Tuam Mother and Baby Home site

bobbyss

Was in Tuam recently and decided to check this site out. I wanted to see the place for myself. The sun was beating down and the sound of birds nesting there was beautiful. A contrast to the real nature of the place

It was a little tricky to find at first and the locals said just go through the alley and it's beside the park. What a comedown. A 'park' must have a different meaning in Tuam. It really was a playground, and quite a big one too. Is there a bigger one in the city? However the park was absolutely devoid of any tree, shrub or flower. It was quite stark. Another odd thing was that it was completely empty. No kids playing or people strolling in this park.

Another disappointing feature to the area was probably the ugliest monument I have ever seen in commemoration to six men executed in 1922. Just a slab of concrete basically but a huge slab. The inscription was mostly in Irish, and it seemed to be in that old type (beautiful) Irish script but so high up you could hardly make out the English never mind attempt the Irish.
I have never seen this before but as regards this monument, who in their right mind approved this block of concrete dominatng and darkening the entrance to the area?

Unless rhe park is part of the investigaton and can not be tampered with, it's in need of flowers and shrubs to prettty it up.

The monument needs replacing with something. Anything would be better than what is there. I wonder have Tuam people commented on its present ugliness,

And the 'graveyard ' itself? Whatever happens it I hope the birds keep singing.

Daisy78

There is a municipal park in Tuam, the Palace Grounds, which is actually a lovely spot and where most people would go to get their walk in or bring their kids to the playground. I’m not sure anyone in the Dublin Road area would consider that site to be a proper park but I’m not local to that area so I could be wrong.

I would assume that until such time as a decision is made about exhumation of the remains there won’t be any proper monument in place. It doesn’t make sense for a permanent memorial to be erected only for it to be dug up/torn down again. I’m sure in time there will be something nicer in its place.

Lissavane

bobbyss wrote: »

Another disappointing feature to the area was probably the ugliest monument I have ever seen in commemoration to six men executed in 1922. Just a slab of concrete basically but a huge slab. The inscription was mostly in Irish, and it seemed to be in that old type (beautiful) Irish script but so high up you could hardly make out the English never mind attempt the Irish.
I have never seen this before but as regards this monument, who in their right mind approved this block of concrete dominatng and darkening the entrance to the area?

It's somewhat ugly alright. The plaque is limestone and is set in the last remaining part of the wall of Tuam Workhouse, also limestone, against which the six men were lined up and shot by Free State Forces in an act of retribution. Concrete was used injudiciously and the monument could be improved.

A little more here https://www.galwaydecadeofcommemoration.org/content/topics/civil-war-digital-trail/the-tuam-martyrs/tuam-martyrs-memorial

bobbyss

Lissavane wrote:

It's somewhat ugly alright. The plaque is limestone and is set in the last remaining part of the wall of Tuam Workhouse, also limestone, against which the six men were lined up and shot by Free State Forces in an act of retribution. Concrete was used injudiciously and the monument could be improved.

I actually read that AFTER i posted. I wasn't aware it was a wall of the workhouse. The whole area I suppose is in a limbo until the greater issue is resolved.
But at the moment it looks like a gritty wasteland.