Seven Infant Skeletons Unearthed at Former Tuam Mother-and-Baby Home as Forensic Exhumation Continues

Infant remains discovered during large-scale forensic dig at Tuam site

Forensic teams excavating the grounds of the former St Mary’s Home in Tuam, County Galway — once run by the Bon Secours Sisters — have recovered seven sets of infant skeletal remains, the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention in Tuam (ODAIT) announced.

Dating and investigation: Specialists will carry out radiocarbon testing and a full forensic analysis to estimate age at death; radiocarbon dating alone is expected to take at least three months. The tests aim to determine whether the remains date to the mother-and-baby home period (1925–1961) or to earlier uses of the site.

Complex site history: The Tuam site has a layered history: it served as a workhouse for nearly 80 years until 1918 and as a military barracks until 1925, before becoming St Mary’s Home for unmarried mothers and their children from 1925 to 1961. Those earlier uses complicate efforts to attribute remains to a particular period.

Previous findings and public inquiry: Local historian Catherine Corless brought attention to the issue in 2014 when she documented 796 death certificates for children who died at the home but found no corresponding burial records. In 2017 investigators located "significant quantities of human remains," including infants and toddlers, in underground chambers on the council-owned site — revelations that drew international attention and prompted a government inquiry.

Current excavation: The large-scale forensic exhumation began in July to responsibly recover and rebury children linked to the site. ODAIT said the seven newly identified infant skeletons were found near an underground vaulted structure shown on historic workhouse plans; this is distinct from other underground chambers where remains have been identified but not yet exhumed. Archaeologists are working methodically, dividing the site into sectors and using both hand tools and mechanical excavation to preserve context and evidence.

Additional finds and next steps: ODAIT reported two further sets of remains thought to date to the workhouse period, and earlier in the current excavation five other skeletons had been recovered at the same location. The agency is collaborating with the National Museum of Ireland to analyse and conserve remains and associated artefacts — which include items such as an old Bovril jar, large quantities of animal bone likely from kitchen waste, and a rusted straight razor.

ODAIT will extract DNA from recovered bones and cross-reference it with samples volunteered by survivors and descendants; the agency plans to contact people who have indicated willingness to provide DNA in the coming weeks. Officials estimate the broader effort to recover and identify the nearly 800 children linked to the site could take up to two years.

Statement from ODAIT: "Initial assessment indicates that these skeletal remains belong to infants and a full analysis will be carried out to estimate age at death," the agency said in its update covering four weeks of work to October 29.

This ongoing investigation continues to inform a painful chapter in Ireland's past, prompting efforts to provide dignified burial and answers for families.