Bessborough researcher urges purchase of site and inquest into deaths of women and babies

A researcher specializing in Ireland's mother and baby homes has called on the government to acquire the grounds of the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home through a compulsory purchase order and to initiate an inquest into the deaths of nearly 900 women and babies whose graves have never been located. Conall Ó Fátharta, an academic who has conducted detailed research on Ireland’s mother and baby homes, stated that it was disgraceful that survivors of Bessborough Mother and Baby Home had to protest publicly to prevent development on the site in Blackrock, Cork. He noted that 19 mothers and 859 infants linked to Bessborough are believed to have died and remain missing, with their burial locations unknown. The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation previously concluded that burials likely occurred on the grounds of Bessborough, though its findings lacked comprehensive evidence such as geophysical surveys or test excavations. This call comes following remarks by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who recently encouraged Cork City Council to explore options for the future of the site. In February, Cork City Council approved planning permission for Estuary View Enterprises to construct 140 apartments on part of the Bessborough site. A recent appeal decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála largely supported this approval, allowing for the development of 106 apartments. Ó Fátharta emphasized that the council had earlier passed a unanimous motion on July 13th expressing support for acquiring the remaining 60 acres of the site to honor the wishes of many bereaved families. He argued that the land should be preserved as a public memorial and place of remembrance. He questioned the government’s reluctance to act, noting that similar actions had been taken in the past, including the acquisition of land for infrastructure projects in the 1970s. He pointed out that the issue extends beyond planning concerns, involving human rights obligations to investigate deaths, locate remains, and return them to families. His research revealed that girls as young as 13 were sent to Bessborough as late as the 1980s, often victims of rape, and that unmarked burials continued until the 1990s. Records show an infant mortality rate as high as 82 percent in the 1940s, with the state admitting fears of a "public scandal" as early as that time. Ó Fátharta further suggested that the government should release all relevant records from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation regarding burials at Bessborough, mirroring actions taken in cases involving the Tuam mother and baby home in Galway and Sean Ross Abbey near Roscrea in County Tipperary. He also advocated for an inquest under Section 24 of the Coroners Act 1962, arguing that families had waited decades for meaningful investigations into these deaths.