Opinion
16 Mar 26

Protest against development of Bessborough Mother and Baby Home site to take place in Dublin this week

"We cannot concrete over a burial site," reads the Social Democrats' post. "We cannot continue to fail these mothers and children again and again."

A protest against the development of the Bessborough Mother and Baby home , will take place outside the Dáil at 17:30 on March 18 .

Developer Estuary View Enterprises has received permission from Cork City Council to build 140 apartment units on the Bessborough site in Ballinure, Blackrock. This decision is being contested due to long-standing objections from former residents and campaigners.

The primary concern is the potential disturbance of undiscovered burial sites. Over 900 children died at Bessborough, yet the graves of only 64 are currently known.

The Social Democrats have issued an urgent call to action: "Join us outside the Dáil on Wednesday to call for urgent action to stop the development of the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home site,” reads their Instagram post. “We know 923 children died at Bessborough. Burial records exist for just 64 of them. And we know there are remains throughout the site. But we don’t know the exact location. We cannot concrete over a burial site. We cannot continue to fail these mothers and children again and again.”

Operating from 1922 to 1998, Bessborough was one of Ireland's largest mother and baby homes, admitting 9,768 women and 8,938 children. These institutions housed single mothers and their babies, often subjecting them to forced labour and abuse. High infant mortality was a commonality across many of these homes, resulting from dire conditions like overcrowding, malnutrition, and inadequate infection control.