AN IN-DEPTH SCAN of the ground of a former Mother and Baby institution in north Tipperary – commissioned to explore the possibility that infants were buried in a ‘mass grave’ – has found at least three “anomalies” in the earth.
The survivors’ group which campaigned for the ground surveys has welcomed the findings and has now sought government funding to carry out excavations of the anomalies pinpointed by the scan.
The findings come amid concerns that there could be a similarly large-scale burial site of infants, similar to that found in Tuam between 2016 and 2017.
It’s understood the anomalies indicate the ground was disturbed at some point, but further investigation is required to determine their exact nature.
Run by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea was one of the largest and most notorious mother and baby institutions in the State.
Thousands of unmarried pregnant women passed through its doors from 1931 until 1969, with 6,079 babies born there during that period.
A total of 1,090 children died across almost four decades at Sean Ross Abbey.
A geophysical survey, funded by the Department of Children and conducted by Limerick engineering firm Precision Utility Management, took place in October on an overgrown patch of land, where some locals believe children may have been buried.
This is located beside a designated burial ground known as the Angels’ Plot.
Speaking on behalf of survivors group We Are Still Here, Teresa Collins, who was born in the institution in 1963, told The Journal that survivors are glad the work is complete.
“We have now received the results which show a number of anomalies in separate locations in the site,” she said.
“While these are interesting results, the exact nature of these anomalies has yet to be determined and could be due to a number of factors. Because of this, we have submitted the results to the Department for their consideration.
Tuam in Co Galway made headlines around the world after it emerged that many infants who died at the institution were buried in a sewage tank on that site.
Many of the 1,090 children who died at Sean Ross Abbey were under the age of three. A further 6,414 women were admitted there.
Among its most well-known residents was Philomena Lee, whose story featured in a 2013 film starring Judi Dench.
In 2016, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes found at least 42 infants buried at the site.
These remains appeared to have been buried in coffins, unlike in Tuam where bodies were found in a chamber of a disused septic tank.
During a visit to the site by The Journallast summer, a former workman said that he had discovered “small bones” while ploughing the land in the 1980s.
When Mike Donovan, now aged in his 50s, alerted senior workers at the site, they ordered more clay to be spread over the earth.
Collins said the results of the scan are now being considered.
“According to the Commission of Investigation, the total number of infant deaths having occurred at Sean Ross Abbey was 1,078. Taking this into account, it was not feasible to believe that all burials occurred in the relatively confined space of the Angels’ Plot.
“An area of land adjacent to the Angels’ Plot could be considered a natural extension to that burial site.”
But as the adjacent land was under separate ownership at the time of the Commission’s investigation, it was excluded from examination.
The survivors group later secured permission from the new owner of the land to carry out investigation work on the earth.
Collins thanked to Tipperary County Council for its “invaluable” help, and paid tribute to Tony Donlon, who took ownership of the land in the past decade, and Tipperary TD Martin Browne for their assistance with the campaign.
The Department of Children said it was liaising with the survivors group We Are Still Here on the results.
It noted that the Commission was satisfied that a forensic report provided clear evidence that the coffined remains of children under the age of one are buried in the designated burial ground.
However, the department said the Commission had also noted that “without complete excavation, it was not possible to say conclusively that all of the children who died in Sean Ross were buried in the designated burial ground”.
While the Commission “did not consider that further investigation was warranted”, the survivors group has long argued differently and maintains that excavation is the next required step.
- Contains reporting by Órla Ryan.
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