This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/05/world/europe/feared-burial-of-irish-babies-leads-to-call-for-inquiry.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Inquiry Urged on Site Called Mass Grave of Irish Babies | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| DUBLIN — The government and the police are coming under increasing pressure to open an investigation into allegations that a Roman Catholic religious order secretly buried up to 796 babies and toddlers born to unmarried mothers in a septic tank over several decades. | DUBLIN — The government and the police are coming under increasing pressure to open an investigation into allegations that a Roman Catholic religious order secretly buried up to 796 babies and toddlers born to unmarried mothers in a septic tank over several decades. |
| Speaking in the Irish Parliament on Wednesday, the minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, called the discovery of what is described as an unmarked grave as “deeply disturbing and a shocking reminder of a darker past in Ireland when our children were not cherished as they should have been.” | Speaking in the Irish Parliament on Wednesday, the minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, called the discovery of what is described as an unmarked grave as “deeply disturbing and a shocking reminder of a darker past in Ireland when our children were not cherished as they should have been.” |
| The burials are believed to have taken place on the site of a so-called mother-and-baby home in Tuam, County Galway, from 1925 to 1961. The institution, which was run by the Sisters of Bon Secours, was subsequently demolished, and a housing development now sits adjacent to the site. | The burials are believed to have taken place on the site of a so-called mother-and-baby home in Tuam, County Galway, from 1925 to 1961. The institution, which was run by the Sisters of Bon Secours, was subsequently demolished, and a housing development now sits adjacent to the site. |
| The Sisters have declined to comment. They were reported to be meeting with the local bishop. They have neither denied nor confirmed the practice. | The Sisters have declined to comment. They were reported to be meeting with the local bishop. They have neither denied nor confirmed the practice. |
| Suspicions first arose as long ago as 1975 when two 12-year-old boys, Francis Hopkins and Barry Sweeney, peered into a hole in a concrete slab while they were playing. According to their accounts, it was “filled to the brim with bones.” However, most local people had apparently believed that the remains dated from a workhouse that had been on the site before the mother-and-baby home, or perhaps even as far back as the famine of the 1840s. | Suspicions first arose as long ago as 1975 when two 12-year-old boys, Francis Hopkins and Barry Sweeney, peered into a hole in a concrete slab while they were playing. According to their accounts, it was “filled to the brim with bones.” However, most local people had apparently believed that the remains dated from a workhouse that had been on the site before the mother-and-baby home, or perhaps even as far back as the famine of the 1840s. |
| The allegations of a more recent origin are based on research by a local historian, Catherine Corless, who discovered from state records that up to 796 children had died at the home from a range of ailments including malnutrition, measles, tuberculosis, gastroenteritis and pneumonia. When she cross-referenced the names with those in local graveyards, she found none had been buried in any of those cemeteries. | The allegations of a more recent origin are based on research by a local historian, Catherine Corless, who discovered from state records that up to 796 children had died at the home from a range of ailments including malnutrition, measles, tuberculosis, gastroenteritis and pneumonia. When she cross-referenced the names with those in local graveyards, she found none had been buried in any of those cemeteries. |
| Based on mapping of the former home and strong anecdotal evidence, she concluded that the only possible resting place for the corpses had to be the site specified by the two boys almost four decades ago. The site is situated at the edge of the grounds of the former home. | Based on mapping of the former home and strong anecdotal evidence, she concluded that the only possible resting place for the corpses had to be the site specified by the two boys almost four decades ago. The site is situated at the edge of the grounds of the former home. |
| The police, called the garda, said in a statement on Wednesday that there were no grounds for starting an investigation. | The police, called the garda, said in a statement on Wednesday that there were no grounds for starting an investigation. |
| “These are historical burials going back to famine times,” the statement said. “There is no suggestion of any impropriety and there is no garda investigation. Also, there is no confirmation from any source that there are between 750 and 800 bodies present.” | “These are historical burials going back to famine times,” the statement said. “There is no suggestion of any impropriety and there is no garda investigation. Also, there is no confirmation from any source that there are between 750 and 800 bodies present.” |
| Politicians across the political spectrum are demanding an investigation. Speaking on national radio, Colm Keaveney, who represents the Tuam area, called on Prime Minister Enda Kenny to offer a full, formal apology on behalf of the state for the “appalling treatment of mothers and babies.” | Politicians across the political spectrum are demanding an investigation. Speaking on national radio, Colm Keaveney, who represents the Tuam area, called on Prime Minister Enda Kenny to offer a full, formal apology on behalf of the state for the “appalling treatment of mothers and babies.” |
| During that period there were homes for “fallen women,” and unmarried mothers were stigmatized. After giving birth, young mothers whose families were not wealthy enough to buy them out had to work in laundries or do other menial labor for years after the baby was given away for adoption, in some cases illegally trafficked to the United States. | During that period there were homes for “fallen women,” and unmarried mothers were stigmatized. After giving birth, young mothers whose families were not wealthy enough to buy them out had to work in laundries or do other menial labor for years after the baby was given away for adoption, in some cases illegally trafficked to the United States. |
| The archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, told The Irish Times that he would support the excavation of unmarked graves “where there are reasonable grounds” and “the setting up of monuments at any unmarked grave sites.” | The archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, told The Irish Times that he would support the excavation of unmarked graves “where there are reasonable grounds” and “the setting up of monuments at any unmarked grave sites.” |
| There is mounting pressure not only to start an investigation into Tuam but also to extend it to the other former sites operated by the order throughout Ireland. The homes have come to international attention in recent years largely because of the movie “Philomena,” which told the story of one woman’s search for the son who was taken from her. | There is mounting pressure not only to start an investigation into Tuam but also to extend it to the other former sites operated by the order throughout Ireland. The homes have come to international attention in recent years largely because of the movie “Philomena,” which told the story of one woman’s search for the son who was taken from her. |