AN IN-DEPTH SURVEY of the earth on the grounds of a mother and baby home in Tipperary will take place in the coming weeks as survivors trace the potential for a “mass grave”, similar to that found in Tuam.A genealogical survey, funded by the Department of Children, will be conducted on a patch of the land where some locals believe children may have been buried.
Thousands of unmarried pregnant women passed through its doors from 1931 until 1969, with 6,079 babies born there during that period. Among its most well-known residents was Philomena Lee, whose story featured in a 2013 film starring Judi Dench. They have cited “local knowledge and local history” around Sean Ross Abbey, including the recollections of former workmen who tended to the wider estate.
“But it’s also a process of elimination. We may never be able to identify them if we find children there, but if there’s nothing, there is a question of whether the death certs for many children were falsified.”The group has secured permission for a scan from the site owner who purchased the grounds in recent years.
Collins pointed to a “discrepancy” in the Commission’s report where it mentioned that an inspector found that there were “two infant deaths” between July 1962 and July 1963, adding that a freedom of information request for a deaths register showed more infant deaths took place during that time.