# Lots of tots rot! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 4, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053 "2014-06-04T19:38:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/1 "2014-06-04T19:38:43Z")
[Irish Catholic orphanage hid the bodies of 800 children in unmarked grave.](http://www.salon.com/2014/06/04/an_irish_catholic_orphanage_hid_the_bodies_of_800_children/) > [@](#): > > They have no headstones, no coffins. No memory boxes of toys and photographs. There are nearly eight hundred of them – and counting. They are the 796 babies and young children aged between two days and nine years whose grave, “filled to the brim with tiny bones and skulls,” was found last week in an unmarked site that once housed a septic tank near a County Galway home for unwed mothers. > > Local death records show that the children, mostly babies and toddlers, died during the years The Home, run by the Bon Secours Sisters, was in operation — between 1926 and 1961. The causes of death listed include “sicknesses, diseases, deformities and premature births.” A full tally of the bodies has not yet been made, and it’s unknown yet if investigators will find more bodies than the ones whose deaths were recorded. > > The grave was first discovered nearly forty years ago. In 1975, two boys playing in the area first uncovered a broken slab that revealed small skeletons underneath. As the Guardian reports, “a parish priest said prayers at the site, and it was sealed once more, the number of bodies below unknown, their names forgotten.” But more recently, local historian Catherine Corless spearheaded a long overdue investigation into what happened to the bodies of those children. She was inspired in part by her own memories of the children from The Home that she grew up with. “They were always segregated to the side of regular classrooms,” she recently told Irish Central. “By doing this the nuns telegraphed the message that they were different and that we should keep away from them. They didn’t suggest we be nice to them. In fact if you acted up in class some nuns would threaten to seat you next to the Home Babies. That was the message we got in our young years.” When Corless contacted the Galway registry to find out how many children had died there, she said the person at the office asked her, “Do you really want all of these deaths?” It was only then she learned the magnitude of her task. She is now fundraising to create a memorial for the mothers and children who passed through The Home. (You can contact her directly about donating: [catherinecorless@hotmail.com](mailto:catherinecorless@hotmail.com)) Kids die sometimes, we get that. But, Sisters, if you deal with that as if you had something to hide, people will suspect you had something to hide. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/2 "2014-06-04T20:27:59Z")
Hi! I have three long paragraphs about something bad that I’ve quoted. Here’s my statement that the bad thing is, indeed, bad. Going forward BG, why not just cut and paste the above? It’s more meaningful and succinct that most of your posts If I wanted to subscribe to a news aggregator, I would ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/3 "2014-06-04T20:50:22Z")
Hi! I get my jollies from attempting to embarrass people by dredging up irrelevant bits of the board’s past. Why not just cut and paste the above? It’s more meaningful and succinct that most of your posts. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/4 "2014-06-04T20:57:18Z")
Pardon me for interrupting, but I’m new to this and need to ask - who should I be rooting for? Eh? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/5 "2014-06-04T21:02:26Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Pardon me for interrupting, but I’m new to this and need to ask - who should I be rooting for? Eh? The poor septic tank that got displaced by those damn corpses. ---
**Author:** ![Krav\_Manga](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krav_manga/32/3153_2.png) [@Krav\_Manga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krav_Manga)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/6 "2014-06-04T21:07:39Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Hi! > > I get my jollies from attempting to embarrass people by dredging up irrelevant bits of the board’s past. > > Why not just cut and paste the above? It’s more meaningful and succinct that most of your posts. Now that’s how you do irony. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/7 "2014-06-04T21:18:23Z")
The article isn’t very informative. Despite what the OP says, there doesn’t seem to be much evidence that the Sisters were hiding the deaths of the children, since their deaths and the causes were recorded. The gravesite seems to basically be a paupers grave for kids that died at the orphanage, which is super-depressing, but I don’t think particularly scandalous. (That the orphanage itself was crappily run is scandalous, of course, but it’s also pretty old news, and the article doesn’t really make the case that the gravesite reveals anything that wasn’t already known.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/8 "2014-06-04T21:21:23Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > The article isn’t very informative. Plus, after reading the thread title, I was hoping for something more in the style of Dr. Seuss. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/9 "2014-06-04T23:07:35Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Hi! > > I get my jollies from attempting to embarrass people by dredging up irrelevant bits of the board’s past. > > Why not just cut and paste the above? It’s more meaningful and succinct that most of your posts. But it’s not irrelevant. I like **BrainGlutton**. we share similar politics, we’re on the same side in many of the big debates here on this board, and i share his outrage at some of the issues he raises in his threads. But he does have a rather exhausting tendency to spam the fuck out of the board with OPs just like this one: post an extended quotation from a news or political site, and then basically express his outrage or agreement (depending on the circumstances) with said quotation. He is, admittedly, nowhere near as bad as the Straight Dope Stupid Thread co-champions, **ralph124c** and **Jinx** , but that’s not a pair that anyone should aim to be grouped with in any conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/10 "2014-06-04T23:15:42Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > The poor septic tank that got displaced by those damn corpses. As an American, I resent this insult. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/11 "2014-06-04T23:57:09Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Plus, after reading the thread title, I was hoping for something more in the style of Dr. Seuss. Actually got it from Gahan Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/12 "2014-06-05T00:21:19Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > … > > I like **BrainGlutton**. we share similar politics, we’re on the same side in many of the big debates here on this board, and i share his outrage at some of the issues he raises in his threads… > > . But where do you stand on dead babies? (…and don’t say “backyard”…) ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/13 "2014-06-05T00:23:33Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > The poor septic tank that got displaced by those damn corpses. This is one of those rare occasions in which the board could use a “like” button. And it wasn’t so much the tank as it was the contents of the tank that were displaced… XP ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/14 "2014-06-05T00:27:47Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > As an American, I resent this insult. You looking for some barney? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/15 "2014-06-05T01:20:12Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > But where do you stand on dead babies?.. Who has feet that small? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/16 "2014-06-05T01:29:33Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > As an American, I resent this insult. I think the actually insult is typically abbreviated to “Seppo”, when they say “septic tank” they usually mean the actual thing in the ground. At least, that is how they talk in Woop Woop. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/17 "2014-06-05T04:05:11Z")
I’m sure the Catholic League will be along soon to debunk it all, just as they debunked the Magdalene Laundries: > **[MYTHS OF THE MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES](https://www.catholicleague.org/myths-of-the-magdalene-laundries/)** > > Bill Donohue > President > Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights > Prejudice, as the psychologist Gordon W. Allport stressed, is always an “unwarranted” attitude. If someone experiences severe discomfort by eating certain foods, there is nothing... ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/18 "2014-06-05T05:12:09Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > But it’s not irrelevant. > > I like **BrainGlutton**. we share similar politics, we’re on the same side in many of the big debates here on this board, and i share his outrage at some of the issues he raises in his threads. > > But he does have a rather exhausting tendency to spam the fuck out of the board with OPs just like this one: post an extended quotation from a news or political site, and then basically express his outrage or agreement (depending on the circumstances) with said quotation. He is, admittedly, nowhere near as bad as the Straight Dope Stupid Thread co-champions, **ralph124c** and **Jinx** , but that’s not a pair that anyone should aim to be grouped with in any conversation. Is ralph even still around? I remember seeing him a lot, then nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/19 "2014-06-05T05:43:47Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Is ralph even still around? I remember seeing him a lot, then nothing. I think I’ve seen him post here and there, just not as much. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053/20 "2014-06-05T06:00:52Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Who has feet that small? Douglas Fairbanks, Jr? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lots-of-tots-rot/690053.md?page=2)