Irish authorities have commenced excavation at a site in Tuam, County Galway, believed to contain the remains of nearly 800 infants who died at a Catholic-run institution for unmarried mothers.

According to Sky News on Tuesday, the site, formerly home to the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, was operated by an order of Catholic nuns between 1925 and 1961. The facility catered to unmarried pregnant women, many of whom were victims of rape or sexual abuse and were forced to give up their babies after delivery.

A general view of the remembrance garden on the former site of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home can be seen on June 15, 2025 in Tuam, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Local historian, Catherine Corless, who brought the case to national attention in 2014, discovered death certificates for 798 children but found burial records for only one.

Her investigation sparked widespread outrage and prompted a government inquiry into Ireland’s system of institutional care for women and children.

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Preliminary findings showed that the remains of many of the children, some as young as 35 weeks in the womb, were dumped in what used to be a septic tank on the premises, an area now surrounded by a modern apartment complex.

Corless told Sky News that the structure, referred to as “the pit,” may hold the remains of 796 infants, most of whom were never given a proper burial.

The excavation, which began this week, is part of efforts to identify the remains and accord them dignified reburials. The process is expected to last up to two years.

“I don’t care if it’s a thimbleful, as they tell m

“There wouldn’t be much remains left; at six months old, it’s mainly cartilage more than bone,” Annette McKay, whose sister is believed to be one of the 798 victims, told Sky News.

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Annette McKay, whose sister is believed to be among the deceased, recalled how her mother, Margaret O’Connor, was informed about her baby’s death.

Her mother, Margaret “Maggie” O’Connor gave birth to a baby, Mary Margaret, at the home after she was r@ped at the age of 17.

The girl died six months later, and her mother only found out when a nun told her.

“She was pegging washing out and a nun came up behind her and said ‘the child of your sin is dead,’” said Annette, who now lives in the UK.

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The Bon Secours facility was part of a broader system of state-sanctioned institutions across Ireland where pregnant women were confined, forced into unpaid labour, and separated from their children. Women who became pregnant again were often sent to Magdalene Laundries, infamous religious-run institutions for “fallen women.”

Originally, the term “fallen women” was applied mostly to sex workers, but the Magdalene laundries later started taking in “seduced” women, victims of rape and incest, and female orphans or children abandoned or abused by their families.

The last of the Magdalene laundries only closed their doors in the 1990s.

A 2021 state inquiry revealed that about 9,000 children died in 18 similar homes, mainly from preventable illnesses such as gastroenteritis and respiratory infections.

In 2014, the Irish government issued a formal apology to survivors. In 2022, it launched a compensation scheme, which has so far paid out over $32m to more than 800 individuals.

Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is recovering from cancer, has pulled out of attending the Royal Ascot race meeting, her Kensington Palace office said on Wednesday.

The famed sporting event in Berkshire in southern England is a key event in the royal calendar.

Catherine, also known as Kate, would not be attending Royal Ascot with her husband Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla as she continued to “find the right balance following her battle with cancer” the domestic Press Association news agency added.

The 43-year-old future queen has been making a gradual return to public duties since she announced she was cancer free in September 2024.

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In March that year, the mother-of-three revealed she was undergoing a course of “preventative chemotherapy” for an undisclosed cancer.

Kate, who in January revealed she was in remission, was said to be disappointed not to able to attend Royal Ascot, a renowned social and sporting occasion for which the royal family come out in force.

The annual five-day race meeting was said to be the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite sporting event.

Royal Ascot begins each day of the week with the Royal Procession, a historic tradition in which the monarch and various accompanying members of the royal family arrive along the track in horse-drawn carriages.

They then watch the racing from the exclusive Royal Enclosure.

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The enclosure operates a strict dress code of top hats and morning coats — jackets with a long “tail” — for men and hats and knee-length or longer dresses or skirts for women.

Charles, 76, has also faced his own cancer battle.

The king announced in early 2024 that he too had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer.

He has since returned to public duties, but is still undergoing treatment.

Catherine on Saturday appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the rest of the royal family following Charles’s annual birthday parade.

On Monday she was photographed attending an official royal event at St George’s Chapel on the royal family’s Windsor estate, west of London.

AFP

WhatsApp has said it is “concerned” that its services could be blocked in Iran after a state broadcaster urged the public to delete the messaging app, claiming it was sharing data with arch-rival Israel.

State television IRIB appealed to Iranians on Tuesday to delete WhatsApp from their phones, alleging that the app collects users’ personal data, including “last known locations and communications”, and shares them with Israel.

On Wednesday, Israel and Iran exchanged fire for the sixth consecutive day, with Israel stating it had struck a nuclear site near Tehran.

A WhatsApp spokesperson dismissed the IRIB’s claims, saying all messages sent on the app are “end-to-end encrypted”, with only the sender and recipient able to access them.

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“We’re concerned these false reports will be used as an excuse to block our services at a time when people need them most,” the spokesperson told AFP.

“We do not track your precise location, we don’t keep logs of who everyone is messaging, and we do not track the personal messages people are sending one another,” they said.

WhatsApp also does not “provide bulk information to any government”.
Israel launched a massive bombing campaign against Iran on Friday, targeting nuclear and military facilities as well as residential areas.

Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones, and early on Wednesday said it had fired hypersonic missiles at Israel.

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Tehran announced on Friday that it was placing temporary restrictions on the internet for the duration of the conflict.

Numerous sites and apps have since become at least partially inaccessible.

The authorities appealed to the public on Tuesday to “minimise their use of equipment connected to the internet and to take appropriate precautions” online.

For their own safety, civil servants and their security teams have been banned from using any connected devices, including smartphones, watches, and laptops, during the Israeli air offensive.

In the wake of nationwide protests triggered by the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, Iranian authorities blocked several apps and online services, including WhatsApp.

AFP