An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-03
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Holly Cairns (SD), Cork South-West

For a time Bessborough mother and baby home was not just a place where children were born; it was where they died. In 1943, three out of every four babies there died. One of the leading causes of death was starvation. The mother and baby homes commission report stated that 923 children died in Bessborough but burial records only exist for 64. The commission concluded it was highly likely some of those children were buried on the grounds. The State either does not care or does not want to know because there has never been a proper, forensic examination of Bessborough. Unbelievably, Cork City Council has granted planning permission for 140 apartments on the site. Survivors of Bessborough have never received justice. The very least the Government owes them is to find the bodies of their children. Does the Government supports this development and if not, what is it going to do about it?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-03