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ON 14 APRIL 1984, the body of a newborn baby boy was found on White Strand beach at Caherciveen in Co Kerry.
The baby had been stabbed to death.
Joanne Hayes was a 25-year-old local woman who had been known to be pregnant, and was soon arrested by gardaí as part of their investigations.
She and her family confessed to the baby’s murder – but later withdrew their confessions and said that Joanne had given birth to a baby on the family farm. Hayes said that this baby – a different baby to the baby found at the beach – had died shortly after it was born and was then buried on the farm.
Joanne Hayes was an unmarried woman who had had a relationship with a married man and became pregnant. She already had another child, a daughter who she was raising at home.
The first baby, the boy found at White Strand was baptised, and named John.
Joanne Hayes’ murder case and the 1985 tribunal seared the Kerry Babies case into the national consciousness, demonstrating as it did the attitudes towards women, family and religion in 1980s Ireland.
Kerry Babies case
The Hayes family lodged complaints against the gardaí involved in the investigation, claiming they were intimidated into making certain confessions.
After the charge of murder against Hayes was thrown out of court, the Kerry Babies Tribunal was set up to investigate the behaviour of the gardaí during the initial case.
The Ireland of 30 years ago was a very different place to what it is now – divorce was illegal, contraception was illegal, the marriage bar preventing married women from working in certain professions had only been lifted the decade before.
The social landscape was constrained by religious rules, spoken and unspoken.
The sexual abuse of children by priests, and treatment of women at the Magdalene laundries did not become national – and international – issues until the 1990s.
A referendum on abortion in 1983 saw Irish people voting in favour of a ban on abortion being added to the Irish Constitution, with the addition of Article 40.3.3.
The relationship between Church and State was extremely close in the Ireland of 1984, but it was being challenged. Its subsequent loosening serves to highlight how a woman like Joanne Hayes and her sexual behaviour would have been viewed by those around her.
The Kerry Babies case and the death of teenager Ann Lovett just months beforehand at a grotto in Granard were two defining moments of Irish social history, and particularly in illustrating the changing role of women in Ireland.
Tribunal
The case and tribunal rocked Ireland.
In her book A Woman To Blame, journalist Nell McCafferty looked at how Hayes was treated by gardaí and the judge, Mr Justice Lynch, and how this reflected the attitudes towards women at the time.
A measure of his temperament and attitudes to women in the Kerry Babies case is the judicial pronouncement made at its end by Justice Lynch. He asked, “What have I got to do with the women of Ireland in general? What have the women of Ireland got to do with this case?” He presumed to lecture Irish women on what he saw as their misguided support for Hayes in her agony, by sending her flowers and Mass cards.
McCafferty described Hayes’ case as “medieval”: a young woman from a tiny village being questioned about how she conceived a child by a married man.
The suggestion that the two babies – the baby found on the beach and the baby at the Hayes family farm – were in fact twins through ‘superfecundation’ added a further twist to the case.
Superfecundation was a theory that a woman could conceive twins by two men if she had sex with them both within 24 hours, and showed the lens through which a young unmarried woman like Hayes was viewed.
This theory was supposed to explain how the two babies had different blood types, and how the baby at the Hayes farm was the biological child of Hayes and Jeremiah Locke, with whom she had been having a relationship.
The country was “sickened” by the case, said McCafferty.
The Dail Committee on Women’s Rights described the questioning of Hayes as “insensitive … very, very frightening… harrowing and quite horrific. . . and shameful.”
Joanne Hayes was supported throughout the tribunal by feminist and women’s groups who demonstrated outside the courthouse in Kerry.
The tribunal concluded that Hayes was not the mother of the baby on the beach in Cahirsiveen, but was the mother of the baby found on her family farm.
Joanne Hayes last made a public comment in 2012, when she appealed to filmmakers not to make a movie about her story. In 2010, John’s headstone was damaged at Cahirsiveen Cemetery.
