A mass grave of nearly 800 children near a home for unwed mothers in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland, which was discovered nearly forty years ago, was recently revealed after a historian found startling facts surrounding the death of the children buried there.

The discovery was made almost four decades ago by two boys who were playing near a septic tank, which turned out to be a mass grave. They found some partially broken pieces of concrete and when they lifted it, they saw that the grave was "filled to the brim with human skulls and bones," according to the Washington Post.

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The Home was previously a workhouse in the 1840s until it was taken over by the Bon Secours sisters in 1925 to 1961.

A local historian, Catherine Corless, had discovered startling facts surrounding the mass grave.

An investigation with the registry office in Galway showed that at least 796 children had died over a period of 36 years. Death certificates collected by Corless revealed the child's name, age and date of death. Some certificates had indicated the child's cause of death.

It must be noted that registration of death certificates only became required by law in 1932, 7 years after the Home became operational in 1925.

Many of the deaths were attributed to malnutrition, while others died of illnesses such as gastroenteritis, convulsions, measles, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Living conditions were also not ideal in the Home. A health inspection dated April 1944 revealed 61 mothers and 271 children were living in the Home. However, the structure's capacity only allowed for a maximum of 243 individuals.

The children were described as "emaciated" with "flesh hanging loosely on limbs".

Corless also talked about the abuse and prejudice experienced by the Home Babies, a term used by locals to describe children who grew up at the Home. Home Babies were segregated from the other children.

Nuns also used to threaten other kids that they would be placed beside a Home Baby if they misbehaved.

Now, the community has set up a local committee with the cooperation of officials from the Catholic Church, the Bon Secours Sisters and other concerned citizens have started a fundraising project to erect a plaque containing the names of the all the children who died in their memory.

 A spokesperson for the Archbishop in Tuam revealed that efforts of the local committee have now gathered about €4,000 for the project.

TagsTuam, Galway, Catherine Corless, Mass grave, Bon Secours Sisters, mass grave in septic tank