#Mother and Baby Homes

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#Mother and Baby Homes

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Maureen Sullivan received more than 10 abusive letters while members of her family have also received similar correspondence. Picture: Noel Sweeney</p>

news

'It is torture': Magdalene laundry survivor distressed after receiving poison pen letters

'Whenever I speak publicly about my story I get these letters in the door at my home, the most recent one was last week. I have reported them to gardaí'

<p>Maureen Sullivan, the late Margaret McKinney, Dianne Croghan, Patricia Twomey, and Joe Costello outside the Seán McDermott Street former Magdalene Laundry, which is to become a national memorial and research centre. Picture: Moya Nolan</p>

news

'I was 12 when I entered the system': 30 years since closure of the last Magdalene laundry

<p>Between 1922 and 1998, Bessborough operated as the largest mother and baby institution in the country. File picture: Denis Scannell</p>

munster

Move to open sealed Bessborough burial documents

Tuam mother and baby home: 80-year-old hopes her DNA will identify her niece's remains

comment-analysis

Tuam mother and baby home: 80-year-old hopes her DNA will identify her niece's remains

Mother and baby homes

politics

Mother and baby home campaigner to run for Seanad

Sarah Harte Writer head shot.png

Sarah Harte: Here's to all the brave, dedicated, people who fought against institutional wrongdoing

Enhanced medical care for industrial school survivors 'not working'

Enhanced medical care for industrial school survivors 'not working'

Miriam Moriarty Owens said the lack of communication between Government departments and the professionals expected to deliver the services is at the heart of the problem

Mon, 05 Oct, 2026

Tuam mother and baby homes

Remains of further 10 infants recovered from former mother and baby institution

The search, which began in July last year, has so far discovered the remains of 109 infants at the site

Fri, 02 Oct, 2026

David O’Mahony: From the Pied Piper to Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, how history gets rewritten

David O’Mahony: From the Pied Piper to Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, how history gets rewritten

The Pied Piper offers a curious window into how memory, folklore and shame can reshape traumatic events across generations

Sat, 26 Sep, 2026

File Photo The Government has approved the forensic excavation of the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway

Mother and baby home group to disband after taking its cause 'as far as it can go'

'We don’t think we can get any further,' said retired solicitor Dudley Potter

Mon, 21 Sep, 2026

'The Lost Children of Tuam': Catherine Corless 'overwhelmed' at red-carpet Dublin screening

'The Lost Children of Tuam': Catherine Corless 'overwhelmed' at red-carpet Dublin screening

Historian who uncovered the names of 796 children who died in the mother and baby institution attends star-studded screening at the Lighthouse in Dublin

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

Frank Berry: Catherine Corless biopic has 'its own cinematic power'

Frank Berry: Catherine Corless biopic has 'its own cinematic power'

Irish filmmaker Berry, who directs the film, believes the release of the movie is timely, and he hopes it opens a discussion around Ireland’s past, writes Esther McCarthy

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

Trailer gives first glimpse of film about Tuam mother and baby home

Trailer gives first glimpse of film about Tuam mother and baby home

'The Lost Children of Tuam', which follows Catherine Corless's painstaking research into the home and the children who died there, goes on general release in Irish cinemas on September 25

Tue, 15 Sep, 2026

Online petition opposing building of apartments at Bessborough reaches 16,000 signatures

Online petition opposing building of apartments at Bessborough reaches 16,000 signatures

Survivors are seeking State and council intervention to protect the remaining grounds amid plans for 106 apartments

Wed, 09 Sep, 2026

Cork council and Bessborough landowners to attend mediation to decide future of site

Cork council and Bessborough landowners to attend mediation to decide future of site

The appointment of mediators was confirmed on Tuesday by Taoiseach Micheál Martin

Tue, 08 Sep, 2026

Did Éamon de Valera’s government conspire to cover up the deaths of nearly 700 children in Bessborough?

Did Éamon de Valera’s government conspire to cover up the deaths of nearly 700 children in Bessborough?

Donal O’Keeffe looks at the State’s 1947 decision to abandon a threatened investigation into the Bessborough mother and baby institution in Cork

Mon, 31 Aug, 2026

Group to seek judicial review of planning permission for development at Bessborough

Group to seek judicial review of planning permission for development at Bessborough

A judicial review involves a High Court judge examining the legality of a decision made by a lower court or public body

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

My mother was 'trafficked': Daughter's search uncovers family link to Bessborough's missing children

My mother was 'trafficked': Daughter's search uncovers family link to Bessborough's missing children

Six years after her mother's death, Mary Donovan discovered she had twin siblings among the missing children of Bessborough

Tue, 25 Aug, 2026

Leading human rights lawyer joins calls for Government to purchase Bessborough lands

