TheLittleTwentieth – Renowned Papers Edition, AI Infused

Local sources from Ireland: BBC, Sky News.
UK coverage: Travel Gossip –.

An ambitious excavation project has commenced in Tuam, County Galway, aiming to bring to light the long-hidden truths of a mass grave believed to contain the remains of nearly 800 infants and young children. This grave, associated with the St Mary’s children’s home, a church-run institution for women and children out of wedlock, has been a subject of controversy and heartbreak since its discovery by amateur historian Catherine Corliss in 2014. The institution operated from 1925 to 1961, during which 796 children are known to have died, with no records of their burial elsewhere, pointing to an unmarked mass grave within the grounds. In a significant development, the Irish government confirmed ‘significant quantities of human remains’ at the site in 2017, following Corliss’s relentless investigation into the home’s dark legacy. Her work, initially met with skepticism and hostility, has since been validated and heralded internationally for shedding light on a distressing historical scandal. The excavation, involving international experts from Colombia, Spain, the UK, Canada, and the US, alongside Irish specialists, is expected to take two years. The team’s objectives include the exhumation, analysis, and identification of the remains, with the aim of providing closure to survivors and relatives, including those like Anna Corrigan, whose personal discovery of family ties to the home has been a source of profound anguish. The project follows a 2021 formal apology from the Irish government after an inquiry revealed an appalling level of infant mortality in the country’s mother and baby homes, run by religious orders. With around 9,000 children estimated to have died in 18 such institutions, the excavation at Tuam is a monumental step towards acknowledging and addressing a painful chapter in Ireland’s history.