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Ten more infant remains found at Tuam mother and baby home site, total now 109

The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention (ODAIT) said ten more infants' remains were recovered at the former Tuam mother and baby institution between 16 July and 30 September, bringing the total to 109.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: The Irish Times
Image: Irish Independent

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The story, neutrally told

The remains of a further 10 infants have been recovered at the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway, bringing the total recovered to 109. The figures come from an update by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT), covering 16 July to 30 September; ODAIT said evidence of coffins was present in all ten cases. The Irish Times reported that the ten were found in a specific hand-excavated location where 22 infants had previously been discovered.

ODAIT said recovery of all accessible remains in Tent 2 is complete; excavation paused so Tent 2 could be dismantled and Tent 3 erected, which will allow work "up to and beyond" the institution's old boundary wall. The full excavation began on 14 July 2025 and is estimated to take upwards of 24 months; artefacts from all historic periods on the site continue to be found. Forensic anthropologists are analysing the recovered remains at a forensic facility and mortuary near the site, which ODAIT said ensures remains are treated with dignity; the Independent places it in Tuam, the Irish Times in the nearby village of Toghermore.

In the same period ODAIT collected 12 more DNA reference samples from relatives, delivered to Forensic Science Ireland, making 74 in total; it urged anyone who believes a family member is buried at the site to contact its office. A Bill to amend the Institutional Burials legislation so that first cousins can give DNA has been brought to Government and is expected to be published in the coming days; officials in the Department of Children, Equality and Disability worked with the Attorney General's office on the amendments. The institution was run by the Bon Secours order from 1925 to 1961; historian Catherine Corless's 2014 research showed 796 children died there, and a lack of burial records suggested they could be buried on site.

After the July update, ODAIT senior forensic archaeologist Niamh McCullagh said finding up to 800 individuals was "not outside the realms of probability" but impossible to say at that point.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left1 outlet

Framing
The Irish Times leads with the discovery and adds historical context: Bon Secours, Corless's research, and the possible scale of up to 800 individuals.
Emphasis
Historical background, the forensic archaeologist's estimate, DNA eligibility under the 2022 Act and overseas sample collection.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention the Tent 2/Tent 3 transition in detail or the Department and Attorney General's work on the Bill.
For example
“In 2014, research by local historian Catherine Corless revealed that 796 children died at the institution.” — The Irish Times

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
The Irish Independent presents a procedural update from ODAIT, focused on the excavation's progress and next steps.
Emphasis
Tent 2 completion and Tent 3, forensic facility, DNA samples and the legislative amendment.
Leaves out or plays down
Omits the Bon Secours history, the 796 deaths figure and the estimate of possibly up to 800 remains.
For example
“Tent 3 will allow ODAIT to excavate the entire area “up to and beyond” the old boundary wall of the institution’s grounds.” — Irish Independent