A lifelong fundraiser with a knack for PR and a fascinating family
JOAN Freeman has been working for charitable causes all her life and fundraising is her strength. Aged just 17, she began helping the ISPCC and by the late 1970s had became the charity’s fulltime money-maker. Joan Lowe – as she was known then – was a fixture at charitable fashion shows and frequently appeared in the glamour pages throughout the 1980s. Right from the start Joan had a knack for good PR and she secured a steady income for the ISPCC from events such as Christmas pantos, sponsored fasts and concerts.
She also competed in beauty pageants with her sisters Theresa, Mary, Marian and twins Margaret and Catherine.
Today Theresa Lowe is well-known for her work for RTÉ and Mary – a musician – has had a glittering career.
It was the tragic death of Catherine in 2002 that led Joan to establish Pieta House – a move that has doubtlessly saved many lives. Catherine’s twin, Margaret, is the wife of Seán Davin, Rolls Royce-driving millionaire who sold his interest in the car parking rights at The Square, Tallaght, to IRA hunger striker Tom McFeely for €55m. John Lowe – one of two brothers – is a financial advisor known as the Money Doctor. He is also a director of the an evangelist group Five Fold Ministry.