I never thought she was pregnant. John Aidan Byrne was a reporter at the time for the now defunct Longford News. Louise Lovett, the one remaining daughter of the family, is now the chief executive of Longford Womens Link; an organisation that aims to link women in the pursuit of justice and equality.. What weve done is weve used the criminal law to try to regulate the behaviour of young people and its so unclear at the moment that young people dont know where they stand, says Behan. https://t.co/dwFATxiG0L via @TheAvondhu pic.twitter.com/51cEuy2Num. I saw it happen. Her favourite subjects were art, English and biology. Lily, Patricia Lovetts close friend, says that in all the years she knew her, she never once talked about either of her daughters. Ann Lovett is after dying, they told her bluntly. Ann, still alive but haemorrhaging heavily, was carried to the house of the parish priest from where a doctor was phoned. But Ann was in shock and the young schoolboys had already carried her, hemorrhaging heavily, to the door of the priests house. The grottos distinctive railings and water font that remain in situ today had come out of the chapel of Granard workhouse, which closed in 1922. Now I write historical novels and mystery novels with a dash of romance. memorial page for Margaret Ann Lovett Grimes (9 Feb 1861-1 Jun 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 38101880, citing Oak Grove Cemetery, Portsmouth, Portsmouth City . Ann Lovett (6 April 1968 - 31 January 1984) [2] was a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Granard, County Longford, Ireland who died giving birth beside a grotto on 31 January 1984. My pal said, I dont care what anyone says, but shes not pregnant., I said, is she supposed to be? Nobody ever knew who the culprit was who made her pregnant. He also said that he and his wife were aware that Ann had had a boyfriend who was a few years older than her and they had advised her against seeing him, due to this age gap. That is not Ann Lovett. She had, however, attended the local Granard doctor, Dr Tom Donoghue, twice in recent months. A Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring. When not writing or reading, I can usually be found digging in the garden or tramping . [1], McDonnell further told The Irish Times, that at the request of Granard garda, McDonnell's mother was to escort him be interviewed by local authorities. The course of action to be followed by him was agreed.. The feeling that the town is still being judged remains and there is a strong instinct to protect Anns mother, Patricia, who still lives there. It is difficult to express how the staff feel on this sad and tragic occasion. I was a 15-year-old boy. Step into a world of glamour at Dublin's most stylish townhouse, Number 31, The evolution of St. Patricks Day - why we celebrate. Both Ann and her sister Patricia attended the Cnoc Mhuire secondary school in the town. The workhouse had long since been demolished, and on its site stands the Cnoc Mhuire secondary school. Ann Lovett, 15, died after giving birth in a churchyard grotto beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary on January 31, 1984. At the beginning, we used to meet at the pool hall or the chipper and wed hang around there smoking fags and having the craic, messing about. Death of 15-year-old Ann Lovett in childbirth changed Ireland, Boyfriend of Irish schoolgirl who died in childbirth in church grotto speaks out, How you can learn Gaelic literature and culture online with a top Irish university, Colin Quinn is back off Broadway in new show "Small Talk", Monster Love at Origin's 1st Irish hit "Frankenstein's Monster Is Drunk". His occupation was Bus Driver. She did not respond to requests for an interview. I had no clue about stuff like that then. We know that access to contraception has improved immensely but, for young people in particular, there are two stand-out issues. I always thought she was a strong kind of a girl; a kick-ass kind of girl., Michael was in Anns year, and often sat beside her in class. His quiet life in the mountains of Western North Carolina will never be the same again. None of the family has ever spoken publicly about the events of 1984. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. They heard moaning coming from the grotto, and they discovered Ann lying on her back and the dead baby nearby. He is uncomfortable discussing that editorial now. Barely a quarter of an hour after the weak winter light dawned in Granard, Bridie McMahon, a neighbour of the Lovetts, was making her way home from early Mass at St Marys church. Or even suspected that anybody had rumors or anything about her. There was a pub down the town, Phil Smiths, which had a pool table in a backroom, and there was the pool hall next door. Dr Donoghue immediately called an ambulance, which had to come from Mullingar hospital, 42 kilometres away. Contributors to this documentary include Emily O'Reilly, Kevin O'Connor and people from Granard. [17], In the run-up to the 2018 Irish abortion referendum the case was again remembered. Extensive efforts by The Irish Times to determine what, if any, archival documents relating to Ann Lovett are held in the Departments of Health, Justice, or Education, have yielded no results. The archives of the Department of Health was a complete shambles at the