Celebrations as Our Lady of Lourdes has first 2019 baby

The popping of (non-alcoholic) prosecco corks could be heard echoing along the wards of the Lourdes hospital on New Year’s Eve, as two mums vied for the title of Ireland’s first baby of 2019!

Ultimately the award went unwittingly to Michelle Montague from Kilmessan, Co Meath, who welcomed baby Maeve with her partner Simon Cox at just three seconds past midnight, a whole one second before the Coombe hospital, Dublin!

‘It was mad, and the craic was amazing,’ said the new mum. ‘It was my due date, so they were very excited when I arrived in as they told me it was the first time the Lourdes might make it,

Michelle and her new family are settled back in Kilmessan now and still enjoying all the attention. ‘It will be lovely to show Maeve all the newspapers when she is older’, she adds.

The newest Drogheda citizen was born a few hours later when Cillian Micheál Mahon arrived into world at 3.42am weighing 6 pounds 5 ounces.

Proud parents Tara and James Mahon are still enjoying all the excitement at their Tullyallen home.

‘We didn’t realise it was such a big deal until we got to the hospital, and we were the only two women there having babies,’ says Tara, who is also mum to daughter Robyn.

‘I wasn’t due until January 4th, but started having contractions that day, and when I rang the hospital, they joked whether I would give birth before or after midnight!’

There was never a first new year baby born in Our Lady of Lourdes, so when the couple did arrive, the atmosphere was electric!

‘Obviously I didn’t know I was in a race, and you could hear the cheering and corks popping when the other baby arrived, and we heard it was the first of 2019,’ says Tara with a laugh.

‘ They are in contact with all the other hospitals to time it to the second, and they were all great, in terrific form, and couldn’t have looked after us better.’

Tara is originally from Newgrange, where proud parents Ciara and Michael McMenamin still live.

Husband James’ parents Terry and Mary are Limerick and Galway natives, but moved here when Terry was principal of St Oliver’s Community College.

Michelle Montague, from Trim holds her baby Maeve, with maternity staff members, from left to right, Catherine Smith, Maria McNamee, Pamela McElroy, Denise Moore, Linda Flood, Mags O’Malley, Eunice Nolan, Jo Burns and Ciara Dunne, baby Maeve was born at 3 secs past midnight in our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda. Picture credit; Damien Eagers / INM