Preparatory surveys have commenced at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway, in advance of excavation work there.
It marks the start of a long-awaited process to try to identify the remains of almost 800 infants and children who died at the home between 1925 and 1961.
Over the coming weeks, a number of detailed examinations will take place in and around the site where the presence of "significant quantities of human remains" was confirmed in 2017.
That work, carried out by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, ultimately led to the establishment of a new State agency which is charged with trying to identify the remains and returning them to relatives.
The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention has now commenced the task of examining the area in question.
Those topographical surveys, along with ground-penetrating radar and soil sampling, will be used to determine how best to proceed with the site excavation, which is expected to start in early 2025.
Director Daniel MacSweeney said that the initial analysis is needed, given the complexity of the task ahead.
"It's not an easy process," he said. "The excavation of the site is complex.
"Then we have the exhumation of the remains that we find, followed by the DNA aspect of identifying them – to the extent that’s possible – and then we have the return of remains to families.
"So we want people to understand how that works and to fully communicate the steps involved throughout the process."
Mr MacSweeney has emphasised the importance of ensuring that survivors and the relatives of those who died in the Tuam institution are thoroughly appraised of the work that will be carried out over the coming months.
His office has also been working closely with residents in the Dublin Road estate, which was constructed on the site of the former home.
Many of those people will have parts of their gardens surveyed, as experts work out how best to approach the excavation process.
A number of DNA samples have already been gathered from elderly or vulnerable relatives of those who died in the Home.
A broader programme to collect samples from other families will be launched next year.
These will be cross-referenced with the remains recovered from the site, in an effort to identity remains and ultimately return them to their relatives.
Mr MacSweeney said that it is impossible to know at present the extent of what will be found during the excavations.
While a significant quantity of remains were placed in underground chambers at the site, more could be located on the grounds surrounding the walled area that has been maintained as a memorial to the deceased for several decades.
The work will be carried out in a meticulous fashion, according to Mr MacSweeney, and to the highest international standards.
His office has already recruited a number of specialists who have expertise in the recovery and analysis of human remains.
Forensic Science Ireland will also be involved in assisting with the DNA cross-referencing aspect of the project.
Several former residents have been waiting a lifetime to find out exactly what happened to their siblings at the home.
Among them is Peter Mulryan from Ballinasloe, whose ten-month-old sister died there in the mid-1950s.
Now in his 81st year, he said that he feels "uplifted" by the start of the work that will lead to the excavation, as it is the first tangible sign of the movement so many people have been waiting for.
"Hopefully we will get the answers we have been looking for and the information we have been looking for," he said.