'He listened': Sister of baby buried in Tuam mass grave speaks with director overseeing exhumations
Lists of the names of dead children at the grotto on an unmarked mass grave at the site of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
The director appointed to oversee the exhumation of the Tuam babies mass grave has begun meeting families of the children who died there.
Daniel MacSweeney will work with an independent team to ensure the remains of the children who are buried on the grounds of the former mother and baby home will be recovered and re-interred in an appropriate way.
The University of Galway graduate was appointed in May as part of a public appointments process overseen by the Department of Children.
In the past fortnight, he has communicated with members of the Tuam Babies Family Group, who have family buried in the mass grave.
Annette McKay, whose sister Mary Margaret O’Connor is named as one of the 796 babies who died in the former religious-run home, spoke with Mr MacSweeney by phone on Friday.
They had a “lengthy discussion” about her concerns about the exhumation.
“I had many questions for him, and he doesn’t know all the answers obviously at this stage,” said Ms McKay.
“I wanted to ask him all of that and we spoke on the phone last week and he was very understanding, I believe he is listening to us, but he won’t have all the answers because he is working with a team, and he is working within the law.
“This won’t happen overnight, he said. We were promised this exhumation in 2022 by former Minister of Children Katherine Zappone and then we were promised that the exhumation would take place this year. I can’t see that happening."
Ms McKay said she has been informed there is no “definite timeline” in place for the work to begin on the children’s burial site.
“There are many technological difficulties, so he was not able to answer that for me. He is still assembling a team. Someone has to oversee the records, there is much to do.
“Mr MacSweeney was very nice, and I felt he listened, and he seemed to want to be open and honest with us.
“But he is only one person, so with the greatest will in the world he is still up against a system”.
Annette’s older sister, Mary Margaret O’Connor died in the Tuam home at six months from whooping cough in 1943.
She is holding a rally this Sunday, June 25, at the site of the children’s burial ground to highlight her concerns over the delay in the exhumation.
“I have asked people to bring a shovel,” she said.
“We won’t be digging, but digging is what needs to happen."
Meanwhile, a commemoration will take place on the grounds of the former Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork, at 2pm this Sunday, June 25, with guest speaker Dr James Gallen.
