Remains of 10 more infants found at Tuam, bringing total to 109

The remains of a further 10 infants have been recovered at the site of the former mother and baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway, bringing the total number of sets of human remains found there to 109. The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, known as Odait, confirmed the discoveries in an update issued on Friday, October 2.

The latest remains were found in a specific part of the site being excavated by hand, the same location where the remains of 22 infants had been recovered previously. Evidence of coffins was found with all 10 sets of remains.

Forensic analysis of the newly recovered remains is now underway at the forensic facility and mortuary in the nearby village of Toghermore. Forensic anthropologists are carrying out that work, with Odait saying in its statement that it is making certain all remains recovered are "examined with care and treated with dignity throughout the forensic process," as reported by The Irish Times.

The institution was run by the Bon Secours religious order between 1925 and 1961. Research published in 2014 by local historian Catherine Corless revealed that 796 children died at the home, and a lack of burial records indicated the children could have been buried on the site. A test excavation carried out in 2016 and 2017 confirmed a significant quantity of human remains in what appeared to be a decommissioned sewage chamber.

A aerial illustration of the Tuam burial site.

The full forensic excavation began in July 2025 and was expected to take two years, though Odait director Daniel MacSweeney has previously said the work will run beyond that because of the complexity of the site.

Odait senior forensic archaeologist Dr. Niamh McCullagh said after an earlier update in July, when 99 sets of remains had been recovered from what she described as a highly concentrated space, that it was "not outside the realms of probability that we will find up to 800 individuals," while stressing that it was impossible to say at this stage. Her remarks were carried by The Irish Times. 

The DNA identification effort is also advancing, and it reaches well beyond Ireland. Between July 16 and September 30, Odait collected an additional 12 DNA reference samples and delivered them to Forensic Science Ireland, bringing the total number of reference samples taken to date to 74.

The Tuam Mother and Baby Home site.

Under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, a range of relatives on both the maternal and paternal sides can give DNA, including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Odait said a bill that will allow first cousins to give DNA has been brought to the Government and is expected to be published in the coming days, a change that could widen the pool of eligible relatives across the Irish diaspora.

Members of the Odait team traveled to Britain and the United States earlier this year to collect samples from potential relatives, and further trips abroad are expected to take place as more people come forward. In its statement, the office said it would encourage "anyone who believes they may have a family member buried at the site" to contact it. 

Odait said it will now examine an area "up to and beyond the old boundary wall" of the institution's grounds.