Latest news with #MyNameisBridget
Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘A small light at the end of a big tunnel' – full excavation begins today at former Tuam mother and baby home
Last Monday, July 7, Anna Corrigan was visibly emotional as she stood at the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway. Her two brothers are believed to be among the 796 children buried in a disused sewage tank beneath the grounds. She was there as preliminary work for the site's long-awaited forensic excavation came to a close. A visit for families and survivors to the perimeter of the site also took place last Tuesday, July 8, ahead of the start of excavation. Ms Corrigan said: 'We never thought this day would come. I see this day as a small light at the end of a big tunnel. 'There are 9,000 children lost in homes in Ireland and that's only the ones that were examined. So Tuam is the tip of the iceberg, and we do hope that every child's voice is heard, because I think they've been crying for a long time. "This is the start of something, so we may not get all the answers, we don't know, but it's the next stage.' During her visit, Ms Corrigan read a letter to her late mother, published in the book My Name is Bridget. The letter was a personal account of the difficulties she faced during her search for the truth about her family and the hardship faced by others in similar situations. 'These children were denied every human right in their lifetime, as were their mothers. They were denied dignity in life, and they were denied dignity and respect in death.' Ms Corrigan's brothers, John and William Dolan, died in the Tuam institution in 1947 and 1951, respectively. She said recovering their remains would bring closure to her family. 'If they find that they are there, it's the answer, it's the truth. I can go to my mother's grave, and I can tool 'predeceased by her sons John and William'. That is the closure, that is the answer, and that is the truth we're looking for.' Daniel MacSweeney, Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, said the overarching aim of the operation is to 'restore dignity' to the children that were lost by appropriately burying their remains and, where possible, identifying individuals. ADVERTISEMENT 'Even if a full identification is not possible, we can at least figure out their biological sex, their age, and maybe some other information. All these things I think will at least restore dignity in death,' he added. Mr McSweeney said the Bon Secours Sisters had provided The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention (Odait) with access to its archive material and it is hoped that this will also help the identification process. So far, 14 individuals have provided DNA to Odait to aid the investigation. An additional 80 people have expressed interest in doing so, including 30 who came forward in the past month. Mr MacSweeney said he hopes that more people will get in touch as the work proceeds. 'From our regular contact with families and survivors, it is a very emotional time because there has been this long search for answers; this long wait for this excavation to start. 'The fact that it's finally starting is something that I think they are happy about, but it also is very difficult because it then brings forward the possibility of finding answers to these very challenging questions.' International experts from Colombia, Spain, UK, Canada, Australia and the US have joined Irish specialists to start the forensic excavation at the site. The team has a €9.4m budget for 2025, with further allocations yet to be finalised by the Department of Public Expenditure. The work will involve a highly complex process of recovering all the remains within the site followed by separating the co-mingled skeletal specimens by sorting them by age and using processes to assess sex. This will allow for the individualisation of each set of remains. The team will also attempt to establish cause of death where possible. Niamh McCullagh, 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. Dr McCullagh said it is difficult to estimate how long it will take for the works to be completed, as they are yet to establish the scale of the work ahead. She explained the work will be complicated, as excavators expect to uncover artefacts relating to previous uses of the site, including as a workhouse. Pre-excavation work has been ongoing since mid-June, when Odait took control of the site. This article was updated on July 14, 2025, to reflect the commencement of excavation works at the Tuam mother and baby home site.
South Wales Argus
07-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
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. Local historian Catherine Corless said it was a 'huge relief' to 'let go and back off' (Niall Carson/PA) 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.' Campaigner Anna Corrigan, whose mother, Bridget, was a resident of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home (Niall Carson/PA) 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.' Campaigner Anna Corrigan holds up the My Name is Bridget book with a list of some of the deceased children's names (Niall Carson/PA) 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. Dr Niamh McCullagh points to a map of the excavation site (Niall Carson/PA) 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. Daniel MacSweeney said the excavation will work to international best practice (Niall Carson/PA) 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. A memorial near the burial site (Niall Carson/PA) 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. Workers near the site of the planned excavation (Niall Carson/PA) 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.
