A forensic excavation has begun at the site of the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Ireland, where up to **800 children are believed to be buried**. The institution, run by nuns from 1925 to 1961, housed unmarried mothers and their children—many of whom died from **malnutrition, measles, or tuberculosis**, and were buried without coffins or headstones.

The excavation follows a decade-long campaign by local historian **Catherine Corless**, who uncovered death records for 798 children. “It’s been a long, long journey,” she said. Only **two of the children** are known to have been buried in cemeteries; the rest are thought to lie in what locals called “**the pit**,” a disused sewage tank.

Stories like that of **Annette McKay**, whose mother gave birth after being raped at 17, highlight the cruelty women endured. “The child of your sin is dead,” a nun told her mother coldly. McKay now hopes to reunite her mother and sister in death.

A 2021 state apology acknowledged that about **9,000 children died** in similar institutions. As forensic work begins, Corless reflects: “I never, ever understand how they could do that to little babies… Beautiful little vulnerable children.”