False 1988 Th ank You Thank you for remembering our special day For thinking bout our little girl so very far away It’s three years since she had to go Our little pet you never got to know. No birthday candles, cake or fayre For our precious girls who is not here, Instead we say a quiet prayer And wipe away another tear. Aoife has arrived and not yet one Our little dote and bundle of fun She’s helped to fi ll the empty space\ But never ever Louise to replace. So thanks for remembering our special date And our darling three year old Who’s probably swinging on Heaven’s gate!! A Poem for Our Litt le Miracle How long we waited for that precious day When we would hold a baby in our arms A baby that would change our way Full of joy and full of charms. It seems that we were not to have that joy We did not mind a girl or boy Just a baby to love and hold A baby that’s worth more than gold But now my mind is in a whirl Not a boy but a beautiful girl Was given to us to car for and love From that special Man above. Mary Murray isands newsletter 110

False 1987 Portrait Your portrait now adorns our wall Speaks to us volumes; soothes the aching breast This is you home, here you belong You’re always beside us, alive, well and strong You carry our features, the resemblance is clear You can never be absent but all the time near In our hearts, in our minds, in all that we are Oh! darling Louise, you are indelibly there. We called you Louise, what a beautiful name. For Mammy, Daddy, Caroline life never again the same Where once we were three, now we are four Each day that passes you are loved more and more. Maybe sometimes you peep and open an eye You watch your big sister and then wonder why That you never cold join her or share in her games Though she bullies them all, would she treat you the same? It’s all a great mystery so hard to unfold Not easy to understand or accept what we are told But may your lovely portrait adorning our wall Be our constant reminder that God is over all. A loving reminder, so often to recall An expectant joy for a blessed event Your stay was short but for a little length Those gentle features at peace and rest Booklet ‘ A Little Lifetime’ Our Booklet A Little Lifetime is available from the society address if you know anyone who would like copy and at a cost of £ 1.50 ( one pound and fi fty pence) to include postage and packing. Glasnevin Cemetery A plan to tidy up Holy Angel Plot and erect a large plaque on the wall on which the baby’s name and date of birth can be inscribed seems to be at a standstill at present. Childbirth – Who Holds the Power? At a recent conference in the Rotunda Hospital Dr. Wendy Savage from a London Hospital, Joanna Fitzgerald- Midwife at St. James Hospital and Peg McManus- Assertive Teacher and Tom Kelly a Psychiatrists. The basic message was that women have given over the power of childbirth to the obstetricians and that they now need to be more assertive about how they want to have their babies. isands newsletter 111