Last week.
At the former Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork – which is one of the homes being examined by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation and where last month Minister for Children Katherine Zappone said the commission examined the home’s burial plot but had not conducted a geophysical examination of the site…
“Maintenance work” reportedly began on a stone structure, known locally as the Castle Folly, which backs onto a burial plot on the grounds of the home.
Further to this…
This afternoon…
Donal O’Keefe tweetz:
This is the scene at Bessborough today.
Survivors and families believe there are hundreds of babies buried in the grounds of Bessborough.
The unannounced partial demolition – without planning permission – of the castle folly has caused huge distress, especially at a time when the grounds are up for sale for development.
Meanwhile, last week…
Conall Ó Fátharta, in The Irish Examiner, reported:
The Irish Examiner asked the Order [Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary] what company was carrying out the maintenance work and if any expert was on site to potentially identify issues of concern should they arise.
It declined to answer these questions stating that it had contacted the Commission and would “deal directly with the Commission on all related matters”.
Meanwhile…
How the ‘Castle Folly’ at Bessborough looked before…