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A Senator from Kildare has called on the Irish government to exhume the Tuam Mother and Baby home site.
Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O' Loughlin made the comments about the scandal, which first came to light in 2012, in a recent sitting of the Seanad.
She said: "It really was just shocking. It was horrific to watch and it just really just showed us how the state has failed so many times to protect these vulnerable souls."
"The story of Catherine Corless and her incredible and tireless work is well known, and she deserves so much credit for bringing this home to the public’s attention- and unfortunately the 796 babies that perished at that site and were disposed of in such a heartless and callous way are very, very well known."
Senator O' Loughlin continued: "The site needs to be exhumed, these lost souls deserve a proper and dignified burial.
"Their families deserve some closure, and to treat their family members with the respect and dignity they were not shown during their short lives and indeed in their death," she concluded.
Senator Fiona O' Loughlin's comments follow shortly after Dr René Gapert of the Human Remains Services Ireland said that the identification of remains at the Tuam mother and baby home 'could take years' to produce results.
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