A newborn baby found in a rubbish skip in Co Limerick almost a month ago is to be buried today.
The body of the infant boy, who gardaí have named Aidan, was found on August 4th at White's skip hire yard in Killala, near the village of Broadford in Co Limerick.
The skip was being unloaded shortly after 9.30am when the grim discovery was made by a Polish worker. He noticed the baby's body fall from a bag while sorting through the rubbish.
The identity of the baby's mother is still not known despite renewed Garda appeals for her to make contact. They had delayed the infant's burial in the hope the newborn baby's mother would come forward. However, the body was released by the coroner yesterday and burial will take place later this morning.
A postmortem showed no sign of foul play, and it is understood the baby did not survive after he was born.
Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Newcastlewest in Co Limerick following 10.30am Mass in the local church, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Gardaí named the baby boy Aidan, in honour of Saint Aidan's Day today.
Supt Tom Gavin last night urged the child's mother to make contact with the Garda. "We can show her where her son will be laid to rest," he said. "This is a very sensitive matter and it will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence." Gardaí have established that the skip in which the baby's body was found had originally come from the town of Rathkeale in west Limerick.
The skip had been in the town for at least a week before it was brought to White's yard in Killala.
"However, it could have been used by people from any part of Co Limerick or indeed north Cork, so we cannot confirm where the child's mother comes from," said Supt Gavin.
"It could be a case that the mother's family don't even know about the birth, but we would appeal to anyone who may have information to contact us," he added.
Newcastlewest Garda station can be contacted on 069-20650.