A Woman to Blame

The reprinting of Nell McCafferty s book about the Kerry baby tribunal this month serves as a stark reminder of how just how far the now departed Celtic Tiger was removed from the Ireland that could put a single woman on the stand and publicly discuss the most intimate details of her life. The book reads like an account of a witch trial but this is not an account from some medieval time it is Ireland in the 1980s. This is a story that reminds us that single women giving birth in that decade were often offered rings from Woolworths before they went into the maternity hospitals lest anyone would know they weren t married. The Pope had just left Ireland when a campaign began which ultimately enshrined in the Irish Constitution a greater right to life for a fertilised human egg than the right enjoyed by its mother. It was against this background that Joanne Hayes at 24 years of age concealed the birth and death of her baby in County Kerry Ireland in 1984. Subsequently she confessed to the murder by stabbing of another baby. All the scientific evidence showed that she could not have had this second baby. The police nevertheless insisted on charging her and after the charges were dropped continued to insist that she had given birth to twins conceived of two different men. A public tribunal of inquiry was called to examine the behaviour of the police and their handling of the case. The police in defence of themselves and in justification of confessions obtained called a succession of male experts on the medical social and moral fibre of Joanne Hayes. Her married lover detailed the times places and manner of her love making. Using the twins theory as a springboard the question was posed and debated Did she love this man or what was he and other men prepared to do with her? After six months of daily discussion among the men the judge declared There were times when we all believed she had twins. The legal men and a succession of male doctors psychiatrists and police officers 43 in all spent six months probing the young woman s mind and body. A doctor gave the dimensions of her vagina during a previous birth. Ordnance survey maps were used to pinpoint the exact locations of the places where she had sexual congress with her married lover. At one stage the grilling became so bad that Joanne collapsed. The judge ordered her sedated and brought back to answer questions. Every day during the trial the people of Ireland appalled at what was happening sent Joanne flowers cards and Mass cards. The treatment of Joanne Hayes who stood accused of no crime was a model for Irish male attitudes to woman. She was caught up in a time of rapid social change between two Irelands an earlier Ireland in which the Catholic Church had held a moral monopoly and a new liberal and secular Ireland. A Woman to Blame is a gripping retelling of a story we would do well not to forget. ~The Clare People

AS I was only four years old when this case happened I had no knowledge of it and I didn t know what to expect when I was handed this book to review. I have to say though I couldn t put it down. I found it unbelievable shocking and in parts farcical the way this woman was treated by the maledominated justice system. This is the story of twenty four year old Joanne Hayes who in 1984 concealed the birth and death of her baby in County Kerry and subsequently confessed to the murder by stabbing of another baby. Both babies were a different blood type and there was no scientific evidence that Ms. Hayes could have had the second baby. Regardless of this the Garda came to the conclusion that she must have given birth to twins conceived with two different men. There were questions raised around the Garda s handling of the case and their treatment of the family. Each member of the family had different accounts of the night in question and it was suspected that the Garda used force and coercion to get the statements from them. As the case progressed Ms. Hayes was continually challenged in court and her sexual history brought into question. The father of her baby was revealed to be a married man and therefore Ms. Hayes was painted as a Scarlet Woman who tempted her lover away from his wife. Every aspect of her life was dissected and paraded around in full view of the public prompting an outcry from women all over the country. Busloads of women from all over the country came down to Kerry to support her and her family and well wishers sent flowers and cards. While all this was going on though history was in the making Catholic Ireland was about to change forever. While the Catholic Church staunchly opposed the use of contraception the State was considering legalising it; people were already smuggling condoms and packets of the pill in from Northern Ireland. The Irish were having sex whether the Catholic Church liked it or not and with contraception available hopefully no other woman would have to go through what Joanne Hayes had to go through. So on the 14th February 1985 the purchase of condoms was legalised however chemists didn t have to stock them if they didn t want to and they were only available to married couples. It wasn t perfect but it was a start. Our Ireland today is a far cry from the Ireland back then. Women aren t treated like second class citizens anymore and attitudes are a lot more liberal. We ve even got advertisements for contraception on television. It s a disgrace that Joanne Hayes had to go through what she went through; however something good did come out of it. The voices of the people were heard and thankfully Ireland was dragged out of the dark ages and started to progress into a modern state. This is a great book for everyone to read but it s especially great for children of the 80s and 90s who won t remember that time. From reading this I got an insight into what Ireland was like back then and I can see how much things have changed for the better. This book is heartbreaking in parts but history was made around this time and I ve enjoyed learning about it I think you will too. ~Wexford Echo