Remembrance Garden for babies to open in Laois

THE official opening of a Reflection and Remembrance Garden in Abbeyleix next week will mark the closing stage of a poignant project, bringing justice and recognition for unbaptised babies buried in unmarked graves.

The reflection area will also be used by a group of bereaved mothers from the local community, who gather for a prayer service every October to remember their own lost or stillborn babies.

The garden in the grounds of Abbeyleix Heritage House will open at 7pm on Wednesday 25 June, at a ceremony that will include an ecumenical mass.

The event will mark the end of a long road for the Tonduff Cillín project, which saw the installation of a memorial stone at the tragic cillín or burial ground near Abbeyleix last year. For generations up to the 1960s, unbaptised babies were buried in unconsecrated ground beside a peaceful country lane.

The new Reflection and Remembrance Garden includes a reflection seat, with a QR code that visitors can scan to read about the Tonduff burial site.

Local artist Jen Donnery, a long-time member of the Tonduff Cillín Committee, worked free of charge to create a special piece of modern art that features in the reflection area.

Committee member Noel Burke said everyone is welcome to attend the opening ceremony, as he paid tribute to everyone who has supported the cause including the Women’s Development Group, Laois Co Council’s heritage office and countless people who donated to a fundraiser.

He said: “Now the babies are finally being recognised by the Catholic Church, their graves will no longer be unmarked and visitors will know about the stories of the Tonduff Cillín babies. The Abbeyleix community has ensured that the babies will never be forgotten, no matter how many years pass.”