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Laura Hutton via Photocall Ireland

Here's the latest information about the Tuam mother-and-baby home

The question of a suitable memorial is now being looked at by the Tuam Home Graveyard Committee.

THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL report on mother-and-baby homes has gathered information about the home in Tuam, Co Galway.

Almost 800 children died at the home run by the Bon Secours Sisters from 1925-1961.

It averaged 22.2 deaths per year – ranging from one death in 1958 to 53 in 1947.

The General Register’s Office (GRO) identified that 1,101 births were recorded during the 36 years that the Tuam home operated.

Reported causes of deaths

‘Debility from birth’ was recorded as the biggest cause of death, killing 24% of the 796 children.

‘Respiratory diseases’ was recorded as the second biggest killer with 15%.

Here’s the full list of the causes of deaths:

Mother and Baby Homes Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes

The report stated that an “assessment of mortality rates will need public health specialist/historical analysis of statistics on children born and resident at the home in Tuam”.

Skeletal Remains 

In relation to lawful burials, the report states, “There were no conditions applying to burial sites attaching to religious homes and no onus to report or give notification of burials therein to any authority.”

It also reveals that Garda enquiries confirm reports that skeletal remains were discovered in an underground structure near the site in mid-1970s with no record of Garda/coroner involvement at that time.

The Gardaí are now continuing to make enquiries locally at the request of the Minister for Justice and Equality.

The question of a suitable memorial at Tuam is now being looked at by the Tuam Home Graveyard Committee.

The Inter Departmental Group has been advised that Land Registry records indicate that the site is in the ownership of the the Local Authority, having been transferred to them by the Health Board in 1978.

You can read the report in full here.

Originally posted 3:30pm.

Read: Death rate of babies at Tuam mother-and-baby home was double the rate of other homes>

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55 Comments
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    Mute munsterman
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    Jul 5th 2017, 7:14 AM

    Everything is a cartel in Ireland. And the people are too submissive to do anything about it..

    223
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    Mute Scundered
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    Jul 5th 2017, 7:30 AM

    @munsterman: no fight left in the Irish anymore. Always voting for same old failed pattern.

    134
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:18 AM

    @Scundered:

    There is no alternative to vote for unfortunately

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    Mute Timmy
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:28 AM

    @Scundered: Go out and do something about it then and stop moaning on the journal

    10
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    Mute michael
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:39 AM

    @Nick Allen: Of course there is. Even if you have reservations about the alternative, you have no one to blame but yourself if you keep voting for the same punishment.

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    Mute ray.farrelly
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:43 AM

    Nick Allen. Just like there is always a choice. There is also an alterntive. You may not like it but it is there.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:47 AM

    @michael:

    Reservations is an understatement. The alternative to FF/FG is SF, AAA / Solidarity, Labour or independents. SF and the AAA do not have a workable fiscal policy to lead the whole country forward while Labour is just a spent force and the independents are just looking to local issues.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:50 AM

    @ray.farrelly:

    By saying there is no alternative the implication is that there is no credible alternative. It is common use of English to leave out the word credible.

    12
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    Mute Good Early
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:04 AM

    @Nick Allen: “do not have a workable fiscal policy” Really? Wasn’t Sinn Fein’s budget proposal the only fully costed one by the Department of Finance? The other were wrong on their fiscal space.

    That aside. I believe if SF took office many of their detractors would be silenced, but many of their voter base would be sorely disappointed, as they would shift to centre (right). I would consider them a centrist party.

    Liebour are left in name only. They wrought terrible destruction on the poorest in society during the recession, and are the posterchild of privatisation. You can hardly call that left wing!

    Nick’s account is one that comes here to agree with everyone, but tell them “there’s no alternative, there’s no alternative….” Not with that attitude.

    20
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    Mute ray.farrelly
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:18 AM

    Nick. Allen. No credible alternative. According to who?

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:19 AM

    @Good Early:

    I am not sure I understand what you summation of my account is, I doubt you even understand what you have written.

    My view of the alternatives for governing Ireland is simply my view. FG/FF is the safest pair of hands we have at the moment. The others are two skewed in their ideology and do not look to look after the whole country. They target low income earners and unemployment with promises of increasing tax and lots of freebies. If I wanted to live in Venezuela I would move there.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:20 AM

    @ray.farrelly:

    The electorate which do not put them in a position of power when they vote at every general election

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    Mute P C
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:22 AM

    @ray.farrelly: according to anybody with a brain. It was this Left alternative that called for the nationalisation of Dell, wants to increase corporation tax and drive businesses and jobs out if the country. Why would anyone vote for a worse alternative???

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    Mute Scundered
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:25 AM

    @Timmy: welcome to the Internet timmy, took you a while.

