The first day of work to prepare the site of the Tuam mother and baby home for excavation is drawing to a close.
It comes over a decade after it was revealed 796 infants and children, who died in the home, were buried on the grounds
On this most signifiant of days 80-year-old survivor Peter Mulryan visited the site
He spoke of his hope that some conclusion would be brought to his search for information about his sister who died in the home
The site of the former Bon Secours Sisters mother and baby home on the Dublin Road in Tuam, has now been cordoned off and placed under forensic control, before a full dig begins next month.
It's something local historian Catherine Corless has been waiting 11 years for.
In 2014, she shocked the world when she revealed 796 babies and children had died at the home between 1925 and 1961 - the equivalent of nearly one every two weeks.
A test excavation in 2016 supported her claim they were buried on the grounds - many in a septic tank.
The process is expected to take at least two years to complete:
A five-phase excavation is due to formally begin on July 14th, with the families of those buried there hoping for some long-awaited closure on a dark chapter in Irish history.
