Shock and division after approval for apartments on site of former mother and baby home in Cork

Cork City Council has granted developer Estuary View Enterprises conditional planning permission to build 140 apartments on the site of the former Catholic mother and baby home in Bessborough. The decision, subject to 70 conditions, was made on February 25, 2026, and triggered immediate, strong emotional reactions among survivors of the institution and their families. mother and baby homes Those opposing the investment fear that earthworks could disturb the resting places of hundreds of children whose graves have never been located. According to the findings of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, 923 children died at Bessborough, but the burial sites of only 64 of them are known. The rest lie in unmarked graves on the estate grounds. Permission was granted despite the rejection of earlier applications from the same developer concerning development of this area. As reported by the Irish Independent, previous applications were blocked, among others, by the national appeals body, which pointed to the real risk of human remains being present on the development site. A condition of the current decision is the investor's hiring of a qualified archaeologist to oversee the works. However, this has not calmed the mood. „Survivors are deeply saddened at this decision. This site should be treated with the respect and dignity those children deserve.” — Carmel Cantwell – said a representative of a support group, announcing an appeal. Reactions from local representatives and the survivors themselves are divided, as noted by the Irish Independent, but the tone of most articles expresses clear shock and opposition. Institutions like Bessborough operated in Ireland for most of the 20th century, forming part of a broader system of social and moral control in which the Catholic Church played a key role. Thousands of women were sent to similar facilities, and their children were often adopted, frequently without the mothers' consent. The tragic history of these homes only began to be fully revealed and investigated in the 21st century, leading to public apologies from the state and the Church. The comprehensive investment, in addition to the construction of three new residential blocks, also includes the revitalization of two existing outbuildings for shared resident amenities, such as a library or coworking space, and the construction of a new pedestrian and cyclist bridge. Despite these urban amenities, the dominant theme in media coverage remains the painful memory of the institution's victims and the moral dilemma associated with developing such a historically charged site.

Perspektywy mediów: Media such as RTÉ and the Irish Examiner focus on the emotional dimension of the decision, quoting directly from those affected by trauma and emphasizing a sense of disrespect for the victims. The Irish Independent, while also reporting the shock, notes a more nuanced picture, pointing to divided reactions among different survivor groups and local politicians.