Home / Crime and Justice / Tuam Dig Unearths 8 More Infant Remains, Total Now 77
Tuam Dig Unearths 8 More Infant Remains, Total Now 77
5 Jun
Summary
- Eighty more infant remains found, bringing the total to 77.
- Excavation began in July 2025 and is expected to continue until 2027.
- The Bon Secours Sisters have apologised and contributed £2.14m to the dig.
An excavation at the former mother-and-baby institution in Tuam, County Galway, has yielded a further eight sets of infant remains, increasing the total discovered to 77. The site, operational from 1925 to 1961, gained international attention in 2014 when 796 death certificates for children were found without corresponding burial records.
Experts are also investigating evidence of additional potential child-sized graves and a structure believed to be part of an old wastewater system. DNA samples are being collected from relatives in Ireland, the US, the UK, and Canada to aid in identifying the remains. The Bon Secours Sisters, who owned the institution, have apologised for the "disrespectful and unacceptable" burial practices and have contributed £2.14m towards the excavation costs.
The Irish government commissioned the excavation, which commenced in July 2025. It is expected to continue until 2027, with further follow-up work anticipated for several years. Galway County Council also issued an apology in 2021 for failing mothers and children during the institution's operation.
