12/02/2018 - Consultation on the future of the site of the former Mother & Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway

In December 2017, Minister Katherine Zappone published the Tuam Expert Technical Group (ETG) R//eport which examined the appropriate courses of action at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co. Galway. 

In this report, the ETG identified five possible options for responding to the discovery of infant remains at this site. These options have regard to internationally accepted best practice and the ETG report has assisted in helping us understand the complexity of the options now available to us.

1) Memorialisation, with no further investigative work involved.

2) Exhuming of known human remains and reinterring elsewhere, but with no further forensic analysis.

3) Forensic excavation and recovery of known human remains.

4)Forensic excavation and recovery, with further evaluation/excavation of other areas of potential interest.

5)Forensic examination of the total available area, with full examination of the memorial garden, playground, car park area as formerly occupied by the Home.

Galway County Council is now facilitating an independent consultation process on the five options. The learning from these consultations will be used to produce a report that will inform the inter-departmental committees proposals on these sensitive matters. Minister Zappone encourages all those with an interest in this issue to contribute to this consultation process to ensure that whatever action is to be taken can be informed by the views of all stakeholders.

Consultation on the Future of the Site of the Former Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway.