John Furlong, 94, was part of an undercover operation that helped women escape from the religious-run institution for unmarried mothers when he was a teenager.
The unofficial group of 10 people were involved in relocating women who wanted to flee the home for a better life abroad.
Mr Furlong from Beechwood Park, Ballinlough in Cork passed away peacefully on Monday at Cork University hospital.
In an interview with the Irish Examiner in April 2023, Mr Furlong described how he developed an interest in the Bessborough home as a young man.
He grew up in Ballinure Cottages whose gardens backed up against the institution for unmarried women. Mr Furlong was, at the time, one of the youngest of the 10 who later became known as the “Angels of Bessborough”.
His role was to throw local gardaí off the scent when a woman was being rescued from Bessborough.
He said: “I will always be sorry for those who didn’t get away and when it all came out a few years ago, I remember thinking, we knew that was going on, everyone knew. But some tried to help."
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary oversaw Cork’s Bessborough institution, as well as Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea and Castlepollard in Co Westmeath.
Bessborough opened in 1922 and according to the Commission of Inquiry into mother and baby homes, it operated until 1998. During that time, figures show 9,768 mothers and 8,938 children were admitted to the institution.
Mr Furlong and the other “Angels” worked to help the women leave Bessborough without being noticed.
Some were smuggled onto the ferryboat, The Innisfallen, that sailed twice weekly between Cork and Fishguard where they would be met by a contact who would bring them to live in the Irish communities in the UK.
Mr Furlong will repose at the Temple Hill Funeral Home, Boreenmanna Road, on Thursday from 4pm to 5pm before Requiem Mass at 11am on Friday in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Ballinlough.