Corless still fighting to bring closure

HISTORIANS serve society in many significant respects, not least in making sense of a fragmented past. However, their most distinctive function is, perhaps, that of giving a voice to the voiceless.

Few contemporary historians have done this with more moral courage than Catherine Corless. Her work in uncovering the remains at the former Tuam Mother and Baby home, earned her widespread admiration. That is why her objections to the State-commissioned report on the future of the site, must be taken seriously.

The report, by Galway County Council, suggests there is a 50/50 division between the wishes of local residents and survivors, regarding exhumation. Ms Corless believes the report is not fully reflective, because only a ‘handful’ of people want the 796 babies, and potentially five women, to remain unexhumed. A passionate believer in full excavation, she points to the fact that, despite the council’s best efforts, few residents attended the public meetings to discuss the site.

However, even if there is not a clear split between survivors and residents, emotions remain high on both sides. As we report today – four years since this story first emerged in the Irish Mail on Sunday – there are many who desperately seek the full story of what happened to those who lie buried. Others, like resident John Lowe, think those who ‘never knew much of life’ should be left to rest in peace.

While that view is compassionate and understandable, we have a moral mandate to provide closure for those families who mourn their relatives. No one disputes that this will be painful but it will also be cathartic for a community whose true story has been hidden for far too long.