Cork City Fire Brigade tackled a blaze in Cork city for almost 12 hours yesterday morning.
Gardaí are making enquiries after a fire at the former Good Shepherd Convent in Sunday’s Well.
Crews from Anglesea Street and Ballyvolane Fire Stations arrived at the scene at 3.30am and were still dampening down the flames the following afternoon.
This is the third reported fire at the premises on the North Side of Cork City and there are calls for a re-development by owners, or for Cork City Council to take it over.
Speaking to RedFM News Councillor Kenneth Collins said the fire was likely due to anti-social behaviour and they must be stopped.
"I'm calling on those who are going in and lighting these fires to desist.
"It's sad because you know what's going to happen here is there's preservation order on the building, and so many fires will happen, they'll have to knock the building and the history of the building will will be gone.
"It's important that something happens here because the building facade has to be kept. And if it's not kept, developers could have a blank canvas to work off then and they might go for a different style development again, without the facade of the building."
Meanwhile there have been calls for the premises to allow public access.
The Good Shepherd Convent operated as a Magdalene laundry, mother and baby institution, and orphanage for 103 years and has been derelict since its closure in 1977.
Speaking to RedFM News Councillor Mick Nugent says people who want to have access to graves will find the fires distressing.
"In there you have the nuns graves there, you have the famous little Millie who is also buried in there.
"Just inside the footprint of the complex you also have a grave that holds at least 3o women who died in the Magdalene laundry.
"Surviviors think there's a lot more buried by there.
"Developers had committed to allowing public access to that, which hasn't happened yet."
