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‘A stain on Ireland’s conscience’: identification to begin of 796 bodies buried at children’s home
Corless found that, between 1925 and 1961, 796 children died at the St Mary’s mother and baby home, run by nuns from the Bon Secours order – but there were no burial records. Many are believed to have ended up in the former sewage facility. “It became a handy way to dispose of them,” Corless told the Observer. “They didn’t have to account for the deaths. They didn’t want anyone to know. All this time those poor little remains were disintegrating.”
Corless, a former textile factory secretary with an interest in local history, began investigating the site. The Bon Secours order and local authorities fobbed her off but she amassed death certificates and information about the septic tank. National and international media seized on her research in 2014, prompting an official investigation. DNA samples taken in 2016 confirmed the remains dated from the Bon Secours occupancy of the site.
Hunger and neglect afflicted the children, said Corless. “The children were treated as commodities. The prettier babies were set up for adoption – it was a money-making racket. The sicker ones were put away and allowed to die.”
The Catholic church’s attempt to deny and minimise what happened left her cold. “It turned me totally against the church. They turned their back on me and told lies.”
She hopes the excavation will shed light on how many were placed in the septic tank and the causes of death, and also lead to DNA matches with relatives and former residents of the home, paving the way for proper burials.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/stain-ireland-conscience-identification-begin-060029372.html