Last night.
Academic and Mother and Baby Home campaigner Maureen Considine (at top bottom left), of The Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance, joined fellow activists Breeda Murphy (top left) and Eunan Duffy (bottom right) to discuss plans under consideration to build 246 apartments on land overlapping a possible children’s burial site linked to the former mother and baby home in Bessborough, Blackrock , County Cork.
An interim report by The Mother and Baby Home Commission found that some 900 children died in Bessborough or in hospital after being transferred from Bessborough.
It could only establish the burial place of some 64 children who died between 1922 and 1928 despite “very extensive inquiries and searches”.
However, along with witness testimonies, an early map of the land, discovered by Maureen, shows a ‘Children’s Burial site’ clearly marked.
This is the second in a series of shows looking at aspects of the Mother and Baby home regime ahead of publication of the report of the Commission of Investigation commencing the week of January 11.
Last week: Trafficked With Three Birth Certs
Great kudos to John Ryan at Broadsheet for boldly going where much media does not want to go in highlighting continued and ongoing abuse and trauma of all those affected who know their children are dead but not their burial place ànd those who do not know if their children are dead or alive yet could be interred on this site. At national and local levels, The State has and is continuing to demonstrate abdication generational duty of care, and complicity in neglect, in life and death.
A lovely comment, can I take the opportunity to thank you too for your great work, Eunan.
+1
John has been a strong advocate for Tuam survivors, families and all who suffered at sites of incarceration; there is so much to uncover ; vaccine trials, the forced separation of children from their mothers with any opportunity to reconnect; thwarted as they are by both Church and State; for Bessboro the brutal regime that saw a death toll at times up to 80% in the 1940’s which caused then Chief Medical Adviser do as no one had done before, challenged the Order, closed the Home and saved hundreds of lives. Never again did the rate of death go into double figures. June Goulding’s ‘Light in the Window’ sheds important light on the treatment or lack thereof afforded to the mum-to-be; expected to continue in her house duties right up to birthing her baby. June was the nurse there who took up her post in 1951. Bessboro holds secrets, not just in the Folly but more particularly in the grounds outside of that enclosed area where the remains of tiny little children were laid to rest.
As always, Bessboro is but one institution – they are all scattered throughout our landscape as sites of trauma. We will never recover until such time as we address this sufficiently to bring the dark secrets into the light, provide supports to truth tellers of their incarceration, find the missing children and mothers, ensure appropriate services, redress without waiver or charge is put in place. Person-centered. We should have learnt that by now. Sometimes I truly despair – and feel we have learnt nothing.
Thanks again – you bring much needed light to the scandal
Let’s not forget the “convent” in Dunboyne. Now a “Luxury Spa”.
Ard Mhuire Dunboyne, Sean Ross Abbey , Castlepollard, Newry, Belfast, Derry, Bethany, Sundays Well Cork et al. This island is littered with enumerate cost to death and life where religious fanaticism/extremism waged unholy jihad on women & children for over 150 years and yet we know more about the holocaust, mass burials and inhumanity suffered by foreign countries at the transparent hands of their relevant perpetrators. We despair at the dehumanisation and desensitation of so many in this country horribly affected intergenerationally by slaughter, famine, civil wars that seems to numb so many when we need support to hifhlight the wilful abandon and neglect of all associated with institutional abuse in the 32 counties of Ireland.
Eunan, if you want any help with your great work, please contact me. I lived next door-ish to one of these plop-holes for many years, and would love to help you out.
Retroboy, I’ve passed on your email to Eunan.
Thank you. Maybe I can help.
Any help based on rightful interest towards variant justices, truth and discovery is welcome. All affected continue to suffer wholesale intransigence & unwillingness to acknowledge, atone and redress the ongoung wrongs unfit for civilised and decent society. The numbers affected over generations run into 100s of 1000s. Many families are oblivious to connection and that will always be the case for some given the clandestine, malevolent and criminal/illegal practices executed by the numerous complicit actors.
Redevelopment and premeditated erasure of the shameful history is a systematic approach employed by many privateers with State facilitation not lost on those of us hellbent on resisting immoral impropriety on every level.
I don’t know if I can help or not. But I do know that I know that I lived next-door to one of these places. Met these girls everyday. Not sure it counts.
I mean no disrespect to any of the girls that ‘stayed” there. Was just referring to the place, or maybe the “nuns”.
Great kudos to John Ryan at Broadsheet for boldly going where much media does not want to go in highlighting continued and ongoing abuse and trauma of all those affected who know their children are dead but not their burial place ànd those who do not know if their children are dead or alive yet could be interred on this site. At national and local levels, The State has and is continuing to demonstrate abdication generational duty of care, and complicity in neglect, in life and death.
Ard Mhuire Dunboyne, Sean Ross Abbey , Castlepollard, Newry, Belfast, Derry, Bethany, Sundays Well Cork et al. This island is littered with enumerate cost to death and life where religious fanaticism/extremism waged unholy jihad on women & children for over 150 years and yet we know more about the holocaust, mass burials and inhumanity suffered by foreign countries at the transparent hands of their relevant perpetrators. We despair at the dehumanisation and desensitation of so many in this country horribly affected intergenerationally by slaughter, famine, civil wars that seems to numb so many when we need support to hifhlight the wilful abandon and neglect of all associated with institutional abuse in the 32 counties of Ireland.
Any help based on rightful interest towards variant justices, truth and discovery is welcome. All affected continue to suffer wholesale intransigence & unwillingness to acknowledge, atone and redress the ongoung wrongs unfit for civilised and decent society. The numbers affected over generations run into 100s of 1000s. Many families are oblivious to connection and that will always be the case for some given the clandestine, malevolent and criminal/illegal practices executed by the numerous complicit actors.
Redevelopment and premeditated erasure of the shameful history is a systematic approach employed by many privateers with State facilitation not lost on those of us hellbent on resisting immoral impropriety on every level.
sent you an email Retroboy
Thanks John Ryan for drawing attention to this and to each of the speakers for their ongoing work. Shocking but important watch. Look forward to next week.