In 1984, Majella Moynihan was a fresh-faced young Garda recruit when she gave birth to a baby boy.
Charged with breaching An Garda Síochána’s disciplinary rules. By becoming pregnant and having a child. She was pressured to give up her baby for adoption, or face dismissal. This decision forced her into a decision that would have a devastating impact on her life.
From an institutional childhood after the death of her mother when she was a baby, to realising her vocation of becoming a guard only to confront the reality of a police culture steeped in misogyny and prejudice.
A Guarded Life is both a courageous personal account of hope and resilience in the darkest times, and a striking reflection on womanhood in modern Ireland.