Leading human rights lawyer joins calls for Government to purchase Bessborough lands

Maeve O’Rourke said it was 'just not acceptable' campaigners had such a short deadline for bringing a judicial review into An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision to uphold planning permission for building apartments on the site

Mon, 10 Aug, 2026

Probe into mother and baby homes

Sean Ross Abbey: 'It's another Bessborough...it should be highlighted what happened'

Tina Dooley has opened up about her experience of Sean Ross Abbey for the first time

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Tuam babies film to get Irish cinema release next month

Tuam babies film to get Irish cinema release next month

The Lost Children of Tuam, which is directed by Frank Berry and produced by Liam Neeson, won Best Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh in July

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Church and State tried to silence us, but Gen-X women had new tools

Church and State tried to silence us, but Gen-X women had new tools

For survivors of Bessborough, Cindi Bonny's article was both mirror and megaphone, confirmation that what we lived through was real and an invitation to keep speaking, writes Nóra Flaherty

Fri, 07 Aug, 2026

Letters to the Editor: We fought Church, State, and my own mother to keep our son. We won

Letters to the Editor: We fought Church, State, and my own mother to keep our son. We won

A reader tells how she was forced into Bessborough mother and baby home in 1984, and how she and 'the love of her life' battled to keep their son, and went on to build their family together

Fri, 07 Aug, 2026

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: Bessborough survivor Cindi Bonny on the death of her baby Zoei in 1994

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: Bessborough survivor Cindi Bonny on the death of her baby Zoei in 1994

Cindi Bonny was just 16 but she had already experienced homelessness, drug addiction and an abusive relationship when she first entered Bessborough in 1993, pregnant with her son Kevin

Listen | Fri, 31 Jul, 2026

Bessborough: Minister says 'all options' will be considered for future use of the site

Bessborough: Minister says 'all options' will be considered for future use of the site

Norma Foley also said she will push for cheaper childcare fees in this October’s budget

Thu, 30 Jul, 2026

State's failure to tackle human trafficking akin to accepting 'concreting over burial remains in Bessborough'

State's failure to tackle human trafficking akin to accepting 'concreting over burial remains in Bessborough'

Speaking at an event in Cork, UN special rapporteur on human trafficking Siobhán Mullally said the normalising of illegal adoptions over decades is connected to the normalising of human trafficking now

Thu, 30 Jul, 2026

Grace Lynch funeral

Sinn Féin urges Taoiseach to ringfence funding to purchase Bessborough

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald: 'This cannot become a game of passing responsibility, passing liability, between central Government and Cork County Council'

Wed, 29 Jul, 2026

'Do not bury our history beneath concrete', mother of last baby to die at Bessborough tells Government

'Do not bury our history beneath concrete', mother of last baby to die at Bessborough tells Government

Bessborough survivor Cindi Bonny says her daughter was the last baby to die at the Cork institution and urges the Government to halt redevelopment

Wed, 29 Jul, 2026

Bessborough survivor says children were barred from ‘sacred ground’ he now believes was burial site

Bessborough survivor says children were barred from ‘sacred ground’ he now believes was burial site

Joe Quinn, who was born in the Cork mother and baby home and spent his early childhood there, says children were forbidden from entering a wooded area he now suspects may have been used for burials

Tue, 28 Jul, 2026

Every bone has a story: Tuam's forensic team is determined to tell it

Every bone has a story: Tuam's forensic team is determined to tell it

Forensic experts explain how painstaking scientific analysis is helping restore identity, dignity and answers for families after decades of silence

Sun, 26 Jul, 2026

‘I thought they were dolls’: Pat says he saw babies’ bodies in Bessborough grave in the 1940s

‘I thought they were dolls’: Pat says he saw babies’ bodies in Bessborough grave in the 1940s

Pat Mulcahy's testimony adds fresh evidence to longstanding claims of infant burials on the former Bessborough institution grounds

Sat, 25 Jul, 2026

Tuam mother and baby homes

Irish Examiner view: Ireland's mother and baby homes — a tragedy we cannot forget

We cannot look away from Tuam, where further infant remains were recovered this week — nor from Sean Ross in Tipperary, nor Bessborough in Cork

Fri, 24 Jul, 2026

Excavations at sites of other mother and baby institutions a matter for Government, says Tuam director

Excavations at sites of other mother and baby institutions a matter for Government, says Tuam director

Daniel MacSweeney said his team’s work at Tuam could act as a template for exhumations at Bessborough in Cork and Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Co Tipperary

Thu, 23 Jul, 2026

'Nobody ever spoke about her': Australian woman traces family link to Tuam mother and baby home

'Nobody ever spoke about her': Australian woman traces family link to Tuam mother and baby home

