Episode 1 of Troubled Ground explores the historic exhumation of a mass grave at the site of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway involving the remains of 796 infants and children. Reporter Alison O’Reilly meets with local historian Catherine Corless who first uncovered the existence of the burial site and whose work eventually led to the excavation. Forensic experts describe the painstaking process of combing through the site in search of lost remains. 

The episode revisits the origins of the Tuam Babies story, beginning in 2014 with Catherine Corless’s research into the deaths of hundreds of children at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. Anna Corrigan remembers the shocking discovery that her mother had two sons who died in the home.  Despite initial media indifference, the story gained traction on the global stage. 

As international attention mounted, political leaders were forced to respond, including the Taoiseach of the day Enda Kenny. The episode captures how a local investigation into a burial ground for forgotten children led to the first mass grave exhumation of its kind. 

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