THE BODIES of children who died in religious institutions should be exhumed and returned to their families, Dublin South Central FG TD Catherine Byrne told the Dáil.
Ms Byrne said that during the development of the grounds of the Artane industrial school in north Dublin, the bodies of young boys and the Christian Brothers were removed.
“The bodies of the brothers were interned and identified with headstones, but the bodies of the boys, who were buried in a mass grave with their names only on a wall in the chapel, were never found,’’ she added.
She suggested each child should have an individual gravestone in a recognised cemetery, away from the industrial school in which they were abused. There should be an appropriate engraving on the tombstones, she added.
“I can only imagine what it must be like not to have a place of rest where family members can visit and sit and reflect on the lives of loved ones who have passed away,’’ Ms Byrne said.
“The need to have a place of rest to visit is well documented by counsellors and psychologists as very much part of the healing process of any family bereavement.’’ She said doing this would represent “the first steps taken to heal the many broken hearts of those who were abused and those who have died . . . and to give some comfort and consolation to the family members who are left’’.
Ms Byrne referred to the case of “Freddy’’, who died in Artane in 1934 when he was 13-years-old.
“Children resident in Artane at the time said Freddy entered the infirmary following a beating and never came out,’’ she added.
She said his family had done its utmost to locate his resting place, have his remains identified and bury him alongside his parents and brother in Mount Jerome cemetery.
Minister of State for Health John Moloney said that under the Coroner’s Act, the Minister for Justice could only make a decision on whether an exhumation order was necessary and warranted based on the advice of the coroner and the Garda.
“It is, of course understandable, especially in light of the Ryan report’s findings, that many families will now be anxious to establish the circumstances in which their relatives died, or to have them reinterred in family plots,’’ Mr Moloney added.
He said that an Assistant Garda Commissioner was examining the Ryan report from the perspective of the commission of any criminal offence which might arise from it.
Meanwhile, Dublin Central Labour TD Joe Costello said that the Department of Education should open a book of condolences for the victims of child abuse.
“I believe that the Department of Education, which failed the children entrusted to its care, should now, as a State institution in its own right, make a symbolic statement of apology and atonement by opening a book of condolences in its main office in Marlborough Street, Dublin,’’ he added.
Mr Moloney said a meeting between Government representatives and the survivors’ groups represented a process of engagement with them. A range of issues would be raised and given further consideration by the Government.
He added that Mr Costello’s suggestion would be considered in that context and in further engagement with the survivors’ groups. Mr Moloney reiterated the Government’s commitment to addressing survivors’ needs.
