‘No record to indicate’ remains found at Tuam site in 1970s

Galway County Council reviews files related to construction on grounds of former home

Galway County Council said on Tuesday night there was "no record to indicate" the discovery of human remains during the construction of houses on the Tuam mother and baby home site in the 1970s, or during subsequent development of a children's playground.

In a statement, the local authority said it had “reviewed all relevant files connected with the development of houses and a playground, in the vicinity of the site”.

It said the “relevant files and records” had been made available to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

Last week an excavation of the site in Tuam found remains of a "significant" number of babies and infants. Local research records 796 infants and children as having died in the home run by the Bon Secours Sisters between 1925 and 1961.

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The council said it would continue to engage with the commission, and had also followed up its meeting with the estate residents last Friday with one-to-one visits to homes.

The council said that “recognising that there are varying views” on the future of the site, it is “committed to facilitating an appropriate consultation process with the local community”.

The timeline for this would be influenced by the work of the commission, the statutory role of the north Galway coroner, and the “potential for involvement by other authorities”, it said.

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins is the former western and marine correspondent of The Irish Times