Phone-box infant is reunited with her saviour

A mum who was abandoned as a baby inside a telephone box 44 years ago has been reunited for the very first time using the garda who saved her.

Helen Ward could not have been older than each day or two when a lorry driver found her at the bottom of a phone kiosk in Dundalk and rang gardai.

Sgt Michael Connolly (now 87) was the very first individual to lift baby Helen from the kiosk and take her to nearby Louth County Hospital.

Yesterday, the two spoke to each other for the very first time following decades of hoping to meet.

Passion

"In the back of my thoughts, I remember making enquiries about my birth and hearing Sgt Connolly's name but when there was no information about my birth mother, I got disillusioned and left it there," stated Helen.

"So when I heard the sergeant speak with such passion about finding me yesterday, I was really glad I lastly had the courage to find out much more about my origins," the mum-of-three told the Herald.

Helen beats pro, who revealed her plight on Liveline yesterday, was touched to hear the emotion in Sgt Connolly's voice once they finally spoke.

" I did not think it would be so emotional, I am really glad we got to speak and we will certainly be meeting soon."

Father-of-eight Sgt Connolly told presenter Joe Duffy that his investigation had not yielded any info about Helen's 1st days.

"I brought Helen up to the local county hospital ... We did make some enquiries alright, but the kid was left there, nobody came afterwards dr dre headphones, nobody said anything concerning the child," the pensioner said.

"They called you [Aileen Brenda] Marsh up in the hospital following the marshes, I believe [the phonebox was on Marsh Road]. "There was [an investigation but] there were no leads at all."

Helen was adopted by the Wards when she was 13 months old, and she grew up with their biological daughter Mary (45) in Dublin.

Helen said her parents, who're now in their 80s beats by dre studio, were extremely supportive of her search. "My mum was happy, she told me, 'You have every correct, it is something you have usually wanted to do'," Helen stated.

"I am very fortunate in that respect monster beats, my parents have given me the best of everything.

"I have had a great life and it's very essential -- I'd prefer to understand that my birth mother is okay, and she might want to know that I am as well. I don't want to invade anyone's privacy, she's probably built her life and I respect that."

Surprise

Helen now lives in Ballyboughal, North County Dublin, with her 3 children Edel (19) Peter (17) and Eva (13) and is studying holistic therapy.

Helen was offered an additional surprise on her birthday yesterday when she was reunited with a godmother she did not know she had.

A nurse monster headphones, only known as Mary, contacted Joe Duffy yesterday to speak to Helen.

"I was on night duty in the Louth County Hospital the night Fr Pasmore baptised Helen," Mary said.

"We known as her Aileen Brenda and he came up using the surname. She was a beautiful baby."