Crews in Ireland have begun excavating the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam to recover nearly 800 infant and child remains.

The home, which was run by an order of Catholic nuns and closed in 1961, was one of many such institutions that housed tens of thousands of orphans and unmarried pregnant women who were forced to give up their children throughout much of the 20th century.

In 2014, historian Catherine Corless tracked down death certificates for nearly 800 children who died at the home in Tuam between the 1920s and 1961 — but could only find a burial record for one child.

  • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
    88·
    15 hours ago

    Article says

    DNA analysis found that the ages of the dead ranged from 35 weeks gestation to 3 years.

    A major inquiry into the mother-and-baby homes found that in total, about 9,000 children died in 18 different mother-and-baby homes, with major causes including respiratory infections and gastroenteritis, otherwise known as the stomach flu.

    So basically just Dysentery, yeah. The nuns were no saints (lol) either, though, because they punished the unmaried mothers and put them through hard labor (lol).

    This is a terrible time for jokes, I’m so sorry about that. I always make sure to ask for forgiveness (lol).

    • Soapbox@lemmy.zipEnglish
      83·
      13 hours ago

      dude… WTF is with the (lol)s in your post? None of what you said is funny, or even reads remotely like it’s even trying to be a joke.

      • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
        34·
        12 hours ago

        Right, okay

        1. “they’re no saints” is funny because they’re part of a religious organization who revere saints

        2. “made to do labor” is funny because in english Labor is a term used to describe the final step of childbirth

        3. “ask for forgiveness” again because religion that reveres asking the lord for forgiveness.

        Hope that helps you out, buddy.