Bessborough survivors vow to chain themselves to diggers to stop apartment plan

More than 250 people at Sunday’s commemoration heard that survivors of the mother and baby home and their supporters will not stand by if planning is upheld and construction begins on the site

Broadcaster PJ Coogan speaking to the people attending the annual Bessborough commemoration on Saturday. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Sun, 28 Jun, 2026 - 20:00

Donal O’Keeffe

The annual Bessborough commemoration in Cork on Sunday heard that survivors of the former mother and baby institution are willing to chain themselves to diggers, should planning for 140 apartments on the site be upheld.

In February, Cork City Council granted permission for the apartments, which has been appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála, with a decision due by July 9.

The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary ran Bessborough as a mother and baby institution between 1922 and 1998.

Christy Kirwan, Carmel Cantwell, and Joy Kelly O'Regan at the Bessborough mother and baby home commemoration on Saturday. Picture: Jim Coughlan

In 2021, the Mother and Baby Homes Commission reported 923 child deaths relating to Bessborough, concluding that — with burial records existing for only 64 of those children — it was “highly likely” some were buried on the institution’s grounds.

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More than 250 people, among them several elected representatives, attended Sunday’s commemoration, which heard that survivors will not stand idly by if planning is upheld and construction begins on the site.

Carmel Cantwell, whose brother William died in 1960 in the care of Bessborough, said the bodies of 859 children are missing from the institution, and no exhaustive search of the site has ever been conducted.

“We have spoken to witnesses who saw burials take place, we know children were laid to rest here, but there is no single, identified burial place,” she said.

Singer Camille O'Sullivan performing at Saturday's 2026 commemoration at the former Bessborough mother and baby institution in Blackrock, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan

“The land itself holds the truth. These buildings, these fields, they hold the stories, the secrets, and the remains of our family members.”

The gathering heard moving testimonies from survivors and family members, with many vowing to fight against any development of Bessborough’s remaining 60 acres.