Bessborough planning decision
Senator Harmon urged the Taoiseach to support survivors and oppose the planned apartments at the Bessborough mother and baby home site in Cork.
In relation to the site of the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork, this week is critical because we will be hearing the decision in terms of planning for the building of 140 apartments there. I want to call out the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, in relation to this issue. The site is located is his constituency. Just last year, on 29 June 2025, he spoke at the commemorative event held there. The Taoiseach has spoken out of both sides of his mouth in respect of this issue. He has been weak on it. He needs to stand by the survivors. He stated that there was "unfinished work here" in respect of this site and that he "will work with Cork City Council". He said that there was significant work to be done for this specific site because the land not being in State possession is an issue and that he will work with all, including the council, to see what can be done to deal with this.
I do not know what the Taoiseach has done in relation to the site. On Leaders’ Questions last week, he threw the city council under the bus. He said he believed that the site should have been compulsorily purchased by the council years ago. Again, we await the decision that is due to be made this week. Regardless of what that decision is, however, the State needs to step up to the mark here. Surveys were done at the site which did not involve the use of all the modern technology that is available. There are families and survivors who do not know where babies are buried. A total of 923 babies died at the site, and only 64 have been accounted for.
Women died on this site. I was there on Friday with the leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Bacik, and Councillors Peter Horgan and Ciara O'Connor. We paid our respects at the folly, which is being used because there is no headstone and no marked graves. This is a huge issue for Ireland. It is a site of conscience, historical importance and education and we need to preserve it. We need to press our Taoiseach to do more on this. It is in his constituency of Cork South-Central and he needs to stop prevaricating on this issue.