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jul 5th 2017, 10:28 AM

    @Good Early: I certainly won’t be ever voting SF. All they care about is the people on social welfare who won’t pay and won’t work and no I’m not talking about those unfortunate enough to have lost jobs but the ones who never worked and won’t work. And they expect us to keep that show on the road. No thanks. So that’s no alternative.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 11:28 AM

    @Mary Murphy:

    With you on that Mary. I too have a lot of compassion for genuine people on welfare and I fully agree that the tax payers should pay their tax and these people should receive welfare. The SF philosophy looks to want to feed on lazy scroungers for voters and pushes the ‘lets not pay for anything and tax the workers’ agenda far too much

    6
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    Mute P C
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    Jul 5th 2017, 11:33 AM

    @Mary Murphy: well said Mary. Sinn Fein seems adapt their economic policy to go with whatever is flavour of the month.
    Flavour of the month economics doesn’t work.

    5
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    Mute Peter Smyth
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    Jul 5th 2017, 7:19 AM

    Any cuts to the cost of living or rise in the minimum wage only ever results in increased rental/house prices. Pure greed.

    93
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    Mute YouHaveGotToBeJoking
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    Jul 5th 2017, 7:35 AM

    Just over €24,000 annual salary…”hang on while I go with my €85,000 mortgage and €10,000 deposit to pick between all the sub €100,000 properties around to start a family. Seeeesh, better look sub €50,000 everything just keeps getting pushed up by competing bids”

    84
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    Mute Thaddius T Sawballs
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    Jul 5th 2017, 7:12 AM

    Most of the food is processed muck

    Meat is still an outrageous price

    99
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:21 AM

    @Thaddius T Sawballs:

    It’s entirely your choice what food is put in the shopping trolley and it is very easy to avoid processed muck and generally much cheaper.

    42
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    Mute Niallers
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:36 AM

    @Nick Allen: No need to eat dead animal. Stay away from the processed “food” .

    Veg in Lidl or Aldi is cheap and the stock turns over so quick it’s usually fresher than Dunnes/Tesco/Supervalue.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:52 AM

    @Niallers:

    But our bodies are designed to eat dead animal and it is a good source of protein, widely available, creates huge employment and when prepared properly it is extremely tasty

    21
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    Mute Niallers
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:00 AM

    @Nick Allen: I agree it creates loads of employment and that it can be tasty but you actually don’t need it.

    B12 vitamin for sure but you can get that from eggs, milk or supplement.

    When you look into it you really don’t need to have any animal killed. Plenty of other food choices out there.

    11
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    Mute Adrian
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:16 AM

    It’s probably the reason also why dublin is losing out to frankfurt in getting all the banking jobs post brexit. We’re paying the price of our housing crisis and having politicians who can’t run the country properly.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:29 AM

    @Adrian:

    Losing out to Frankfurt in getting all the banking job as a result of Brexit.

    Care to elaborate on this with some facts?

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    Mute Adrian
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    Jul 5th 2017, 10:14 AM
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    Jul 5th 2017, 10:24 AM

    @Adrian:

    I mention of any jobs moving to FF in that article. That is an pinion which says FF is well placed to attract jobs with the main reason being that the central bank is there. It even says the only expect about 200 jobs in the next few years.

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:01 AM

    Timber log cabins to live in oh wait the government can’t get half the value the cabin in taxes,they don’t fluxuate madly in property tax,they’re not valuble enough for the unfair deal scheme,and the don’t turn every one into an indentured slave for life with a monster morgage, and a property developer can’t reef the living daylights out of the customers because any one with hands can fit one together

    58
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    Mute Colin Morris
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:50 AM

    Any company that pays less than living wage is a human rights abuser and needs to be identified as such.

    36
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    Mute Mark DeFriest
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:37 AM

    20c an hour extra. 8 quid a week. I don’t know I might start looking at investing in property abroad with this generous windfall.
    And a new car.

    28
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jul 5th 2017, 10:25 AM

    Cheaper food thanks to Ali and Lidl. Not to our government.

    28
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    Mute ChuckE
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    Jul 5th 2017, 8:58 AM

    The living wage means absolutely nothing as those in need of it won’t get it. Until the minimum wage is linked to inflation government and think tank ideas like the living wage are completely pointless

    25
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    Mute David Knight
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    Jul 5th 2017, 9:11 AM

    It’s only a “living” wage if you exclude putting a roof over your head, not needing transport, and living off the cheapest processed food that your tiny money will buy.

    19
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    Mute Terry O'Callaghan
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    Jul 5th 2017, 10:06 AM

    Food prices are not down… a friend of mine his health insurance was €3200 . Not down but up. !! Who are they kidding.. social welfare should now follow this trend..

    13
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    Mute Mark Walsh
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    Jul 5th 2017, 11:01 AM

    What a croc of s@@@te
    What is it going to do for people telling employers etc that a PC living wage hourly rate is €11.70 an hour …..never going to happen especially when you have government sponsored slavery schemes around
    C€€€st why do we have so many gobsh@@es in this country

    11
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    Mute Andi Black
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    Jul 5th 2017, 2:01 PM

    Low skill/no skill jobs should be geared towards students (including secondary students) and those who have low skills or no skills as a starting point towards their future careers, not a career choice.

    4
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