The discovery of 22 additional sets of infant remains at the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home has brought the total number of recovered remains to 99, renewing attention on one of Ireland’s darkest chapters of institutional history.
The latest remains were found in coffins in an area on the south-western edge of the site, which had been identified in historical records as a designated “burial ground.” Authorities are now transferring the remains to a new mortuary and laboratory facility at Toghermore in Tuam for further examination.
Officials confirmed that all 99 sets of remains uncovered so far were buried in coffins, contradicting earlier assumptions about the nature of the burial site and adding new layers to the ongoing investigation.
The Tuam Mother and Baby Home operated between 1925 and 1961 and was one of several institutions created in Ireland to house unmarried mothers and their children. Managed by the Bon Secours Sisters and publicly funded by the state, the facility operated from a former workhouse building and became a symbol of the harsh treatment faced by women and children outside the social norms of the time.
A government investigation into Ireland’s mother and baby homes found evidence of high levels of maternal and infant mortality, along with reports of neglect, poor living conditions, inadequate nutrition, emotional and physical abuse, and forced unpaid labour. Some children were also subjected to medical trials, including vaccine-related experiments, according to reports.
The Tuam home gained international attention in 2014 after local historian Catherine Corless uncovered a disturbing discrepancy: official death certificates recorded 796 children and infants who had died at the institution, but there were no corresponding burial records.
Her findings sparked a nationwide reckoning over the treatment of vulnerable women and children in Ireland’s church-run institutions and led to further investigations into similar facilities across the country.
The ongoing work at the Tuam site aims to identify, recover, and respectfully examine the remains while helping families seek answers about relatives who died at the home decades ago.