Ireland orders probe of Catholic homes for unwed mothers after mass deaths revealed

The Irish government will launch a full investigation into controversial Catholic homes for unmarried mothers, following revelations that up to 800 infants died in one such institution over a 35-year period.

The minister for children and youth affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said it was "absolutely essential" to establish the facts about the church-run "Mother and Baby" homes, which accommodated thousands of unmarried women.

He said: "The government and the cabinet have decided to establish a commission of investigation with full statutory powers to examine all matters pertaining to 'Mother and Baby' homes throughout the state."

The move follows the disclosure that 796 children, from newborns to a nine-year-old, died in a home run by the Bon Secours order of nuns in Tuam, in County Galway, between 1925 and 1961.

Historian Catherine Corless, who made the discovery, says death records from the home showed the children died from malnutrition and diseases such as tuberculosis and measles.

There are no burial records for the children, leading many to believe a mass grave in a disused septic tank discovered in 1975 near the home was the children's final resting place.