Allara Kate Ashton believes an 11-month-old boy who died at the Tuam mother and baby home in 1925 was her grandaunt’s child, and hopes DNA evidence can finally confirm a family story buried for generations

Wed, 22 Jul, 2026

Remains of another 22 infants recovered from burial site at Tuam mother and baby home

Remains of another 22 infants recovered from burial site at Tuam mother and baby home

Discovery brings the number of babies found to date to 99

Wed, 22 Jul, 2026

Bessborough survivor urges Micheál Martin to follow through on commitment to purchase site

Bessborough survivor urges Micheál Martin to follow through on commitment to purchase site

Madeleine Walsh Marvier's son William was born in Bessborough in 1960 and died six weeks later

Wed, 22 Jul, 2026

'Do the right thing': Over 1,000 brave heat to protest over plans for Bessborough site

'Do the right thing': Over 1,000 brave heat to protest over plans for Bessborough site

As the Taoiseach says a memorial park would be an appropriate use of the grounds, survivors and protesters say they are afraid to hope for justice

Sun, 19 Jul, 2026

After 67 years, the search for two missing Bessborough babies goes on

After 67 years, the search for two missing Bessborough babies goes on

Mary Donovan says Government intervention offers hope, but families still need answers about missing children from Bessborough

Sat, 18 Jul, 2026

Government willing to support State purchase of Cork's Bessborough site, says Taoiseach

Government willing to support State purchase of Cork's Bessborough site, says Taoiseach

The Taoiseach said the historically significant site should be treated with respect and all future options carefully considered

Fri, 17 Jul, 2026

Michael Moynihan: Bessborough ruling proves that we can build anywhere

Michael Moynihan: Bessborough ruling proves that we can build anywhere

An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision to uphold planning to build apartments at Bessborough rids us of all those petty considerations like sensitivity or appropriateness, writes Michael Moynihan, who suggests other places in Cork we can build on like the River Lee, Páirc Uí Chaoimh and cemeteries

Thu, 16 Jul, 2026

Cross-party Cork politicians call on Government to acquire former Bessborough mother and baby home lands

Cross-party Cork politicians call on Government to acquire former Bessborough mother and baby home lands

Cross-party representatives want the former institution preserved as a site of national conscience following approval for a housing development

Wed, 15 Jul, 2026

Bessborough survivors' wishes being overshadowed by human rights debate

Bessborough survivors' wishes being overshadowed by human rights debate

Some survivors have accepted that the burial ground in Bessborough is the site of their babies' remains and wish to grieve them in peace

Wed, 15 Jul, 2026

Louise Burne: Bill Kenneally victims deserve more than words from the State

Louise Burne: Bill Kenneally victims deserve more than words from the State

Bill Kenneally, from a powerful family with deep Fianna Fáil roots, abused his position of power as a basketball coach

Tue, 14 Jul, 2026

CPO of Bessborough site 'not a straightforward' option, says Taoiseach

CPO of Bessborough site 'not a straightforward' option, says Taoiseach

Micheál Martin said purchasing the former mother and baby institution site could not be done 'by just pressing a button'

Tue, 14 Jul, 2026

DENIS SCANNELL

Taoiseach says Bessborough CPO is 'not a straightforward' option

Taoiseach and Holly Cairns clash in the Dáil over plans to develop apartments on the former Bessborough site

Tue, 14 Jul, 2026

Irish Examiner view: We can't ignore calls to turn Bessborough into a memorial park

Irish Examiner view: We can't ignore calls to turn Bessborough into a memorial park

Cork City Council and An Comisiun Pleanála may have failed to see the humanitarian aspect of approving a plan to build apartments on the notorious Bessborough site

Mon, 13 Jul, 2026

Survivor's burial claim reignites questions over missing children at Bessborough

Survivor's burial claim reignites questions over missing children at Bessborough

A woman born in Bessborough in the 1950s says that, as a child, she witnessed an illegal burial on the grounds of the notorious Cork mother and baby institution

Sun, 12 Jul, 2026

Bessborough plan ‘inhuman’, Catherine Corless says at Tuam film premiere

Bessborough plan ‘inhuman’, Catherine Corless says at Tuam film premiere

Historian who uncovered the names of 796 children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home denounces plan to build apartments on Bessborough site in Cork

Sun, 12 Jul, 2026

State urged to buy Bessborough site as outcry grows over apartment plan

State urged to buy Bessborough site as outcry grows over apartment plan

A spokesperson said Cork City Council would not be commenting on the decision

Fri, 10 Jul, 2026

Girl playing with a toy crib and teddy bear in a nursery-themed play room

S Jennifer Horgan: What would a museum of an Irish childhood look like?

I hope we commemorate children long gone, and chart brighter futures for children yet to come

Fri, 10 Jul, 2026