A Mayo woman who climbed Knockma 796 times is leading a three-day commemorative walk from Tuam to Bessborough in honour of the babies who died at mother and baby homes.
A total of 923 children are said to have died in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home, while 796 are reportedly buried in Tuam Mother and Baby Home.
Anne Fahey Ronayne, a native of Hollymount now living in Irishtown, climbed Knockma in County Galway 796 times between January 2023 and July 2025 for each of the Tuam babies.
Extensive excavation works have begun at the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home to identify the remains of the children buried there.
Ms Fahey Ronayne will begin the 220-kilometre “From Tuam to Bessborough with Love” walk from Tuam, County Galway, to Bessborough, County Cork on Friday, August 21.
The walk seeks to raise awareness that many babies who died at the Tuam and Bessborough institutions remain buried in unmarked graves.
Throughout this walk, participants will carry a “Little Light of Love” lantern, which organisers say represents the “hope, love and the enduring belief that every baby and child deserves to be remembered with dignity”.
The lanterns were used during commemorative relay walks from Islandeady to Tuam between 2020 and 2024.
The events were organised by Valerie Jennings, founder of a “Little Light of Love”, which commemorates the children who died in Tuam Mother and Baby Home.
The walkers will speak aloud the name of every baby, together with their age and the date on which they died.
Ms Fahey Ronayne said the upcoming walk is “a promise that these children will not be forgotten”.
“Every step we take is for the babies whose lives were so tragically cut short,” she said.
“We want every child to be acknowledged, remembered and honoured. This journey is about connecting two places through remembrance, compassion and love, while giving each child the dignity of hearing their name spoken once again.”
After walking approximately 73 kilometres per day, Ms Fahey Ronayne will arrive at Bessborough Mother and Baby Home with the other walkers on Sunday, August 23.
Bessborough Mother and Baby Home has been mired in controversy over plans for a large apartment complex near the disused facility.
In May, the High Court quashed An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision to overturn an earlier planning refusal by Cork City Council.
The court ruled that the planning board failed to properly evaluate the potential presence of unrecorded infant burial grounds and the findings of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.
Valerie Jennings, founder of A Little Light of Love, said the walk was in remembrance of the babies, their mothers and the survivors of mother and baby homes and has “nothing to do with politics or religion”.
“Our lantern carries a message of hope and compassion for children and families whose stories deserve to be told. We are honoured to join Anne on this journey from Tuam to Bessborough,” she said.
Members of the public are invited to support the walkers along the route or to join them for sections of the journey.
Communities are encouraged to welcome the walkers as they pass through towns and villages.