I return to the growing development of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance, or the NCRR, and examine how the failure of non-recurrence has all the potential to fail the very concept of social justice the centre was intended to deliver. Are the voices and experiences of the invisible dead, and the very reasons why so many suffered the injustices they did, to be lost through the failure of a commitment?
But as is now customary, I begin my own update of how I am getting on in advocating not just for the delivery of non-recurrence, but the very voices of those who represent the invisible dead, to sit at the top table as the NCRR is being developed.
Non-recurrence is about creating the conditions to tell the whole story of what happened to so many victims and survivors, delivering the truth of their injustices - it is about the why, who, where, when and how. The concept sits at the very core of International Law and indeed the Irish Government has made open and direct commitments to deliver non-recurrence into the NCRR. When I speak about the invisible dead, I am talking about all those who died, either within Institutions or once individuals became free of those Institutions, but are excluded by the general narrative of a tangible justice following a State Apology. If they are spoken of, then it is simply their numbers and not the individuals who once lived, whose lives are now expressed by their own families.
I initially sought answers to the question of what the Irish Government understood by their commitment to non-recurrence, and, how did they intend to deliver non-recurrence within the NCRR. You won’t be surprised that some 2 years down the line, I still don’t have the answers!
Not deterred, I have sought to inform, debate and seek access to a personal dialogue, all, so far, to no avail.
Several weeks ago, I received a response from the Department for Children in Dublin, following letters I had sent to the Minister. The response failed to deal with the points I had raised, in fact I was convinced that the Minister had not seen the letter, and it then sought to cause me to contact on official who had thus far, failed to engage following our earlier direct discussions.
Not deterred, I decided to write again to the Minister, but this time, instead of sending my letter via e mail, I have sent my letter by traditional post to see if the Minister and the Department will handle my advocacy differently. In short, I am asking to be involved in defining how non-recurrence can be represented within the NCRR and, for a seat on the Steering Group where any decision on non-recurrence will be made.
It is a labour of love, committed in the memory of my loved one’s and all that they suffered, but it is a labour that is also committed to the principles of International Law and Social Justice. It presents no threat, just the opportunity to engage, discuss and reach a consensus; that’s all.
As I was thinking about my back-and-forth with the gatekeepers to the Minister, I reflected upon the painstaking events unfolding in Tuam and those representing the interests of those who died within Bessborough. Theirs is a sorrowful journey towards the truth, endeavouring as they do, with great dignity, to find out what happened to their loved ones and where their last resting place may be within the grounds of he former Mother and Baby Home.
It has become a highly charged and controversial debate because of the continual discussion about developing the land for residential or other use.
Understandably, the families are upset by the recent turn of events where the Planning Commission decided that they would approve the plans for development, but, added a ‘stop work’ clause in the event that developers found any human remains. Families are naturally concerned, particularly as it is reported that there are some 923 human remains resting in the grounds of Bessborough.
Despite the solution of a ‘stop work’ clause, the uncertainty surrounding the issue of human remains was indeed acknowledged by the Planning Commission within their decision document, where they stated:
“However, as referenced previously, it is acknowledged that the history of burials on these lands is incomplete due to the lack of records during the period of use of Bessborough House as a Mother and baby Home”.
As the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes commented within their 5th interim report:
“[the]…Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary do not know where the children who died in Bessborough are buried. The Commission finds this very difficult to comprehend as Bessborough was a mother and baby home for the duration of the period covered by the Commission (1922 – 1998) and the congregation was involved with it for all of this time. The Commission finds it very difficult to understand that no member of the congregation was able to say where the children who died in Bessborough are buried”.
And in their final report, the Commission, perhaps expressing their continued frustration, concluded that:
“The Commission finds it very difficult to understand the seeming inability of any member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary to assist in locating the burial places of children who died in Bessborough”.
In the last 12 months there have been discussions about creating a ‘memorialisation’ of the site, but that simply acknowledges that those children may be resting there, and in my opinion, that solution provides no answers, no sense of justice.
As the planning process continued, discussions have turned to obtaining a compulsory purchase order on the grounds to prevent the development and this has morphed into either the local authority and /or government buying the land, but again the same problem exists about knowing who rests in the land, what happened to them and whether there is any accountability to be had?
