Cork councillors back call for Bessborough remembrance memorial  

Survivors of the Bessborough mother and baby home, including the Mayor of County Cork and two county councillors, are calling for a memorial to be created there in remembrance of the children buried in unmarked graves.

A joint motion from Independent councillor Mary Linehan Foley and Fianna Fáil councillor Dominic Finn, who both recounted their days spent in the institution, got unanimous cross-party backing to formally request that Cork City Council make it a condition of any planning granted for the redevelopment of the site to include a memorial to the children buried there.

It then emerged during the debate that a third member of the local authority, Fine Gael councillor Marie O’Sullivan from Kinsale, was also in the mother and baby home.

“I’m another one of the Bessborough babies, and was very fortunate with the parents who adopted me,” she said.

Ms Linehan Foley had previously let it be known she was in the institution, but it is the first time the two others had made such a public statement about being there.

Authentic and compelling

Fine Gael councillor Jack White described the trio’s comments as “the most authentic and compelling contributions” ever made in the debating chamber at County Hall.

Many other councillors listened in respectful silence as each of the trio spoke. Councillors congratulated them for their “bravery” in discussing “something so personal and private”.

“Bessborough’s not just another development site, it’s a place of historical significance and, for many families, a place of profound loss,” said Mr Finn, a secondary school teacher from Cobh.

“For decades, the voices of those affected were unheard. The stories of those children remained largely hidden from public view.

“In recent years, there’s been a growing recognition across Ireland of the need to acknowledge and address this painful chapter in our history.

“Central to that process is remembrance — ensuring that those who died are not forgotten and that their lives, however short, are recognised with dignity.”

Important

Mr Finn and the other survivors said a memorial at Bessborough would have several important purposes: Providing a place for reflection for families and survivors; standing as a public acknowledgement of what occurred there; and ensuring future generations understand the significance of the site.

“I had a friend lucky to escape Bessborough with her baby. The stories she told me are absolutely horrific,” Fine Gael councillor Kate Lynch said. Ms Linehan-Foley said she and her two colleagues “were lucky to have survived and have a good life”.

“We don’t know how many babies there are in these unmarked graves. It’s the least we can do to ask for some type of memorial and recognition. As you can understand, it makes us emotional [to talk about it] at times.”

The mayor said that, along with the formal request to the city council, she would, on a personal level, also push the need for a monument with Lord Mayor Fergal Dennehy.