A team of experts has been announced for the excavation of a former Mother and Baby Home site in Tuam, Co Galway.
Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman has unveiled the six-person team as members of the Advisory Board to the Director of Authorised Intervention.
The board will provide support and guidance to director Daniel MacSweeney in undertaking "the complex and highly sensitive intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam," the department has said.
Mr MacSweeney was appointed by the Minister back in May.
Split-screen image shows Daniel MacSweeney in Newstalk studios, and the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co GalwayHe will consult with the Advisory Board at regular intervals, including at key decision points.
The board is made up of a number of experts, a former resident of the Tuam institution and a family member of a person believed to be buried there.
Those appointed are:
- Chairperson: Dr Brian Farrell, Dublin District Coroner emeritus and past President of the Coroner’s Society of Ireland
- Scientific Expert: Dr Barra O’Donnabhain, Department of Archaeology, UCC
- Scientific Expert: Dr Denise Keating, Freelance Consultant Osteoarchaeologist
- County Council representative: Alan Farrell, Director of Services (Corporate Services)
- Former resident: Peter Mulryan
- Family member: Annette McKay
Minister O'Gorman said said there will be ongoing engagement with all those affected.
"The strong pool of experience and expertise will be an invaluable resource to the director during what will no doubt be a highly complex intervention process," he said.
"In addition to being supported by this advisory board, the Tuam director is committed to ongoing engagement with all those affected by the site."
'Remains will be memorialised'
Mr MacSweeney previously told Newstalk the timeframe for excavation and identification of remains depends on what is found.
Mr MacSweeney said forensics will be "absolutely key".
"My mandate is to recover the remains from the site, and then there's a forensic examination of the remains, and then we seek to identify - insofar as possible - to individualise the remains," he said.
"To make findings as to causes and circumstances of death, and then identified remains are returned to families for burial.
"Unidentified remains will be memorialised in a way that will be decided by the families and by the survivors," he added.
The remains of hundreds of dead babies were discovered in a septic tank on the grounds of the former home run by the Sisters of Bon Secours.
A plan is in place for excavation of the burial site with digging set to begin next year.
