Search
05 Sept 2025
Search
05 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
How the Irish Independent reported the discovery of an abandoned baby by Mike Spillane and his friend Michael Hayes
The village of Moneygall on the Tipperary / Offaly border is remembering Michael Spillane who died in Munich, Germany, after a short illness.
His friend Michael Hayes of Buckleys Car Sales in the village recalled the time Mike and he both became national celebrities when they found an abandoned baby.
“It was May 1971 and we were both only kids when we found a suitcase on a gate pier. When we looked inside there was a baby boy in it. It made the national headlines and was all over the papers,” recalled Mr Hayes.
He said that the baby’s mother and father were never traced and as far as he was aware the baby had been put up for either adoption or to be fostered.
He described Mike as a “quiet man ” and recalled he left for Germany many years ago and he hadn’t seen him for about 10 or 12 years.
Michael (Mike) Spillane, Moneygall and Munich, Germany, passed away after a short illness on July 22 in his adopted home of Munich.
He was predeceased by his parents Phil and Rody, a former employee at Collison’s sandpits. His brother, John, is a former president of Nenagh Toastmasters.
Mike is mourned by his loving family, Nuala, Conor and Aoibhín; his siblings John, Rody, Eugene, Mary, Joe, Eamon and Tony, his in-laws the Quinlan's, Barna, Dunkerrin, Dan, Mary, Tim, Collette, Patrick and PJ, family, neighbours and friends.
Funeral arrangements later.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