time., Rural Ireland was a closed society then on matters relating to the care and protection of children. The Longford Leader, in its first report on the story on February 10th, asked the same question: who knew? The repercussions of her death continue to resonate powerfully in Irish society, more than three decades later. Many residents of Granard accused the media of being overly intrusive and of wrongly attaching blame to the community for the tragedy. On February 16th, 11 days after the story became public, the Midlands Health Board issued a statement about the findings of its report. There were and still are more questions than answers surrounding the case. anne lovett A secret from a tragic past meets the longings of a lonely present. Ann had 8 siblings: Samuel Lovett, Elisabeth Fox (born Lovett) and 6 other siblings. Ireland's silence in the aftermath of the . But people werent sure. And he returned that love to us by being protective, unselfish, and supportive. Now retired and a member of Granard Town Council, he believes the towns reputation suffered unfairly. Nell McCafferty, who went to Granard for In Dublin magazine, wrote that one staff member had refused to sit with colleagues that morning while the statement was being read, disgusted at what they perceived as hypocrisy. From florist to fraudster, leaving a trail of destruction from North Cork, to Waterford, to Clare, to Wexford and through the midlands learn how mistress of re-invention, Catherine O'Brien, scammed her way around rural Ireland. You couldnt over-emphasise the psychological damage this event did to the people of Granard. The other siblings were Neil, Gerard, Colman, Stephen, Kevin and Diarmuid. Valentine Hill of Boston and was admitted to Boston Church Sep.7,1644 and was "now wife of one Lovitt of Braintree" was dismissed to Braintree Church Mar.30,1645. Ireland's silence in the aftermath of the tragedy is still felt. Meanwhile, the three boys had again run out into the road and knocked at the door of a nearby house. And no way would she have gone to the Palms on her own, to have a baby, because she could have asked anybody for help, anybody, and they would have helped her. She was fun to be with; a fun person to be in the company of.. If the ban were not written into the Constitution it would lead to every manner of social ill against young women and girls, we were told. The other issue is the law. and quiet. We all knew Ann was going to have a baby, an unnamed female student at the Cnoc Mhuire school told another reporter. Put it this way, why would you think your classmate was pregnant?, As for the wider community, I find it very hard to fathom that the adults didnt know. I know from talking to Granard people they were completely at sea as to what was to be done or what was going to happen. Ann Lovett and her child were quietly buried three days later in Granardkill cemetery. And the priest come out, and I told him, and he says, Its a doctor you need. And I said I need you too, Father, the baby is after dying and this little girl might be dying too.. Of those who responded, most declined to be interviewed. She looks like so many of my friends from the 1980s; she looks like me. The first most people became aware of the death of Ann Lovett and her baby was after O'Reilly's report featured on the front page of the the Sunday Tribune on February 5th, two days after her funeral. At 5.55pm, Ann was admitted to Mullingar hospital, and it was noted her lips and fingertips were white on arrival; a medical state called cyanosis. Emily Lovett Lee 1856 - 1924. Discover life events, stories and photos about Sarah Ann Lovett (1830-1874) of Pennsylvania, United States. Id broach the subject and shed laugh it off, or shed say, shed just put on a bit of weight, and she was embarrassed.. He was full term and weighed 6 pounds. She was the third youngest of nine children born to Diarmuid and Patricia Lovett. Gallagher took blankets from the house and hurried back to the grotto for a second time. Among those in thegallery were friends of Ann, and one of her teachers. The Garda file that went to the coroner has never been publicly seen. I thought she might have stayed on to help out with the school magazine.. The farmer took note of his tone. She was intelligent. In the ensuing public debate, the tragic events at Granard became symbolic of the emerging clash between church and state. Shortly after Diarmuid and Stephen Lovett got to the grotto, Dr Donoghue also arrived. Death: 1961 (79-80) Immediate Family: Son of Green Duncan Lovett and Elizabeth Ann Martin. I know some other students were unhappy with the way the nuns handled it. It was Byrne who discovered that the baby boy had been baptised with the name of Pat. The inquest heard that there was no trouble at home. Just months before Anns death I had watched adults tear the country apart over the 1983 abortion referendum. That week, via a spokesperson, Canon Gilfillan stated to the media that Whoever gave the news to Dublin was only spreading scandal., Canon Gilfillan stood up at Sunday Mass on February 12th and delivered a strongly-worded sermon. Anybody thats logical would have done that. Anybody would have done that. Death of 15-year-old Ann Lovett in childbirth changed Ireland, How you can learn Gaelic literature and culture online with a top Irish