The world’s media descended on Tuam once again on Monday last as local, national and international reporters were brought to visit the site of the former Mother and Baby Home where excavation work is to commence next Monday.

To meet them was a group of young children, lining the gable end of a house next to the site – a location where their playground had been situated until just four weeks ago.

And while they were unlikely to be fully aware of the significance of what is due to begin behind their houses in the coming days, those members of the Press gathered to hear plans to “restore dignity” to an estimated 796 children buried in this “manifestly inappropriate site” were left in no doubt.

Local historian, Catherine Corless, was among those outside the press conference at Tuam Stars GAA Club on Monday morning and told the Connacht Tribune that the significance of the commencement of the excavation could not be understated.

“I am so happy that this day has come. It’s what I’ve been fighting for since 2014, when the story broke,” said Ms Corless, whose work and campaigning shone a light on one of the darkest periods in local and national history.

“It means a lot to me that they are starting next week.

“There are 796 babies missing and they are more than likely in there. They are being taken out of that ground – the sewage system – and they are being made important like every other baby and child. The one thing I wanted for them was respect like every other baby,” she continues.

Inside, the Director of the Office for Authorised Intervention in Tuam (ODAIT), Daniel MacSweeney, set out the task that lay ahead of the team working on the exhumation – and their mission during what is expected to be a two-year excavation.

“The first objective is to recover all of the human remains from the site where they are manifestly inappropriately buried, and to rebury them with respect and dignity following a consultative process with the families. Where possible, and this will be challenging for many reasons, we also intend to individualise human remains.

“We will work to establish the circumstances and cause of death. We cannot underestimate the complexity of the task before us – the challenging nature of the site; the age of the remains; the location of the burials; the dearth of information about these children,” said Mr McSweeney.

Caption: Dr Niamh McCullagh, senior forensic consultant to the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, showing members of the press where excavations will commence on the site of the former Mother and Baby Home.

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