There has been a call for Hayes to provide DNA samples in order to prove – once more – that she was not John’s mother.
This is not believed to have occurred, and 30 years on from his tragic death, John’s parents have never been identified.
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The dark ages. Question and interogate the woman but the married man left well alone.
to my knowledge the married man was not suspected of stabbing to death of a newborn baby!
It was suggested by the keystone cops
but any reasonable person would have to concur that she was the chief suspect, and that anyone else was a secondary suspect.
at least Joanna Hayes did not have to go around in a burka. not like some religious countries. currently she would have been stoned to death in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, etc. for having sex outside marraige.
I was 8 years old when this was in the news every day. I remember the term “Kerry Babies Case” perfectly, but am only just realising what an absolute disgrace it was, and still is. Superfecundation? Dog-lazy policework, more like. The church lecturing about loose morals, and then we all hear about the varying types of criminals that THEY have been hiding or transferring. Who knows? It’s not impossible that poor baby John was a son of the cloth, is it?
@ Shane – your comment is disgraceful, shocking and shameful.
Care to elaborate Ross?
Yes, Ross. Please explain.
Facts are made to fit the theory around a suspect.
They should be used to determine the suspect.
Eugenics.all Irish women were deemed feeble minded in the eyes of the law and still are.
The belief at the time was that, there was no way there could have been 2 women that ‘immoral’ as to reject a child. The gardai, media & locals believed that she must have been the mother of both children. There was even a widely reported theory that the reason the blood types were different was that she had given birth to twins- who had different fathers.
Crazy story.
I’m surprised they didn’t try to burn her as a witch.
Please read the whole article.
One of the Guards that was very prominent in this is a regular Sunday writer and voice on radio.
Why is he treated with anything but contempt?
Why would he be treated with contempt?
You should read more about this case.
Especially what came out in the Tribunal in to the investigation.
How could the Hayes family have given gardi very similar statements about events that never occurred never mind them having knowledge of these events. Someone concocted something along the way.
By the time the questioning was over even her Father would have claimed and testified in court that he gave birth to the child.
Because he was a bully and a liar? Just a suggestion, mind. Numbnuts.
Good Catholic Ireland, when everyone knew their place.
Marriage was between a man and a woman, and was sacred and pure. No divorce was needed as marriage was perfect.
Abortion wasn’t necessary (you could just kill the child once it was born).
There was none of this child abuse.
I can see why the Iona Institute would be fighting to preserve these traditional values
Exactly.
Sadly behind the scenes in secret courts we still have the witch accusations, the training of judges, social workers etc to see “ALL IRISH WOMEN AS FEEBLE MINDED” This is the training of 2014.
As you said the church wanted everyone in their place.
No coincidence that Judge Brophy Trim told an abused mother she ought to go home, be a good girl and obey her violent husband. HSE social workers came to same conclusion.
Children were only allowed by the court to have Roman Catholic children at their birthday parties, and certainly no bloody Europeans and and alien barbarian Japs.
So the secret courts keep lots hidden.
Of course the Roman church run the courts with the judges, etc attending the RED MASS annually.
This article would make your blood boil and sick to the stomach at the same time
There must be a few Gardai left still alive out of approx 50,000 active and retired Gardai in Ireland who know the truth about this case and other cases.
I don’t know why I read these articles, they make me want to punch the wall!
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. It’s good that the content of articles like this angers you, that anger will play its part in ensuring we never return to such oppressive times, be they religiously inspired or otherwise. Please continue to read such articles, please continue to be angered by them, and please use that anger against any who would wish to visit such oppression on any person or group in this country again.
I completely agree with you. I’m a huge believer in learning from history and aware that society has often forgotten certain lessons only to be doomed to repeat them.
The article still makes me want to punch the wall though.
I remember this case when I was a young teenager and im sorry to say Les it wasn’t back in the dark ages. Down right disgusting and disgraceful how this case was handled.
