'Have they no heart or soul?': State urged to CPO Bessborough lands to stop apartments being built

Survivors and campaigners have demanded the Government must compulsorily purchase the land after An Coimisúin Pleanála upheld decision to build apartments there on Thursday

Tuam historian Catherine Corless said she was heartbroken at the decision to uphold planning at Bessborough, and she felt only a compulsory purchase order by the State could put things right. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Government must compulsorily purchase lands at the former Bessborough mother and baby home to stop apartments being built there, survivors and campaigners have demanded.

That is after planning permission granted by Cork City Council to Estuary View Enterprises to build 140 apartments on the site was substantially upheld by An Coimisúin Pleanála. 

In a majority two-to-one decision, the three members of the planning appeals body's only change was to reduce the number of apartments allowed to 106.

One of the home's survivors, Madeleine Walsh, whose son William was six-months-old when he died at Bessborough in 1960, said she could not comprehend how planning was upheld.

“God forgive them, have they no heart or soul?” she asked. 

“How could they think of building on land where children are missing?” 

In 2021, the Mother and Baby Homes Commission reported 923 child deaths relating to Bessborough, which operated between 1922 and 1998.

With burial records existing for only 64 of those children, the commission found it was “highly likely” some of the missing 859 children were buried on the institution’s grounds.

Tuam historian Catherine Corless said she was heartbroken at the decision to uphold planning at Bessborough, and she felt only a compulsory purchase order (CPO) by the State could put things right.

“Cork City Council carries a lot of shame for this, and the planners, and in time they will be remembered for this,” she said.

“It’s a total injustice to the mothers whose babies were taken from them, it’s a total injustice to the poor babies.

Where is the humanity in this decision? It’s like they don’t give a damn about the pain and the grief that they are adding to survivors, and nothing we said or did has made a scrap of difference.

Cork-born actor Siobhán McSweeney said she was angered at the attitude of some in official Ireland.

“Ireland has a huge housing problem, but there is an unforgiveable disconnect if they think they can solve that by building over the bones of babies while thousands of derelict properties lie unoccupied around Cork City and county,” she said.

“Micheál Martin, as a proud Cork man, and as the head of this Government, surely must feel an obligation to affirm the apology this country gave to victims of mother and baby homes.

“Surely the Taoiseach must help now to facilitate a compulsory purchase order for the lands at Bessborough and the establishment of a memorial park to all who suffered in in that place.” 

Noelle Brown, a Social Democrats member of Dublin City Council who was born in Bessborough in the 1960s, said the decision would be deeply distressing for survivors.

“Large scale human rights abuses took place at this site, and this development is not something the public wants, there’s a very strong feeling that this should not happen,” she said.

Two appeals were lodged with An Coimisúin Pleanála against Cork City Council’s decision to grant planning permission to Estuary View Enterprises.

One was by Carmel Cantwell, daughter of survivor Madeleine Walsh, on behalf of the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home Support Group, and the other was by Labour Party city councillor Peter Horgan.

Ms Cantwell said the decision had been deeply hurtful for families who still did not know where their loved ones were buried.

For the 18,706 mothers and children that went through Bessborough, I’m deeply sorry that the Irish State still doesn’t fully understand the trauma so many went through.

She vowed the group would continue to push for a CPO "to ensure that this site is treated as the place of national conscience it is”. 

Mr Horgan said he has contacted the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Damian Boylan, to request a suspension of standing orders at next Monday's meeting of Cork City Council.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was asked for a comment.