‘It shouldn't have come this far’

A Bessborough survivor and activist has said she hopes this week’s oral hearing on the plans by a developer to build on suspected child burial grounds will finally bring some justice for those affected.

The An Bord Pleanála hearing took place yesterday, Wednesday, around plans by MWB Two Ltd to develop 179 apartments on grounds suspected to be the burial site of up to 600 babies.

Catherine Coffey O’Brien from the Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance ran away from Bessborough Mother and Baby Home while she was pregnant at age 17.

“It shouldn't have come this far. We don't want exhumations. All we wanted was the land and to preserve and protect it, that's all – a couple of benches and a couple of candles that families can come and visit; it wasn't too much to ask for,” she said.

Ms O’Brien said she hopes what has happened with Bessborough is taken into consideration for future cases of a similar nature in Ireland.

“This is a first for everybody. Before they get developing rights, that land and its history will have to be assessed, and the people who were in those institutions may have information pertaining to unmarked graves in other lands,” she told the Cork Independent.

Developers MWB Two Ltd had a separate application for 67 apartments rejected by Cork City Council earlier in the year.

Speaking in support of the Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance at yesterday’s hearing was Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderick O’Gorman. Ms O’Brien commended the minister and said his support speaks volumes for how far the country has come.

“These babies weren’t claimed when they died, so they’re not going to be claimed now. Maybe it’s a form of justice because there will never be a prosecution. Maybe for once the marginalised women and children will get a little bit of justice,” she said.

Ms O’Brien added that if she and her colleagues had not been in a position to help the women and families affected, there is no knowing what might have happened.

“From the get-go, we’ve been the underdogs. We were marginalised women. For the most part, we didn’t get second or third level educations. If we hadn’t listened to the mothers and worked together, I’d hate to think what would have happened to Bessborough,” she said.

Also attending the hearing was Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire. “There is something very jarring and upsetting about being at a planning hearing, something often so mundane, and to be hearing disputes as to the location of the burial grounds of hundreds of children,” said the Cork deputy.

In a statement to the Cork Independent, MWB Two Ltd said it is very conscious of the historical concerns and sensitivities regarding the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home.

The statement said: “The company has engaged experts in the areas of archaeological conservation and heritage in order to approach the development in the most sensitive manner possible. The experts’ report concluded that there is no evidence to suggest that the proposed development site contains any undocumented burials associated with the former Mother and Baby Home.

“However, as part of the planning process, MWB Two Ltd has committed to carrying out a full archaeological investigation at its site in Mahon,” the company’s statement concluded.

The oral hearing continues today.