You won’t read about the Kerry Babies case on the Iona website, or the Youth Defence Facebook page, and you certainly won’t see the usual ‘pro-life’ commenters commenting on this article, why? Because it happened outside the womb.
@Dungeon Master
You won’t read about the case on the Iona Institute website for the following reason:
David Quinn and Breda O’Brien don’t need to write about it because the deliberate killing of a born child already is a crime, as is also abortion except when the life of the mother is in danger. However, in Great Britain, an abortion is also permitted in cases when there is no danger to the mother’s life.
Just in case anyone was wondering, human heteropaternal superfecundation (giving birth to twins with different fathers) does exist but is very rare.
Doesn’t make the case any less awful and ineptly handled though..
No-one was wondering, David. These are matters that would only interest, Mr. Binchy, Senator Mullen, the Iona Institute et al.
Can ye not leave the woman alone? Why drag it up again after all these years?
This tragic story outlines exactly the types of things that will happen in a country where a government freely allows it’s citizens to raped/enslaved (and where a government will even gleefully assist and protect the abusors if necessary)
Ohh look!
What a coincidence, many of the politicians and senior civil servants of that era still hold positions of power.
Welcome to Ireland.
sorry typo.
“freely allows it’s citizens to be raped”
Why won’t she do the DNA tests?
Why should she?
Is this a serious question? Get’s railroaded into admitting a crime she never committed. Get’s tried event though it’s obvious she’s not guilty. Has ridiculous claims made because the State know their case is laughable and you’re surprised she won’t submit herself to a DNA case.
It wasn’t a serious question, was it.
*gets
Should really proof-read. I know there are more errors too.
See my comment above, had meant to reply here
It is all ready medically proven that she is not the mother of the child.
Don’t listen to a few off ones calling for DNA tests because they will not accept the facts.
This post seems to be laying blame for this squarely at feet of church/ state at the time. 30 years later we are reading of similar methods of statement concoction at gardi stations. The Bailey fiasco and this case have striking similarities today.
Also bears a similarity to the framing of McBrearty in Donegal.
One thing you can be certain of is that a lot of innocent people went to Jail through false evidence and beaten confessions.
Something is seriously amiss in the culture and ethics of the force.
It just shows how terrified of women’s power men are and their organisations always try to keep them down . That poor family . How come the other parents were never found ? Could they not do a local DNA sample even now ?
Please clarify – from whom has come a call for this lady to provide further DNA samples?
Gerry Carroll who investigated it at the start called for in previously. Maybe it is him again.
She should tell him where to go if it is. What a right one he was.
Someone should ask Mr Carroll for his DNA… You know, just to rule him out as John’s father.
That Ger O Carroll is a Muppet. After 30 years he still believes she had twins by different fathers…..despite the Caherciveen baby having a different blood type – its physically impossible. The claims degradation could change blood type . Sorry, but more likely to have twins by 2 different fathers.
What’s Michael Caine doing in the second picture?
@Mike O’Sullivan
You think that Gerry O’Carroll looks like Michael Caine! Seriously?!
At the end of the day a baby died and was buried on farm if he died of natural causes why bury him in secret like a dead animal Ms Hayes may be victim of police trying to blame her on 2 deaths instead of one but as a 25 yr old she cannot be considered an innocent either
You’re wondering why, in hindsight and in light of the way Ireland was back then, painfully displayed by this case, she decided to bury her baby in secret?
The whole area knew she was having an affair with married man and was pregnant she was not an innocent teenager I was a single mother in late seventies and was younger then her, she still buried innocent baby like a dead animal and her family were as bad …sorry can understand young girl in Granard but not her, she was not the victim the baby was and after Garda whistle blowers lately easy to blame everyone else a tribunal cleared garda
I think both her and the baby were victims of their time. It is plausible that the child died of natural causes or she had a miscarriage. Why would she have a funeral. Whatever about “burying the body like an animal” she herself and all pregnant I married women of the time were treated like animals!!
