Member's statement: Milltown Cemetery
Member's statement by Miss Nuala McAllister on .
- MLA
- Miss Nuala McAllister
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 8 April 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Milltown Cemetery
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4480999
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise to call urgently for a halt to ongoing work at Milltown Cemetery that risks disturbing the burial ground of thousands of babies, including my stillborn brother. It has been known for decades that Bog Meadows, which is at the bottom of Milltown Cemetery, is the resting place of those who were not deemed worthy of a consecrated burial by the Catholic Church. There are an estimated 11,000 bodies on the site, including stillborn babies, people who suffered from mental illness, mothers who died during childbirth and those who could not afford a proper burial. Amnesty International has stated that hundreds of babies and small infants from mother-and-baby homes and religious-run children's homes are buried in Bog Meadows. I have met those who believe that they have relatives buried in the site, and they remain extremely concerned that a fully transparent analysis of the ground has not taken place to ensure that burial sites are protected from damage. I call on the Catholic Church and the Department for Communities to urgently halt any work to allow for transparent and independent analysis of the ground in question. Since the story was reported, a number of people have been in touch with me with similar concerns that their relatives may be affected. Families impacted deserve to have confidence that the remains of their loved ones will not be disturbed. I also encourage anyone who has been affected by this or would like help to locate the remains of their loved ones on the site to get in touch. I am acutely aware of the pain that this may be dredging up for many people and families. I want to assure everyone that I will not let the issue rest. Ultimately, we need to call on the Catholic Church to leave the ground undisturbed and let those who lie there finally rest in peace.
312 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.14 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.86).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.96).
- Subject area: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.08 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.07 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.06 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.04 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.12 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.86 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.14 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.96 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.02 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.93 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.05 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:53 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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