LABOUR OF LOVE AT THE COOMBE
Three babies born within 12 hours of each other have been reuniting, along with their mothers, almost every year for the past 30 years.
Helen Conlan, Eoin Conlan, Caroline O'Leary, Caoimhe Whelan, Patrick Quinlan and Kathleen Burke.
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aroline O’Leary, Helen Conlan and Kathleen Burke all met at the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital in August 1991 and gave birth to three children Caoimhe, Eoin and Patrick. Caroline recalled, “Caoimhe was born at 10.55pm on August 14th and I think by next morning the other two boys had arrived so their birthday is August 15th. For Kathleen and I, it was our first baby and for Helen it was her fourth and last baby” The ladies were all on the same postnatal ward and their beds were side by side in the six bedroom ward for the five day stay, which was the norm in those days. The three mothers formed a strong friendship and by the time they were leaving the hospital they had agreed to meet the following year when the babies had their first birthday. “Helen is a midwife and she was a great support to Kathleen and myself as first time Mums. However, Eoin (her baby) was in the Baby Unit for a while so we didn’t get to meet him on the ward. We were all having lunch and dinner together and supporting each other, so we said why don’t we just meet up next year and we could get to meet Eoin then?”
And they did have that first birthday meeting which was so successful it has become a pretty much annual event. Get togethers have included places in Wicklow and Wexford, barbeques at their homes or meet-ups in Dublin. Caoimhe, Patrick and Eoin’s 30th birthday celebration took place
this year on Portmarnock Strand because of COVID-19. Eoin and Patrick have been particularly close as they went to the same secondary school in North Dublin. And in a strange twist of fate, Eoin and Caoimhe both emigrated to Canada three years ago although Eoin has since returned to Ireland. What has remained constant is the annual birthday get-together no matter where they are. Whilst there has been the odd gap over the years, conversation never runs dry. As the mothers swap all kinds of stories, they find they just take up where they left off at their last meeting. “As the children got older, we thought they wouldn’t want to do this but they did want to do it. They liked it.” said Caroline. Caoimhe even timed her trip home from Canada this year so that she could attend the Portmarnock Strand birthday gathering. “They are like cousins – family – they are significant people in our lives. Kathleen and Helen are witnesses to me having my first baby. They can tell Caoimhe things I can’t remember. “It really stands out as a lovely thing to keep going,” she added.
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