The story of Tuam has left a massive stain on Ireland's conscience for more than a decade after it was revealed that nearly 800 children were buried in the grounds of an infamous mother and baby home.
The dark past of the unassuming town in County Galway was brought back into focus this week after officials began to dig for their remains.
Tucked away in northwestern Ireland, the small leafy town was home to Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, a cruel institution for orphans and unmarried women who were subjected to some of the most depraved living conditions imaginable.
The long awaited excavation is part of a reckoning in an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country with a history of abuse within church-run institutions.
The monstrous conditions suffered at the Irish mother and baby home were revealed in a damning 1947 report that painted a grim and harrowing picture of the home years after campaigners first aired their horrifying revelations.
