Tuam excavation uncovers 10 more child remains

Forensic excavations at the former St. Mary’s Children Home in Tuam, County Galway, have uncovered the remains of 10 more children. This brings the total number of human remains recovered at the site to 109 since work began in July 2025.

The most recent phase of the excavation, which lasted 11 weeks, focused on a specific area of the institution that operated between 1925 and 1961. The remains were found in coffins, though investigators noted a lack of prior documentation regarding their existence. The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (Odait) is coordinating the efforts and collecting DNA samples from relatives to assist in identification.

Identification efforts face legislative hurdles, as Irish law is currently being updated to allow first cousins to provide DNA samples. The total number of potential victims may be significantly higher; in 2014, researcher Catherine Corless identified 796 death certificates for children and infants who lived at the home but had no recorded burial.

The institution was owned by the Galway County Council and managed by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order that has apologized for the “disrespectful and unacceptable” manner in which children were buried.