President Higgins: Questions over grave must be answered

Pressure is mounting on the Government to launch a full inquiry into claims of a mass baby grave in Galway, after President Michael D Higgins said he was "appalled" at reports about the site and that questions needed to beanswered.

President Higgins’ intervention comes as gardaí say they will assist an inter-departmental investigation into disclosures about the deaths of hundreds of infants in the Tuam mother-and-baby home.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has sought a report from An Garda Síochána on information available relating to the burial of remains at an unmarked grave at the former Bon Secours home.

The minister said that while no criminal investigation had yet been launched, the gardaí were now involved in the review and would offer any assistance required when examining the broader issue of events that may have occurred at other mother-and-baby homes. “Consideration will be given by Government on how best to proceed in the interests of all those who were affected by extremely disturbing events,” she said.

Susan Lohan of the Adoption Rights Alliance welcomed the inclusion of the gardaí but asked why the minister was acting now when she had “sought to avoid the issue at every turn” while children’s minister. She said: “Thanks to Minister Fitzgerald’s indifference as children’s minister, we don’t even know how many women went through mother-and-baby homes. She cynically refused to order an audit of files held by the HSE in relation to these institutions, which we have repeatedly demanded. Now the terrible vista she had sought to avoid has emerged.”

As recently as February, as children’s minister, Ms Fitzgerald confirmed that no audit of adoption files relating to mother-and-baby homes was planned.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has already called for a full inquiry into the operation of mother-and-baby homes, including how they arranged adoptions.

President Higgins said: “What is important is all of the questions which are provoked by this are answered and they are answered adequately with the assistance of science and forensics.”