Judge Michael Comyn tried the Mamie Cadden case. It was either 1939 or 1946. Can you access court records or press cuttings? Further info: Mamie’s first major run-in with the law came in 1938, when she was charged with “child abandonment”, and sentenced in 1939 to a year’s hard labour in Mountjoy. When she was released from prison, Mamie was removed from the roll of registered midwives, but she continued working illegally as a well-known abortion provider in Dublin. In 1945, Mamie was tried under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, convicted of “procuring a miscarriage” for a woman, and sentenced to five years penal servitude in Mountjoy. Undeterred, when Mamie was released, she offered her services again – so famous that she did not need to advertise.

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James Comyn in Leave to Appeal wrote a piece on Mamie Cadden but he did mention that his uncle Michael “tried” the case. “Judge Michael Comyn’s remarks were prominently featured, describing Cadden as one of the most reprehensible defendants he had encountered, emphasizing the severity of the case.”

Thought for 1m 29s

Background and Early Life of Mamie Cadden

Mary Anne “Mamie” Cadden was born on October 27, 1891, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, to Irish immigrant parents. Her father, Patrick Cadden, was a farmer originally from Lahardane (often spelled Laherdaun in older records), a small village in County Mayo, Ireland. Her mother, Mary Cadden (née McLoughlin), hailed from Tiernard (or Teirnard), also in County Mayo. The couple had met, married, and started their family in America, where Patrick worked as a miner. Following the death of Patrick’s father, the family returned to Ireland around 1895, settling back in Lahardane, County Mayo, where Mamie completed her early schooling. This repatriation firmly established her Mayo roots, embedding her in a rural Irish Catholic environment that contrasted with her later urban life and criminal activities in Dublin. The McLoughlin connection through her mother ties her to local Mayo lineages, reflecting the common emigration patterns of the late 19th century, where many Irish families sought opportunities abroad before returning home.

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Growing up in Lahardane, a quiet area known for its farming community and proximity to Lough Conn, Mamie was part of a family that valued education and opportunity. She later moved to Dublin in the 1920s to train as a midwife at the National Maternity Hospital (Holles Street), qualifying in 1926. This marked the beginning of her professional life, initially as a legitimate midwife, but she soon transitioned into operating a nursing home in Rathmines, Dublin, where she began performing illegal abortions—a practice that was strictly prohibited under Irish law, influenced heavily by Catholic doctrine and the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

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Criminal Activities and Trials

Mamie Cadden’s career as a backstreet abortionist spanned decades, reflecting the hidden demand for such services in a society where contraception and abortion were taboo, and unmarried pregnancies carried immense social stigma. Her operations were lucrative but dangerous, often leading to complications or deaths due to unsanitary conditions and lack of medical oversight. She faced multiple prosecutions, highlighting the tension between Ireland’s moral-legal framework and the realities of women’s reproductive needs.

• 1939 Conviction for Child Abandonment:
• Cadden’s first major legal trouble came in 1938 when she was charged with abandoning a newborn baby on a roadside in County Meath. The infant was the child of one of her clients, and Cadden had falsely assured the mother that the baby would be adopted. Tried in 1939, she was convicted and sentenced to one year of hard labor in Mountjoy Prison. This case did not directly involve abortion but stemmed from her involvement in concealing illegitimate births, a common extension of her services. No specific judge is named in available records for this trial, but it marked the beginning of her notoriety and led to her being struck off the midwives’ register. 4 sources
• 1945 Conviction for Procuring a Miscarriage: In 1945, Cadden was tried in camera (closed court) at the Circuit Criminal Court for performing an illegal abortion. This secretive proceeding was typical for sensitive cases involving morality to avoid public scandal. She was convicted and sentenced to five years’ penal servitude in Mountjoy Prison (served 1945–1950). Crucially, the presiding judge was Michael Comyn, a High Court judge who had resigned from the bench earlier that year due to ill health but apparently handled this case. Comyn’s involvement is confirmed through family accounts, and his remarks during sentencing described Cadden as “one of the most reprehensible defendants he had encountered,” underscoring the case’s severity in the context of Ireland’s strict anti-abortion stance. This trial occurred amid post-war social conservatism, where abortion was seen not just as a crime but as a moral affront to the nation’s Catholic identity. 3 sources
• 1956 Murder Trial: Released in 1950, Cadden resumed her illegal activities. On April 17, 1956, Helen O’Reilly, a 33-year-old married woman and mother of five, died from an air embolism during an abortion performed by Cadden at her Hume Street premises in Dublin. O’Reilly’s body was discovered dumped on a nearby street, leading to Cadden’s arrest. Tried in the Central Criminal Court from October 23–30, 1956, before Mr. Justice McLoughlin (though some sources suggest Mr. Justice O’Daly or others; records vary, but pathology evidence was contentious), she was convicted of murder. The jury was instructed that intent to kill was not required if the act was felonious and likely to cause death. Sentenced to death by hanging, the penalty was commuted to life imprisonment following public appeals and doubts about the evidence. Cadden served time in Mountjoy before being transferred to Dundrum Criminal Lunatic Asylum in 1958 due to mental health issues, where she died of a heart attack on April 20, 1959. This case shocked Ireland, exposing the dangers of underground abortions and fueling debates on women’s rights. 8 sources

Connection to James Comyn and Michael Comyn

James Comyn (1921–1997), an Irish-born British barrister and later High Court judge in England, was the nephew of Michael Comyn (1871–1952), an Irish lawyer, senator, and judge. In his 1994 book Leave to Appeal: Further Legal Memoirs (page 108), James wrote about Mamie Cadden’s case, noting that his uncle Michael “tried” (presided over) the 1945 trial. He highlighted Michael’s sentencing remarks, which were prominently featured in press and legal discussions, portraying Cadden as exceptionally reprehensible due to the exploitation of vulnerable women and the life-threatening nature of her procedures. These comments emphasized the case’s gravity in a society grappling with post-independence moral purity. Michael Comyn, who had a distinguished career including defending republicans and serving on the High Court bench (1940–1945), could not have judged the 1956 trial, as he died in 1952. James’s account adds a personal layer, blending family legacy with legal history, and underscores how such cases were viewed through the lens of judicial outrage.

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Analysis in Social and Historical Context

Mamie Cadden’s story is emblematic of mid-20th-century Ireland’s repressive attitudes toward female sexuality and reproduction. Her Mayo origins in Lahardane, tied to her mother’s McLoughlin heritage, represent the rural-to-urban migration common among Irish women seeking independence, yet she became a symbol of deviance in a state dominated by Catholic Church influence. The 1945 trial under Judge Michael Comyn reflects judicial emphasis on moral condemnation; his remarks likely stemmed from the era’s view of abortionists as threats to family and nationhood, especially post-1937 Constitution, which enshrined women’s domestic roles. The in-camera nature protected societal “decency” but hid systemic issues like poverty-driven pregnancies. By 1956, amid economic stagnation and emigration, Cadden’s case highlighted the hypocrisy: thousands sought abortions abroad or underground, yet the law punished providers harshly. Her convictions, while justified by the dangers she posed (multiple client deaths reported), also reveal gender biases—male doctors rarely faced similar scrutiny. Comyn’s remarks, echoed in James’s memoirs, illustrate how judges personalized rulings, blending law with ethics. Ultimately, Cadden’s life underscores Ireland’s slow path to reproductive rights, culminating in the 2018 referendum repealing the 8th Amendment. Her Mayo connection adds irony: a product of conservative rural Ireland became its urban “monster,” challenging the idealized image of Irish womanhood.

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