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In Memory
Names of 796 Tuam Babies written on white sheets and brought to Galway church
Erin Darcy says the names of the children should be listed at the grave site.
NINE GALWAY WOMEN have written the names of the 796 children who are known to have died at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home on white sheets and sewn them to a fence at the grave site.
The women say they wanted to make the statement ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to “highlight the hypocrisy” of no monument being placed there.
At the site, the is a small plaque which reads, “In Loving Memory of those buried here. Rest in Peace,” but there is no list of names.
Through her tireless work in uncovering the records of those who lived and died at the Tuam institution, Catherine Corless brought the names of the children who died back out into public again.
This latest project sought again to remember the children who died, with Erin Darcy saying that they wanted to do something now at a time when the focus is on the Catholic Church.
The sheets used in the project were sourced from local hotels, as a symbol of the work the women kept in religious institutions were forced to do.
“We wanted to do something for the forgotten children and mothers of Tuam, as a protest to the Pope’s upcoming visit,” Darcy says.
“We want to highlight the hypocrisy of there being no monument built, no garden of remembrance, no names present. A stark contrast to the named graves of all the nuns and those that served the church.”
