Campaigners want burial plot at Tipperary mother and baby home to be excavated

Families and survivors lit 1,090 candles for the children who died and 23 more for mothers who also died while incarcerated at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea

Survivors and families placed candles at the Angel's Plot at Sean Ross Abbey to mark World Children's Day. 1,090 to mark each child who died at the site, and 23 more for each of the mothers who died there. Picture: Facebook

Campaigners are urging the Government to sanction further examinations at a burial plot at a former mother and baby home in Tipperary.

Official records show 1,024 children died in appalling circumstances at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea — an institution made famous by Martin Sexsmith's book, The Lost Child of Philomnea Lee, and the Oscar-nominated film Philomenawhich told the story of Philomena Lee whose son was forcibly taken and adopted in the US without her consent.

Causes of death recorded for the children at the home included choking on porridge, and sun stroke.

A Commission of Inquiry later found that two separate death ledgers for the children were kept — one was on the official national register and a separate ledger with 76 names was kept in the home by the nuns — bringing the total number of children who died in Sean Ross Abbey to 1,090.

Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton at the grave at Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea, in 2014 at a private memorial for her son Anthony Lee (Michael Hess) who was lost to her by forced adoption in the mid 1950s. Picture: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

Campaigners have long since called for further tests to be carried out on the grounds of the home that is now a centre for people seeking international protection.

In recent days campaigners gathered in Roscrea to light 1,090 candles all over the large angels plot as well as 23 candles for the mothers who also died while incarcerated by the nuns there.

They want the government to agree to carry out test excavations to find the remaining children’s graves as there are only 44 confirmed graves onsite.

Local campaigner Michael Donovan told the Irish Examiner: 

“It was international children’s day and we wanted to honour the babies because they are forgotten children and we are not getting answers from Government.

“We wanted to pay tribute to them. An email was sent from us to every school in Ireland, and one school in Limerick responded by lighting 5,000 candles for the children. We called on all schools to think of the children who died here.

“We don’t know where they are buried apart from 44 children on the grounds, and while the government did commission a ground-penetrating scan in 2021, they are still avoiding us when it comes to a full exhumation. We have written to the minister for children to meet with us as well as the local bishop who is open to it he says."

Survivors and families placed candles at the Angel's Plot at Sean Ross Abbey to mark World Children's Day. 1,090 to mark each child who died at the site, and 23 more for each of the mothers who died there. Picture: Facebook

“We want further tests to be carried out; we want to see what is under the ground — not just an expert’s view of a report.

“We have a large tank on the grounds of Sean Ross Abbey too — no one will tell us what’s in it or where the other children are. It is not good enough.

“We want transparency around that. We had engineers out in Sean Ross, who did ground penetrating scans, but nothing has moved on".

The initial scans carried out showed four large anomalies on the grounds of the former home. The next phase would involve placing cameras  underground for further results.

However, the government has so far declined to carry out these examinations d.

It comes as the exhumation at Tuam continues and will take up to 24 months to complete. Seven infants remains have so far been recovered, however they are yet to be dated. Records show 796 children died there during its operation.

Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea Co Tipperary became well known due to the the Oscar-nominated film about Philomena Lee's life. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Anna Corrigan from the Tuam Babies Family Group said she is “fully in support” of further tests to be carried out at Sean Ross Abbey.

“The campaigners have serious questions that need to be answered, why do they have to wait?" she said. "There are 1,090 children missing. Nobody knows where they are buried and the campaigners are just ignored.

“Its not right, the Sean Ross Abbey babies have the same rights as the Tuam babies, all of the children should be properly looked for.” 

The Department of children said “As set out in its final report, the Commission was satisfied that the forensic report provided clear evidence that the coffined remains of children under the age of one are buried in the designated burial ground. 

“It 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 and that it did not consider that further investigation was warranted.”