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Helen hopes to meet mum after 44 years Wednesday 14th March, 2012. Vol. 11, Issue 5 . 63 Clanbrassil Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Tel: 042 9320888 Fax: 042 9329676 Email: editorial@dundalkleader.com / advertising@dundalkleader.com
By Niamh Kirk
A woman who was discovered in a phone box in Dundalk as a baby 44 years ago has come forward to let her birth mother know that she is alive, happy and hoping to connect with her mother. Helen Ward was found as a new born by a truck driver who stopped to make a phone call; she was wrapped snugly in blankets and placed in a tarten basket with a warm bottle lying on the floor. And that is as much as Helen knows about the first few days of her life. Helen Ward was found by a lorry driver on the Marshes Road who stopped to make a phone call Last week, as she celebrated her 44rd birthday Helen Ward contacted
‘Liveline’ with Joe Duffy radio show to let her birthmother know that she was alive, happy and hoping to connect with her. The trucker contacted Dundalk Garda Station and Sgt Michael Conneally came to assist. He took the baby to Louth County Hospital where the nurses cared for her and named her Aileen Brenda and gave her the surname ‘Marsh’ after the area where she was found. She stayed in their care until she was moved to Co Meath where she remained for little over one year before being adopted by a loving family. Although Mrs Ward, now a mother of three, has had much support after calling the radio show, she has not Continued on Page 12
Busy young bees create history By Eunan Whyte Two young people are making strides in their chosen hobby after becoming the youngest in the county to pass the Preliminary Examination for beginners in Beekeeping. Jordan O’Neill from O’Hanlon Park and Siobhan Farrelly, from Dunleer, are quite possibly the youngest in Ireland to pass the exams which will ensure the tradition of beekeeping is continued. According to Tom Shaw of the Louth Beekeepers Association, the achievement of 13-year-old Jordan and 11-year-old Siobhan is an indication of the growing
Jordan O’Neill
Siobhan Farrelly
popularity of beekeeping. involved because gen“It is very unusual for erally the enthusiasts people so young to be Continued on Page 22