Irish Independent
07-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘Today is a small light at the end of a big tunnel' – excavation works begin at former Tuam mother and baby home
Her two brothers are believed to be two of 796 children buried in a disused sewage tank under the site. Ms Corrigan attended the site on Monday, July 7, as preliminary works for the site's forensic excavation come to a close. Ground is due to be broken next Monday, with the full works expected to take around two years to complete. A visit for families and survivors to the perimeter of the site to view the works is taking place on Tuesday, July 8. Ms Corrigan said: 'We never thought this day would come. I see this day as a small light at the end of a big tunnel. 'There are 9,000 children lost in homes in Ireland and that's only the ones that were examined. So Tuam is the tip of the iceberg, and we do hope that every child's voice is heard, because I think they've been crying for a long time. "This is the start of something, so we may not get all the answers, we don't know, but it's the next stage.' During her visit, Ms Corrigan also read a letter to her mother, published in the book My Name is Bridget. The letter was a personal account of the difficulties she faced during her search for the truth about her family and the hardship faced by others in similar situations. 'These children were denied every human right in their lifetime, as were their mothers. They were denied dignity in life, and they were denied dignity and respect in death.' Ms Corrigan's brothers, John and William Dolan, died in the home in 1947 and 1951, respectively. She said recovering their remains would bring closure to her family. 'If they find that they are there, it's the answer, it's the truth. I can go to my mother's grave, and I can tool 'predeceased by her sons John and William'. That is the closure, that is the answer, and that is the truth we're looking for.' Daniel MacSweeney, Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, said the overarching aim of the operation is to 'restore dignity' to the children that were lost by appropriately burying their remains and, where possible, identifying individuals. 'Even if a full identification is not possible, we can at least figure out their biological sex, their age, and maybe some other information. All these things I think will at least restore dignity in death,' he added. Mr McSweeney said the Bon Secours Sisters had provided The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention (Odait) with access to its archive material and it is hoped that this will also help the identification process. 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 hopes that more people will get in touch as the work proceeds. 'From our regular contact with families and survivors, it is a very emotional time because there has been this long search for answers; this long wait for this excavation to start. 'The fact that it's finally starting is something that I think they are happy about, but it also is very difficult because it then brings forward the possibility of finding answers to these very challenging questions.' International experts from Colombia, Spain, UK, Canada, Australia and the US have joined Irish specialists to start the forensic excavation at the site. The team has a €9.4m budget for 2025, with further allocations yet to be finalised by the Department of Public Expenditure. The work will involve a highly complex process of recovering all the remains within the site followed by separating the commingled skeletal specimens by sorting them by age and using processes to assess sex. This will allow for the individualisation of each set of remains. The team will also attempt to establish cause of death where possible. Niamh McCullagh, 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. Dr McCullagh said it is difficult to estimate how long it will take for the works to be completed, as they are yet to establish the scale of the work ahead. She explained the work will be complicated, as excavators expect to uncover artefacts relating to previous uses of the site, including as a workhouse. Pre-excavation work has been ongoing since mid-June, when Odait took control of the site.
Irish Independent
07-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘Today is a small light at the end of a big tunnel' – excavation works begin at Tuam Mother and Baby home
Her two brothers are believed to be two of 796 children buried in a disused sewage tank under the site. Ms Corrigan attended the site on Monday, July 7, as preliminary works for the site's forensic excavation come to a close. Ground is due to be broken next Monday, with the full works expected to take around two years to complete. A visit for families and survivors to the perimeter of the site to view the works is taking place on Tuesday, July 8. Ms Corrigan said: 'We never thought this day would come. I see this day as a small light at the end of a big tunnel. 'There are 9,000 children lost in homes in Ireland and that's only the ones that were examined. So Tuam is the tip of the iceberg, and we do hope that every child's voice is heard, because I think they've been crying for a long time. "This is the start of something, so we may not get all the answers, we don't know, but it's the next stage.' During her visit, Ms Corrigan also read a letter to her mother, published in the book My Name is Bridget. The letter was a personal account of the difficulties she faced during her search for the truth about her family and the hardship faced by others in similar situations. 'These children were denied every human right in their lifetime, as were their mothers. They were denied dignity in life, and they were denied dignity and respect in death.' Ms Corrigan's brothers, John and William Dolan, died in the home in 1947 and 1951, respectively. She said recovering their remains would bring closure to her family. 'If they find that they are there, it's the answer, it's the truth. I can go to my mother's grave, and I can tool 'predeceased by her sons John and William'. That is the closure, that is the answer, and that is the truth we're looking for.' Daniel MacSweeney, Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, said the overarching aim of the operation is to 'restore dignity' to the children that were lost by appropriately burying their remains and, where possible, identifying individuals. 'Even if a full identification is not possible, we can at least figure out their biological sex, their age, and maybe some other information. All these things I think will at least restore dignity in death,' he added. Mr McSweeney 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. 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 hopes that more people will get in touch as the work proceeds. 'From our regular contact with families and survivors, it is a very emotional time because there has been this long search for answers; this long wait for this excavation to start. 'The fact that it's finally starting is something that I think they are happy about, but it also is very difficult because it then brings forward the possibility of finding answers to these very challenging questions.' International experts from Colombia, Spain, UK, Canada, Australia and the US have joined Irish specialists to start the forensic excavation at the site. The team has a €9.4m budget for 2025, with further allocations yet to be finalised by the Department of Public Expenditure. The work will involve a highly complex process of recovering all the remains within the site followed by separating the commingled skeletal specimens by sorting them by age and using processes to assess sex. This will allow for the individualisation of each set of remains. The team will also attempt to establish cause of death where possible. Niamh McCullagh, Forensic Archaeologist with ODAIT, said a 2016 'test excavation' discovered 20 chambers within a disused sewage tank that contained infant remains ranging from 35 fetal weeks, up to three years old, from a period matching the operation of the institution between 1925-1961. Dr McCullagh said it is difficult to estimate how long it will take for the works to be completed, as they are yet to establish the scale of the work ahead. She explained the work will be complicated, as excavators expect to uncover artefacts relating to previous uses of the site, including as a workhouse. Pre-excavation work has been ongoing since mid-June, when ODAIT took control of the site.
Glasgow Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
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. Local historian Catherine Corless said it was a 'huge relief' to 'let go and back off' (Niall Carson/PA) 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.' Campaigner Anna Corrigan, whose mother, Bridget, was a resident of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home (Niall Carson/PA) 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.' Campaigner Anna Corrigan holds up the My Name is Bridget book with a list of some of the deceased children's names (Niall Carson/PA) 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. Dr Niamh McCullagh points to a map of the excavation site (Niall Carson/PA) 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. Daniel MacSweeney said the excavation will work to international best practice (Niall Carson/PA) 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. A memorial near the burial site (Niall Carson/PA) 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. Workers near the site of the planned excavation (Niall Carson/PA) 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.
