Preliminary work to prepare for the excavation of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, County Galway, is scheduled to commence today.
According to RTÉ, these initial preparatory activities, which will precede the full excavation, are expected to last approximately four weeks.
This marks the latest development in the ongoing effort to identify the remains of the infants who perished at the home between 1925 and 1961.
The site, located within the Dublin Road estate in Tuam, will be secured and designated as a forensic control area for the duration of the preliminary works.
Security measures include the erection of a 2.4-meter-high hoarding around the perimeter of the designated land, along with the establishment of necessary facilities to facilitate the formal excavation process.
The initiation of these access restrictions follows comprehensive preparatory surveys conducted in recent months, involving ground-penetrating radar, soil sampling, and topographical analysis.
In 2017, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes concluded that “significant quantities of human remains” were buried within and around a former sewage facility at the home. This finding stemmed from research conducted by local historian Catherine Corless, which first brought the issue to international attention in 2014.
The investigation revealed that no burial records existed for 796 babies and young children who died at the home during its 36 years of operation.
National: Pre-excavation work to begin today at former Tuam mother-and-baby home was last modified: June 16th, 2025 by
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