Lisa McEntee always wanted to be a mother and, at the age of 40, decided she would make her dream a reality. 

It was 2020 and she was still single - but decided not to let this get in her way. 

“I really always wanted a family and was wondering then what ways I could do it,” Ms McEntee told Lunchtime Live.  

"I’d heard about different women who had done this before, so I started researching it, looking into it and then checking what my own fertility levels were at [and] I made an appointment with a clinic in Clonskeagh.” 

After medical tests confirmed she had a low chance of conceiving using artificial insemination, she decided she would do what she calls “full IVF”; her eggs were retrieved, fertilised and then the embryos were implanted into her womb. 

After just one cycle, Ms McEntee found herself pregnant and baby Ólan was born in August 2021. 

Now nearly two, he is “loving life” and Ms McEntee says she feels very fortunate. 

“You’ve a lot of things to consider,” she said. 

“Can you afford it? Have you got the support? 

“I’m exceptionally lucky; I have a brilliant family, I’ve brilliant friends, all very supportive from the very beginning.” 

Mc McEntee first broached the possibility of becoming a single parent with her family when she was on holiday with her father in 2016. 

He was enthusiastic about the idea and she said her loved has helped her enormously. 

“When I had their support, in the end it was easy,” she said. 

“I also had a friend who said to me one time, ‘You know, Lisa, waiting to meet somebody to have a child could preclude you from having a child but having a child doesn’t preclude you from meeting someone.’

“That was the way to look at it.” 

Occasionally, Ms McEntee encounters negativity from strangers but overwhelmingly people have been positive about her young family. 

“I’ve been very open from the very beginning of this process,” she said. 

“People at work knew I was going through it, all my friends knew I was going through it and even now I’m very open and honest. 

“If people ask me, I say straight out, ‘I’m a solo Mum by choice, I’ve done this on my own’ and, in general, I don’t think I’ve had any negative comments. 

“The odd time I get a wee snigger or laugh - more from people who don’t understand.

“[They might] say, ‘Would you not rather go out and sleep with somebody?’ 

“But it’s not that simple of a decision.” 

In Budget 2023, the Government allocated €10 million to provide people with free IVF.

Main image: Baby Ólan and his mother Lisa