The bodies of approximately 800 infants have been discovered inside a septic tank in Ireland. The property is now an abandoned site, however what rests there are castle ruins from a structure that is referred to as ‘The Home’.
The bodies of approximately 800 infants have been discovered inside a septic tank in Tuam, Ireland. The property is now an abandoned site, however what rests there are castle ruins from a structure that is referred to as ‘The Home’.
In the mid 1800s, the building served as a workhouse but in 1925, it was taken over by a Catholic order called the Sisters of Bon Secours who turned it into a home for women pregnant with illegitimate children. Once the mothers gave birth, they would often leave their newborns behind.
The bodies recently discovered are all children who once lived at ‘The Home’. The police are investigating the deaths.
A health board inspection from the 1940s revealed horrible living conditions. The report says many children residing there were ‘emaciated, pot-bellied, fragile with flesh hanging loosely on limbs.’
Local historian, Catherine Corless stated “If you look at the records, babies were dying two a week, but I’m still trying to figure out how they could put the bodies in a septic tank.”
The illegitimate children were often called ‘Home Babies’ and according to Corless they had been neglected and abused. Those factors led to some of the deaths, while other babies passed away from measles, pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Thus far, Corless has been able to obtain death certificates for 796 children. Now she’s is trying to raise money for a bronze plaque, which will be placed at the site to honor the babies.