Cork council calls on Govt to release Bessborough records

Cork City Council has unanimously passed a motion calling on the Government to release burial records from the Bessborough Mother and Baby institution, held within the archive of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

The motion also calls for the Government to direct the Attorney General to open inquests into the deaths there "as a matter of moral urgency".

Bessborough Mother and Baby institution operated from 1922 until 1999 under the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

The Commission of Investigation estimated that 923 babies died at Bessborough during the 76 years it was operating.

It found that the burial location of just 64 babies could be conclusively identified and the burial records for 859 children and 19 women were missing.