Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
Looking back in hindsight - a wonderful thing, isn't it?
*NOTE* I started writing this post on September 18th (but got side-tracked), so the information & perspective below are intended to reflect information at the time, any new developments since will have been added in.
So, it has been over a month since my last post, I apologise for the radio silence, college has thrown a lot at me assignments wise and I’m just getting a handle on it all! Wanted to get something out while it’s still October.
You might (or might not) be aware of a collective battle to save the Bessborough grounds from development. In mid-September, it was revealed that one developer—MWB Two Ltd—who owns part of the Bessborough grounds had another of their planning applications scrapped by An Bórd Pleanála.
Rightly, it’s been another point of celebration for people, knowing that what they own won’t be developed. At least, MWB Two’s part anyway. Unfortunately, some media outlets have neglected to mention that two outstanding planning applications are still awaiting a verdict. These are both lodged by a developer called Estuary View Enterprises (or EVE, as I’ll refer to them from here on) and have been awaiting an answer since 2022, both applications can be found here and here.
People may feel that because MWB has been rejected it’s the majority of the land. That’s far from it. What I am about to share is paraphrasing from a Twitter thread by activist, Carmel Cantwell. You can read her entire thread here. It’s a damning read.
Below is a map showing who owns what parts of Bessborough, as you can see MWB Two own a smaller part, whereas EVE owns the vast majority of the grounds.
The two planning applications still awaiting a decision are ‘The Meadows’ [purple] and ‘The Farm’ [Orange]. The image below comes from here, from the ‘ABP Opinion Response Report (Architectural Items) file on page 3 in case you want to look at it yourself without my added highlights.
There has been little attention paid to EVE because what has been reported by another group who have been named in documents provided (and what has been taken as fact) is that the Children’s Burial Ground is where I have marked on the map with a blue circle.
The only issue with that theory is that despite trenches being put through the area, there were no remains found in that part of the grounds, see this article and this article for more. This has left many (myself included) to ask for more investigation into the grounds, but a lot of this has been falling on deaf ears.
Carmel speaks more sharing recollections from survivors about parts of the home that were used in her thread.
But, even with the plans for a ‘remembrance park’ being included in the plans for the development, this is because the developers can’t develop that part due to the landscape in front of the home. Irrespective of which, it is very unlikely that they would even bury any child in front of the door of Bessborough House as it would’ve been quite obvious to anyone who did visit Bessborough. The whole premise of building this remembrance park is a feckless token to try and sway the decision makers in allowing it to happen, the aim, a false sense of care towards those affected (and their families).
As for what we are continuing to press for is an investigation. An investigation to provide answers to 859 missing children’s families. That number does not include the number of stillbirths that weren’t registered. 859 mothers who lost their children. 859 questions left unanswered. 859 families who deserve clarity. 859 reasons to investigate. 859 children who don’t have a definite resting place their families can visit to mourn.
We should not attempt to substitute the truth with a false sense of comfort.
The above map with added arrows are where there have been accounts of people seeing where burials had taken place. But even with these eyewitness accounts, there is a lack of desire for the government to do anything.
So, please send this blog post to your TDs, Councillors, Representatives — anybody, for crying out loud. Your Facebook feed, Twitter page, Instagram story, WhatsApp status - anything that might just get the word out.
However, with an imminent general election looming over us here in Ireland, there are some… campaigns(?) [best word I could use here] by politicians here to entice potential voters into their corner. Some are smart, and some are awful and just tone-deaf. It swings in roundabouts. But, this one I thought was just downright ridiculous. A few days after the decision regarding the planning proposal had been announced, this article was put out. [Click here to view the article]
Micheál Martin, our Tánaiste had stated [in short terms] that the State should’ve bought the grounds of Bessborough. Now, you might be thinking why am I making a big deal out of this? That’s because Micheál Martin could have bought Bessborough. After all, he was Ireland’s Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and people have been asking him to buy it even when he was Taoiseach.
Of course, it’s how it always goes — would he have bought Bessborough? Could he have bought Bessborough? He should have bought Bessborough.
This fight is not over. Not until we have justice and the truth for the missing children of Bessborough.