university, Ireland perceived as less corrupt than UK for first time in 25 years, All-male Beckett play canceled for only hiring male actors. She had been getting sick fairly often, she said. It was an awful thing, because at that time, a teenage pregnancy was awful.. Two local men, retired army officer Pat Scanlon, and his friend Pat Maguire, told her about the rumours of pregnancy going around the town months before Ann died. But what I remember most is the shame. He says that the reference to report was not a formal written report; it was in the form of a verbal briefing to cabinet members about what was known of the case. She was 13 years old. "The senior officers in the department were absolutely horrified and so was I," he says now. Also in the ambulance was a Sr Damien, who was attached to St Josephs Hospital, Longford. In Granard, however, people who lived through the turmoil that followed Ann Lovetts death are still reluctant to talk about her. Anns classmate Michael lived outside Granard, on the school bus route. Alarmed, they raced to the scene. I know Mrs Lovett to talk to and I know its very traumatic for her to have to live through this again and again every time theres an anniversary and I dont want to add to her trauma.. I picked up the phone and talked to people in Granard who knew me, he says. It was common knowledge in the town that the school had consulted solicitors before writing this statement. Sarah Ann Lovett. It was now raining heavily, and whether she realised it or not, Ann was either in, or approaching, the early stages of labour. After publishing an extensive piece in March 2018 retracing the facts of the case,[18] on 5 May 2018 the Irish Times carried a detailed interview with Richard Ricky McDonnell, Ann Lovett's former boyfriend, coming forward for the first time and discussing the circumstances of their lives and their relationship. [14], Rumours also abounded about the identity of the child's father and the difficult family circumstances in which Ann herself was reared.[15]. Speaking at his sunny office behind his home in Longford now, he recalls that time. He had hoped, representing a local newspaper, that the nuns would be more open with him, and give an additional interview. Genealogy profile for Anne Wyke. I was in Granard for three days, she says when asked how she knew this. The secret of what happened is with that little girl in the grave, he said. She denied categorically that she was pregnant, laughing it off, and said shed just put on a bit of weight. She went to the grotto. In 2014, a song and video were released by Jj Kikola entitled "(They Were) Deaf To Her Child's Cries". We have gone through the past week with Anns family, and shared their grief and their sense of loss. The one thing I remember most strongly about her after all these years is that she seemed very independent and strong.. The baby and Ann were carried to Dr Donoghues car, and he drove Diarmuid Lovett, his dying daughter and dead grandson back to the family home on Main Street to await the ambulance. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons. McDonnell did not know for sure whether the child Ann had borne had been his, but he had lived with the tragic outcome for the rest of his life. Female 11 February 1830-7 August 1874 L11S-H7H. The postmortem on the two bodies was conducted by Dr Ken Cunnane, a pathologist with the Midlands Health Board. Jim Gray was there on that day when Sr Plunkett read her statement. She could have got help anywhere, and she would have got plenty of help. Its just unbelievable.. Memorial contributions for Jennifer may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, contributions may be left in care of the Shelley Family Funeral Home of Wellington - PO Box 555 Wellington, KS 67152. There was a chip shop in the middle of the town. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Diarmuid Lovett bought the Copper Pot bar on the towns Main Street and the family lived above it. In the afternoon of Tuesday, 31 January 1984 in Granard, County Longford, fifteen-year-old Ann Lovett left her Catholic Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School and made her way to a Grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary at the top of her small hometown in the Irish midlands. Yet whenever the name of Ann Lovett comes up, the words used to describe her are heavy with tragedy, and, 30 years on from her death, little has changed in the way her story can be told. So the ban had passed and yet here we all were, with teenagers having babies in graveyards alone and uncomforted and no one anywhere to help them. The inquest also confirmed that, contrary to claims emanating from the local community, some people did indeed know about Ann's pregnancy before her death. It is astonishing that hardly any named person from the reports at the time has since said anything about it. Ann Lovett, who died aged 15 after giving birth at the grotto in Granard, Co Longford, in 1984. The reduction is not, as some might presume, made up for by a rise in the number of abortions, as the number of Irish teenagers opting for termination has always been very low and halved over the 10 years to 2012. None of the boys stayed with Ann. It started to get serious after that, McDonnell said. 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