A religious order which sanctioned the near total demolition of an historic structure in Cork has agreed to reinstate it in full within four months of the rebuilding work starting.

THE burial locations of thousands of babies born in mother and baby homes remain unknown after investigators hit unexplained gaps in official records and claims by religious orders that they did not know what went on.

A scoping exercise into hundreds of thousands of the State’s adoption records may reveal thousands of people who have no idea they were illegally adopted.

The Government has rejected immediate redress for children from mother and baby homes.