*unmarried
Lisa I was a single mother around the same time as this case and I knew few other girls and I was not treated like an animal and neither was anyone I know, its just easy to blame someone else ..the church the garda, the community and make her out to be innocent, sorry she was not that innocent when she sleep with neighbours husband and she and her family hid body of baby if it was a miscarriage why did they not take her to a hospital to make sure she was ok the young girl in granard was only 15 so can understand her fear but miss hayes was a 25 year old woman whos family knew what was going on so do not see her as a frightened child they tried to conceal the body of the baby
A tragic case. But has anything changed that much? We still cow tow to the church, we still export our unwanted pregnancies to England. If ever a country refused to grow up and deal with it’s problem its us.
It was straightforward question looking for peoples thoughts. Where in my question did I suggest I was surprised or otherwise? Very difficult to have any sort of debate on this site without people readng what they want to read other than what is actually written.
As one is innocent until proven guilty, it was never up to Joanne Hayes to prove she wasn’t the mother of both children. It was up to the State to prove she was.
Why do you think she should do the dna test?
Aside from the trial, by doing it the matter would be finalised as far as being her baby or not. It is bigger than just a court case. A baby was killed. Just some thoughts. I know the tribunal ruled the baby on the beach was not hers but there is no info about the inquest here and it would be the coroner’s role to identify the baby. I see also th in article it says there have been calls for her to do the DNA tests but it doesn’t attribute these calls to anyone. The article is poor, biased and incomplete.
As far as I know she did offer to do dna testing in 2004. Also, as far as I know, it is O’carroll, the officer who was in charge who is calling for it to be done.
Personally speaking, in the absence of a court order, I would refuse any and all requests for a DNA test as a matter of principle. I can only imagine such principles would become even more entrenched were I to be subjected to the scenario this poor woman has had to endure.
It was blood type which determined the child wasn’t hers. A DNA test is not required.
She did offer to do dna testing in 2004, as far as I know the only person calling for her to do it is O’carroll, the officer who was in charge.
That was the technology available in 1984 and even that was disputed. One theory was the blood type may have changed due to decomposition. Th fact is that if she won’t voluntarily give the test then the matter is moot.
The blood tests already done ruled her or her family out for being related to the baby.
It is already a proven fact.
The decomposition theory was just a theory and has not been used since in medical law.
Do the people who say it actually believe that theory.
I doubt it very much.
Has the changing of blood type due to decomposition ever stand up to scientific or legal testing????
The outcome of the trial was that Ms Hayes was not the mother of the child found on the beach, and had no part in his death. Now what’s your problem with that, polar bear? There has been due process, WHY do you require more? Be explicit and precise, please.
No.
Where do you get 50000. There only has ever been 35000 gardai. Id say 30 percent of that are deceased. Fyi
Church and state. The unholy alliance
The church is the state.
Ireland has been psychologically imprisoned by the hypocritical and dubious moral beliefs and conduct, and the masculist domination by the Roman Catholic Cult for centuries and this is yet another example of its conditioning of the male population into beliefs in the oppression and subjugation of women and children.
Ireland needs a new moral code where common beliefs, values, and attitudes are founded in the equalities, freedoms, and rights of every citizen and that everyone has the right to be treated with respect as a unique individual, no matter their race. ethnicity, religious beliefs, disabilities, or gender.
This moral crusade against the masculist Catholic Cult has now begun, led by the daughters’of Ireland and all Ireland’s people who believe in fairness and justice have an obligation to support them. This is the dawn of a new Ireland where all women and men are equal in the eyes of whichever God they may choose and where everyone can live in peace and harmony and respect for each other. Strength to the Voices of the Daughters’of Ireland.
I remember reading “A Swift Pure Cry” by Siobhan ODowd when I was younger. Never realised it was based on a true story. Speechless.
It was GUBU!
Sorry for repeated comments.. App kept crashing :-(
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