Carthy expresses sadness and revulsion at discovery of human remains at Tuam

Carthy commended local historian Catherine Corless and architect Maire Lawless and all those who have been campaigning on this issue for several years.

He met a delegation of campaigners in Tuam in October 2014, to discuss the issue of the burial site at the former mother and baby home.

Matt Carthy said:

“I share the sense of sadness and revulsion experienced by people across Ireland today at the shocking discovery of human remains at the former Mother and Baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.

“The remains appear to be from the time of the mother and baby homes, which have marked a shameful period in the history of the Irish state.

“The infants and children who were buried at this site were treated without any respect to their identity or human dignity.

“This latest scandal is a further reflect on the conservative authoritarianism which dominated the state for many years.

“It was a narrow-minded, mean-spirited state which was cruel to the poor, and to so many women and to children.

“I want to pay tribute to local Historian Catherine Corless and Maire Lawless and all those who have been campaigning on this issue, including survivors of the mother and baby homes.

"I met in a delegation of campaigners in Tuam during 2014 to discuss this issue was struck by their sincerity and dedication to the cause of uncovering the truth.

"They often suffered ridicule and dismissal by many quarters during this period. Today, they have been vindicated.

“We now need to get to the bottom of this scandal and to find out who was responsible.

“The sad truth is that Tuam is unlikely to be an isolated case and we don't know don’t know how many other such burial sites may exist. This requires further investigation.”