In the quiet town of Tuam, Ireland, a long-buried truth is finally being brought to light.

A forensic team has begun the heartbreaking task of excavating the site of a former “mother and baby home”—a place where unmarried pregnant women were once hidden away, and where nearly 800 babies and children are believed to be buried, many in an old, disused septic tank.

Run by the Catholic Bon Secours nuns from 1925 to 1961, the institution became a symbol of a dark chapter in Ireland’s history—a time when shame and secrecy took priority over compassion.

The horror of what happened there might have remained hidden if not for Catherine Corless, a local historian who painstakingly uncovered the names of 798 children who died at the home. Her research stunned the nation in 2014 and forced Ireland to reckon with its past.

Out of all those children, only two received proper burials.

Now, after years of delay, the site has been sealed off and excavation work is set to begin. The effort is part of a long-overdue process to give these children the dignity they were denied in life—and in death.

A 2021 government report revealed that nearly 9,000 children died in 18 similar institutions across Ireland. Many were malnourished, neglected, and never even given names.

Corless says she’s relieved the investigation is finally underway, but she admits the pain still lingers. “I can’t understand how such cruelty was allowed to happen,” she says.

The Bon Secours order has issued a formal apology—but for the families who never got to say goodbye, justice is only just beginning.