Family want inquiry into woman's pregnancies while in secure psychiatric unit

Peggy Connolly's brother Jim Connolly found out about her second pregnancy when a nurse told him, assuming he already knew. Picture: Moya Nolan

The family of a mentally ill woman who had at least two children while in the care of the State have called for an inquiry into alleged abuse.

The Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people Mary Butler met with a family representative for Peggy Connolly and Sinn Féin TD Patricia Ryan yesterday.

The meeting was held to detail the family's concerns and establish facts with the hope of opening a full inquiry into the treatment of patients in St Brendan's Hospital in Grangegorman, north Dublin – Ireland's first public psychiatric hospital.

Peggy Connolly was 22 when she was first admitted to the hospital in 1958 after what her family termed "a nervous breakdown".

While staying there, Peggy gave birth to at least two children, despite being unable to consent to sex due to her mental state and being kept in a secure unit. Peggy was unable to hold a normal conversation and often played with dolls and teddy bears.

The family were only informed about the first pregnancy, a daughter. Peggy's father was said to have demanded answers from the Eastern Health Board at the time, but claimed: "They wanted to brush it under the carpet".

The family only found out about the second pregnancy – a boy – when a nurse told Peggy's brother, assuming he already knew. Peggy was removed to a Magdalene Laundry in Stanhope Street to give birth before being taken back to St Brendan's. 

Both children were adopted after a time in St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home, and have since tracked each other down. Peggy's family has found another two birth certificates in the name of Margaret Connolly. 

However, it is unclear if this is their sister or another woman. They have struggled to get any answers about Peggy's treatment there, or any more children she may have had.

The family believes Peggy was abused while in the care of the State by a visitor, staff, or other patients at the facility.

Patricia Ryan says she and the family were advised to contact the HSE and ask for records, and to also contact the children's minister, whose department oversaw the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.

"There was nothing forthcoming," said Ms Ryan. "There were concerned, but not concerned enough.

"It's harrowing to think someone was put in there with mental health issues and something like that to happen. I was very disappointed in that context. We will now contact [Children's] Minister O'Gorman and the HSE. We want an inquiry into the scale of the issue and to have the record set straight.

I want to see something out of this for the family. There must be some sort of record into what we went wrong and if this girl was abused."

The family said the Government may already have been aware of the issue, as Peggy's father contacted Richie Ryan, the finance minister at the time of her first pregnancy, but received no answers.

Peggy Connolly died in 2016.

A spokeswoman for Ms Butler said: "The minister was happy to meet with Deputy Ryan, and the minister was happy to discuss her concerns and the issue raised. Deputy Ryan will be following up with queries."

Due to "confidentiality" issues around the meeting, the minister's office was unable to give more information.