Technical Report on the Tuam Site Stage 2: Options and Appropriate Courses of Action available to Government at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway Delivered to Minister Katherine Zappone, Department of Children and Youth Affairs By the Expert Technical Group N. McCullagh L. Lynch A. Harte H. Tuller T. Clayton B. Farrell Finalised 19th October 2017 Technical Report on the Tuam Site Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iv Terms of Reference ...................................................................................................................... vi 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 1 Baseline Information .......................................................................................................... 2 The History of the Site ........................................................................................................ 3 1.3.1 Archaeological Background......................................................................................... 3 1.3.2 The Nineteenth Century ............................................................................................. 4 1.3.3 The Twentieth Century ............................................................................................... 5 1.3.4 Previous Excavations .................................................................................................. 7 2 Status, Environment and Survey of the Site .............................................................................. 9 Site Ownership ................................................................................................................... 9 Aspects of the Environment at Tuam .................................................................................. 9 Geophysical Survey – Summary and Results ..................................................................... 10 3 Best Practice, Nationally and Internationally, in Humanitarian Forensic Action ..................... 13 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 13 National Comparisons ...................................................................................................... 13 3.2.1 High Park Exhumations ............................................................................................. 13 International Comparisons ............................................................................................... 14 3.3.1 Boarding Home Burials ............................................................................................. 14 3.3.2 Commingled mass graves ......................................................................................... 16 International Standards of Best Practice ........................................................................... 18 3.4.1 Forensic and Archaeological Excavation .................................................................... 21 Analysis of Human Remains from Commingled Contexts, with Specific Reference to Juvenile Remains and Tuam ......................................................................................................... 23 3.5.1 Anthropological Analysis of Commingled Remains .................................................... 23 3.5.2 Individualisation of Commingled Remains ................................................................ 25 Stage 2: Options and Appropriate Course of Action available to the Government at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway Technical Report on the Tuam Site 3.5.3 Identification of Commingled Remains, including DNA.............................................. 27 Memorialisation and Transitional Justice .......................................................................... 31 Communication ................................................................................................................ 34 Legal and Administrative Issues in relation to Human Remains ......................................... 34 3.8.1 Legal and Administrative Issues in relation to Archaeological Heritage ..................... 35 4 Outline of Possible Options on Site from a Technical Perspective ........................................... 37 Baseline Scenario ............................................................................................................. 37 4.1.1 Requirements ........................................................................................................... 37 4.1.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 38 4.1.3 Estimate ................................................................................................................... 38 Exhumation of Known Human Remains ............................................................................ 38 4.2.1 Requirements ........................................................................................................... 39 4.2.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 39 4.2.3 Estimate ................................................................................................................... 39 Forensic Excavation and Recovery of known Human Remains .......................................... 40 4.3.1 Requirements ........................................................................................................... 40 4.3.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 41 4.3.3 Estimate ................................................................................................................... 41 Forensic Excavation and Recovery of Known Human Remains with Further Evaluation/Excavation or other Areas of Potential Burial/Interest................................................ 42 4.4.1 Requirements ........................................................................................................... 42 4.4.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 43 4.4.3 Estimates.................................................................................................................. 43 Forensic Excavation of Total Available Area ...................................................................... 43 4.5.1 Requirements ........................................................................................................... 44 4.5.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 44 4.5.3 Estimates.................................................................................................................. 45 5 Assessment of application of DNA technologies in Relation to Tuam ..................................... 46 DNA Technology in Identification ..................................................................................... 46 DNA Technology in Individualisation ................................................................................ 46 DNA Pilot Study in Relation to Tuam................................................................................. 47 Technical Report on the Tuam Site Specific Issues Regarding DNA and the Juvenile Remains from Tuam ................................ 47 6 Factors for Consideration in the Implementation of Best Practice .......................................... 50 The formation of an Multi-Disciplinary Body to implement strategy ................................. 50 Undertake further Archival Research and collection of Witness Testimony....................... 51 Undertake further targeted Survey and Testing/Evaluation of specific areas .................... 51 Implement a full Forensic Excavation of all known human remains .................................. 52 Implement a full Forensic Anthropological Analysis .......................................................... 53 Assessment of application of DNA technologies ............................................................... 54 Memorialisation and conservation of the site ................................................................... 54 7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 55 Findings of the ETG and this Report .................................................................................. 55 Summary.......................................................................................................................... 56 8 Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 57 Appendix A – Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................... 58 Appendix B – References ............................................................................................................