The painstaking forensic excavation at the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Institution has reached another significant and deeply poignant milestone, with investigators confirming that the remains of a further 22 babies have been recovered during the latest phase of work. The discovery brings the total number of infant remains uncovered since excavations began just over a year ago to 99.
The latest technical update, covering the period from June 1 to July 15, 2026, highlights the continued progress being made by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT ), as specialist forensic archaeologists, anthropologists and scientists work to recover, document and identify the remains with dignity and according to international best practice.
The newly discovered remains were recovered from beneath what had, until recently, been a section of roadway used for vehicular access within the former institution grounds. The area, now enclosed beneath Tent 2, had previously been covered with bitumen and gravel, with no visible surface markers indicating the presence of burials. Historical records had, however, identified the location as a burial ground associated with the operation of the Mother and Baby Institution.
Today, Thursday, July 23, ODAIT officials are due to meet survivors and family members in Tuam to provide a detailed briefing on the progress of the excavation and explain the next stages of forensic analysis.
Forensic archaeologists have now commenced the careful hand excavation of burials beneath Tent 2 under strict forensic control. During the reporting period, the remains of 22 infants buried in coffins were recovered, while excavation work continues across the area.
Elsewhere on the 0.48-hectare site, excavation inside the subterranean vaulted chamber has now been completed. Investigators recovered disarticulated skeletal remains from at least one infant at the base of a manhole or access chamber. However, the excavation team stressed there was no evidence that these remains had been deliberately placed within the chamber. Instead, the bones were discovered above deposits containing archaeological material dating from before the institution operated, suggesting a more complex sequence of deposition that will require further forensic analysis.
No further excavation took place inside Tent 1 during this reporting period. Previous work there resulted in the recovery of the remains of 77 infants, alongside the identification of earlier historic burials beneath those associated with the institution.
Complexity
Across the site, excavation continues to reveal the complexity of the burial landscape. Work has also concluded across another section of the excavation area, apart from the base of a subsurface well. That well has now been excavated to a depth of four metres before work was temporarily suspended for health and safety reasons. Other completed sections of the site have already been documented in previous technical updates.
The excavation has also yielded significant archaeological artefacts that are helping investigators better understand the history of the site. Among the finds recovered from the subterranean chamber were several intact and numerous fragmentary glass bottles, including distinctive round-bottom torpedo soda bottles bearing the names “Bewley and Draper, Dublin” and “Thwaites, Dublin”.
One bottle carries a Registered Trade Mark stamp, confirming it was manufactured after the introduction of the UK Trade Marks Act in 1875. While these artefacts pre-date the operation of the Mother and Baby Institution, they provide valuable evidence for understanding the earlier use and development of the location.
Alongside the excavation itself, the identification programme has also continued to gather momentum. During the latest reporting period, ODAIT collected an additional seven DNA reference samples from survivors and relatives, bringing the total number submitted to Forensic Science Ireland to 62.
The office is continuing to engage with first cousins of those believed to have died at the institution in preparation for forthcoming legislative changes. The Government is expected to amend the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to allow first cousins to provide DNA samples as part of the statutory identification process, potentially expanding the number of families who may ultimately receive answers about missing relatives.
Family members
ODAIT has again encouraged anyone who believes a family member may have been buried at the Tuam site to contact the office to discuss the identification programme and the supports available throughout the process.
While excavation remains ongoing in Tuam, another important phase of the project has now begun away from the site itself.
Forensic analysis is officially underway at ODAIT’s newly completed Forensic Facility and Mortuary in Toghermore, representing a significant step forward in the complex process of attempting to identify each individual child whose remains have been recovered.
Within the purpose-built laboratory, teams of forensic anthropologists and specialists are carefully cleaning, drying and examining every set of remains before reconstructing each individual in anatomical position. The work includes radiological imaging, high-resolution 3D scanning and detailed osteological analysis designed to maximise both qualitative and quantitative information from the skeletal remains.
The scientific examination aims to establish as much information as possible about each child, including estimated age at death and, where feasible, biological sex. Combined with DNA analysis and historical records, investigators hope this evidence may eventually allow some of the children to be individually identified and reunited, at least symbolically, with their families.
Experts have cautioned, however, that the work presents exceptional forensic challenges. The extremely young age of the deceased, the passage of many decades since burial and the effects of soil conditions on fragile infant remains all significantly limit the amount of biological information that can be recovered.
The Toghermore facility, developed through an investment of approximately €4.1 million, has been refurbished to international forensic standards by the Office of Public Works with the support of the HSE. Beyond serving as a laboratory and mortuary, it will also function as the operational base for ODAIT’s Tuam team throughout the remainder of the intervention.
Engagement
Attention will now turn to engagement with those most directly affected by the excavation. On Thursday, July 23, ODAIT officials are due to meet survivors and family members in Tuam to provide a detailed briefing on the progress of the excavation and explain the next stages of forensic analysis. The meeting is intended to give relatives an opportunity to ask questions directly of the scientific team and better understand the painstaking work that continues both on site and within the new forensic facility.
With excavation still progressing beneath Tent 2 and forensic analysis only beginning, the work in Tuam remains far from complete. However, the recovery of 99 infant remains, the expansion of the DNA identification programme and the commencement of specialist forensic examination mark significant developments in one of the most important historical investigations ever undertaken by the Irish State.
