorting them by age and using processes to assess sex. This will allow for the individualisation of each set of remains and it is hoped that identification of some of those buried can take place with the assistance of DNA provided by families as well as other records. Mr MacSweeney said the Bon Secours Sisters had provided ODAIT with access to its archive material and it is hoped that this will also help the identification process. The team will also attempt to establish cause of death where possible. Dr Niamh McCullagh, a forensic archaeologist with ODAIT said a 2016 'test excavation' discovered 20 chambers within a disused sewage tank that contained infant remains ranging from 35 foetal weeks up to three years old, from a period matching the operation of the institution between 1925-1961. Asked if it was possible that criminal cases may arise out of the work, Dr McCullagh said ODAIT is obliged to notify the local coroner of any evidence of violent or unnatural deaths. Dr McCullagh said it is difficult to estimate how long it will take to separate and complete the process of identification of the 'commingled remains', as they are yet to establish the scale of the work ahead. The team also expects to find personnel effects associated with the operation of the institution, having discovered items like shoes and feeding bottles in the 2016 dig. However, the work will be complicated as excavators expect to uncover artefacts relating to previous uses of the site, including as a workhouse. Meanwhile, 14 people have provided DNA to ODAIT to assist with identification thus far. Around 80 others have expressed interest in providing DNA samples to the team, including 30 who made contact in the last month. Mr MacSweeney said he expects that more people will get in touch as the work proceeds. The team has a 9.4 million euro budget for 2025, with further allocations yet to be finalised by the Department of Public Expenditure.
North Wales Chronicle
07-07-2025
- General
- North Wales Chronicle
Families to visit Tuam mass grave site ahead of excavation
The full-scale excavation of the site of St Mary's mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway will try to identify the remains of infants who died at the home between 1925 and 1961. In 2014, research led by local historian Catherine Corless indicated that 796 babies and young children were buried in a sewage system at the Co Galway institution across that time period. The St Mary's home for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns. In 2021, Irish premier Micheal Martin delivered an apology on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Ireland. The Bon Secours Sisters also offered a 'profound apology' after acknowledging the order had 'failed to protect the inherent dignity' of women and children in the Tuam home. Speaking to the PA news agency on Monday, Ms Corless said she found it 'overwhelming' to see the excavation work proceed after her 10-year campaign. 'There was no will to do anything for those babies except leave them there and put a monument over them. 'But this was a sewer system and I couldn't give up on them. They were all baptised, they deserve to be in consecrated ground.' Ms Corless said it was a 'huge relief' to be able to 'let go and back off', after being faced with obstacles in her campaign from people she initially thought would be helpful. 'It is huge for me to know those babies are finally going to get the dignity they deserve – it is a wrong put right.' Anna Corrigan, who discovered that she had two older brothers who were born while her mother was a resident at the Tuam home, visited the site on Monday. Speaking to reporters, she said: 'These children were denied every human right in their lifetime, as was their mothers. 'They were denied dignity – and they were denied dignity and respect in death. 'So I'm hoping that today maybe will be the start of hearing them because I think they've been crying for an awful long time to be heard.' The work at the burial site, which is being undertaken by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT), will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible and re-interment of the remains at the site. On Monday, ODAIT held a media briefing which gave members of the press access to the site. The site, surrounded by a 2.4 metre-high hoarding, is subject to security monitoring on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the excavation. The excavation is scheduled to begin on Monday and is anticipated to last two years. Speaking to reporters, ODAIT leader Daniel MacSweeney said the family and survivor visit will be 'the most important event of the week'. He said: 'We continue to work closely with the residents living close to the site to ensure minimum disruption is caused to them by the works.' Mr MacSweeney said the excavation will work to international best practices when it came to forensic standards. He said ODAIT was trying to restore dignity in death for the infants, adding that the remains would be reburied following consultation with families. The work will involve a long, complex process of recovering all the remains within the site and then separating the 'mixed up' skeletal specimens by sorting them by age and using processes to assess sex. This will allow for the individualisation of each set of remains and it is hoped that identification of some of those buried can take place with the assistance of DNA provided by families as well as other records. Mr MacSweeney said the Bon Secours Sisters had provided ODAIT with access to its archive material and it is hoped that this will also help the identification process. The team will also attempt to establish cause of death where possible. Dr Niamh McCullagh, a forensic archaeologist with ODAIT said a 2016 'test excavation' discovered 20 chambers within a disused sewage tank that contained infant remains ranging from 35 foetal weeks up to three years old, from a period matching the operation of the institution between 1925-1961. Asked if it was possible that criminal cases may arise out of the work, Dr McCullagh said ODAIT is obliged to notify the local coroner of any evidence of violent or unnatural deaths. Dr McCullagh said it is difficult to estimate how long it will take to separate and complete the process of identification of the 'commingled remains', as they are yet to establish the scale of the work ahead. The team also expects to find personnel effects associated with the operation of the institution, having discovered items like shoes and feeding bottles in the 2016 dig. However, the work will be complicated as excavators expect to uncover artefacts relating to previous uses of the site, including as a workhouse. Meanwhile, 14 people have provided DNA to ODAIT to assist with identification thus far. Around 80 others have expressed interest in providing DNA samples to the team, including 30 who made contact in the last month. Mr MacSweeney said he expects that more people will get in touch as the work proceeds. The team has a 9.4 million euro budget for 2025, with further allocations yet to be finalised by the Department of Public Expenditure.
