Desmond Doyle

Who was Desmond Doyle?

Desmond Doyle was an Irish painter, decorator and sometime pianist, whose children were taken into the custody of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children when his wife, Charlotte, left him on St. Stephen's Day, 1953. After placing the children in what he believed to be a temporary situation, Doyle left for work in England. While there, he met Jessie Cunningham, who was his landlady and later accompanied him back to Ireland as his "housekeeper." Upon his return to his homeland in the fall of 1954, Doyle petitioned for the return of his children. Nevertheless, the government denied his request, citing the best interests of the children. He subsequently fought a legal battle to regain custody of them, which required overturning the provisions of the Irish Children Act, 1941. This law prevented a father from caring for his own children in the absence of their mother unless she was living and gave written permission for him to do so. Doyle became involved in a case presented before the Irish Supreme Court in which it was claimed that the Children's Act contravened several sections of the Irish Constitution. In December 1955, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Desmond Doyle, and ordered that the children be returned to him and that his court costs were to be reimbursed by the government.