I have offered that development on the land could be stayed by using provisions within the Institutions Burials Act. The government, through the Minister, could create a limited role for an authorised director of intervention to explore the grounds of Bessborough, utilising International forensic archeological best practices and indeed some of the very same techniques now being used in Tuam, to try and resolve the uncertainty surrounding these grounds.
I have also suggested that there are substantial issues to be explored through Canon Law and the delicts or offences that historically may have been committed, whilst looking at the present-day actions of a religious order through that same lens. It’s an interesting aspect because whilst there are Constitutional and Statutory Rights available to Irish Citizens, most of us are also bound by Canon Law, but so too are the clerics and religious orders. Irish Citizens also known as the Catholic Faithful have rights in Canon Law.
Then I have suggested, before the Planning Commission made their decision, that in the event that they held that planning should go ahead, those affected by Bessborough could embark on a Judicial Review of that decision. It is not a decision for the feint-hearted, but it is part of the process that could potentially lead all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. As I write this, I was very pleased to hear that families have indeed begun their journey towards a Judicial Review; it will be interesting to see the outcome of the court’s deliberations on this important issue!
So as the officials in Dublin have been pondering on my representations on non-recurrence, I began to wonder how they would tell the story of Bessborough?
Would they chart the roads taken by the Religious Order and the State on incarceration and due process?
Would they reveal the story about the lack of information and apparent documentation from the religious order?
Would they examine how the grounds were investigated against those best practices found within International Archeology?
How would they represent the lives of the 923 and their families?
Would they demonstrate the progress of secular laws and constitutional rights and measure them against the issues contained within canon law?
Would the NCRR tell the story of the secular and political processes and a determination towards memorialisation, building on the land, and above all, how accountability has or hasn’t been delivered to the living victims and survivors and the invisible dead?
How will the NCRR explain and demonstrate the trauma suffered by the families of the invisible dead through a process designed by a State and Religion?
These are just some of the basic questions that lead to the delivery of non-recurrence, but those same questions also apply to places like Tuam, Sean Ross Abbey and many other locations across Ireland; it is about how those who have wronged so many, deliver on the very principles of human rights, the right to the truth and social justice.
Reflecting on those questions, I was struck recently by the words of Pope Leo within his encyclical letter, Magnifica Humanitas. The document speaks fluidly about the dignity of the person — this is the Catholic Church’s point of reference on human rights. On Social Justice, he had this to say:
“…justice is not merely about the fairer distribution of resources or the correction of current injustices, but also assumes a restorative dimension. It aims to mend broken bonds and reintegrate those who have been excluded, taking into account the wounds caused by injustices, such as wars, colonialism, racial or gender discrimination, violence against entire peoples and exploitation. This may include restoring dignity and a voice to those who have been ignored, fostering processes of healing for collective memory, opposing discriminatory laws and practices, and providing concrete support to those who still bear the consequences of wrongs suffered in the past”.
His discussion on human dignity and social justice is a timely intervention, and even if the government officials or members of the Steering Group feel conflicted, this is the very foundation upon which the NCRR could and should deliver non-recurrence.
So I wonder how the NCRR will tell the story of Bessborough and in particular, the lives and identities of the invisible dead and of all the Institutional actions and failures that led and continues to lead to so much misery.
Anecdotal tales are all very good in a museum setting, but should it not tell the whole truth and shame the devil?
Perhaps concerns on shaming is the problem; Institutional shaming it will be argued has the potential to cause a fall in confidence in those same Institutions, but isn’t that already happening?
I believe that consensus on this difficult issue is possible, otherwise the lifespan of the NCRR will be limited to several generations and its legacy and Irish history will be lost for the lack of non-recurrence.
(All rights reserved © 2026. This is the Podcast & Article for ‘‘The NCRR: A Silver-lining for a National Remembrance IX”. No reproduction, reuse or manipulation, in any form, either by human endeavour or by any form of software, algorithm or Artificial Intelligence system(s), in any jurisdiction, without the express written permission of Frank Brehany. Music: Si Beag Si Mor by Harpo Marks under licence from PremiumBeat).
Very interesting commentary Frank.
There is no point of the NCRR without non reoccurrence …. What’s the point of telling our families stories without the action required to find their loved ones, the accountability and justice. I always say memorialisation comes at the end of the process but with Bessborough we are having to rise up to stop the diggers going in to preserve what’s left. The government, the Commission failed us all by not following through on the process of investigation. It’s piecemeal to give us the NCRR without the meaningful work to discover what happened to those that died.
Agree with everything you have said.