Cork City Council has unanimously passed a motion calling on the government to release unpublished technical archaeological reports concerning burials at the former Bessborough mother and baby home in Blackrock, Cork.

The motion, proposed by Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan, received cross-party support during a council meeting on Monday evening. It urges the government to unseal burial records held in the archive of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and writes to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and Attorney General requesting that an inquest into deaths at the site be opened as a matter of moral urgency.

The former mother and baby institution, operated by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary between 1922 and 1998, admitted nearly 20,000 women and children. According to the 2021 report by the Commission of Investigation, an estimated 923 children died while resident at Bessborough or in hospital following transfer. However, burial records were identified for only 64 children, leaving the burial locations of 859 children unknown.

The council’s action comes amid ongoing opposition from survivor groups and campaigners against residential development on the former grounds. Planning permission for a residential apartment project on part of the site was upheld on appeal by An Coimisiún Pleanála earlier this year, a decision that survivor advocates are challenging in the High Court through a judicial review.

Speaking after the motion passed, Councillor Horgan stated that the unanimous vote reflected a shared commitment across all council members to demand answers and ensure the historic site is treated with dignity and respect.