Consider This from NPR

Episode: How hundreds of babies and children ended up in a mass grave in Ireland

Date: August 19, 2025
Host: NPR’s Consider This team, featuring reporter Lauren Frayer
Length: ~14 minutes

Overview

This episode unpacks the harrowing story of Ireland’s mother and baby homes, infamous institutions where thousands of unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth, and where many of their children died—often secretly, and sometimes buried en masse in unmarked graves. The episode focuses on the personal journeys of Anna Corrigan, who discovered her family’s hidden connection to these homes, and Kathryn Corless, an amateur historian whose research exposed the scale of this tragedy. It features voices of survivors and local residents, and explores how the legacy of these institutions is only now being reckoned with through excavations and forensics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anna Corrigan's Family Secret

• 00:02-01:18
  • Anna Corrigan believed she was an only child until her 50s, when she discovered through ancestral research that her mother had two sons before marriage, both born in a mother and baby home.
  • Anna’s mother never discussed this history, keeping her trauma and the existence of Anna’s brothers a secret until her passing in 2001.
  • Quote:
    • “I never knew what she was going through. And then the fact that I didn't know my brothers, I mean, that was… I was deprived.” – Anna Corrigan (01:18)

2. The Context: Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes

• 03:02-03:48
  • For decades, Catholic Church-run homes housed unwed mothers, separated them from their babies, and operated under a veil of secrecy and shame.
  • Thousands of children died under dubious conditions, and their remains are only now being unearthed.
  • The societal climate in mid-20th-century Ireland—including lack of sex education, illegal contraception and abortion, and stigmatization of illegitimacy—set the backdrop for these homes.

3. Personal Testimonies: PJ Haverty’s Story

• 04:50-06:36
  • PJ Haverty was born in the Tuam mother and baby home and separated from his mother, who was denied custody despite her repeated pleas and financial support.
  • At age seven, PJ was fostered out and only reunited with his birth mother decades later, in 1977.
  • Quote:
    • “They didn't want any bonding between the baby and the mother… And when the twelve months was up, then they opened the door and told her to get out.” – PJ Haverty (05:03)

4. The Mass Grave Revelation in Tuam

• 06:36-07:58
  • In 1975, children accidentally discovered a mass grave—actually a disused septic tank—containing the skeletons of infants and children, confirming long-standing rumors among local residents.
  • Ellen, a local, described a culture of silence and respect for the Catholic Church, where everyone knew about the grave but no one spoke out.
  • Quote:
    • “Everybody knew it was consecrated ground… and you respected—like we're Catholics, so you don't mess on consecrated ground.” – Ellen (07:26)

5. Kathryn Corless’ Groundbreaking Research

• 07:58-10:19
  • Kathryn Corless, motivated by faint memories of isolated “home” children at her school, investigated the home’s death records.
  • She was shocked to find documentation for 796 children who died in the Tuam facility from 1925-1961—many from preventable diseases, at four times the national infant death rate.
  • The home kept death certificates but no burial records, and the nearby Catholic cemetery was unused for these children.
  • Memorable Quotes:
    • “[The clerk] said, ‘There are hundreds.’ Now I kind of got a cold shiver. Hundreds?” – Kathryn Corless (08:58)
    • “It's blatantly obvious they had no regard for those children because they're illegitimate… it didn't seem to matter.” – Kathryn Corless (09:57)

6. Official Response and Reckoning

• 10:19-11:48
  • Corless’ findings led to national uproar, a government investigation, and international attention.
  • The Irish Taoiseach called Tuam a “chamber of horrors” in 2017. The nuns eventually issued a public apology for failing to live up to Christian ideals.
  • Yet, within the local community and among clergy, there remains defensiveness and denial about the extent of responsibility.
  • Quote:
    • “There's a lot of misinformation about it. These children, they were very well cared for as best they could. They didn't have the resources.” – Anonymous nun, Sisters of Mercy (11:31)

7. The Search for Lost Family and DNA Discoveries

• 11:48-12:49
  • Forensic excavations are underway, with DNA samples being sought from potential relatives.
  • Anna Corrigan is searching for evidence of her missing brother, William Dolan (born 1950), who isn’t listed among the dead—she believes he may have been adopted in the U.S.
  • Many Irish children were sent abroad for adoption, sometimes via private, clandestine arrangements by nuns, complicating family reunifications.
  • Quote:
    • “If anybody knows anything about William Joseph Dolan, born 1950 in Galway.” – Anna Corrigan’s appeal (12:49)

8. Lingering Impact and Unfinished Business

• 12:49-13:30
  • Reporter Lauren Frayer reflects that the Tuam mass grave is “only the tip of the iceberg,” with more missing children and uninvestigated homes across Ireland.
  • Frayer shares a personal revelation: one of her own relatives was adopted from another mother and baby home where over a thousand babies went missing, and excavations have yet to begin.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They didn't want any bonding between the baby and the mother… And when the twelve months was up, then they opened the door and told her to get out.”

  • PJ Haverty, survivor (05:03)

• “It’s blatantly obvious they had no regard for those children because they're illegitimate… it didn't seem to matter.”

  • Kathryn Corless, historian (09:57)

• “Everybody knew it was consecrated ground… you didn't go and you respected, like we're Catholics, so you don't mess on consecrated ground.”

  • Ellen, local resident (07:26)

• “If anybody knows anything about William Joseph Dolan, born 1950 in Galway.”

  • Anna Corrigan (12:49)

• “This is only the tip of the iceberg.”

  • Lauren Frayer, reporter (13:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:02-01:18 – Anna Corrigan discovers her brothers and her mother’s secret
• 03:02-03:48 – Historical context: mother and baby homes and their social climate
• 04:50-06:36 – PJ Haverty’s testimony and family story
• 06:36-07:58 – Discovery and local knowledge of the mass grave
• 07:58-10:19 – Kathryn Corless’ investigation, shocking findings, and implications
• 10:19-11:48 – Public reaction, government inquiry, nuns’ apology
• 11:48-12:49 – Forensic excavations, missing children, search for family
• 12:49-13:30 – Reflection on broader impact, ongoing investigations

Tone and Language

The episode maintains a tone of respectful empathy and investigative urgency, balancing emotion-laden personal stories with clear exposition and historical explanation.

Conclusion

“Consider This” brings to light the tragic and largely hidden history of Ireland’s mother and baby homes, weaving together survivor accounts, historical research, and current efforts to uncover the truth. The episode highlights both the deep, personal scars left by church- and state-sanctioned institutional practices, and the galvanizing work of individuals seeking justice and closure for thousands of lost children and their families.