Wedding joy for the brave mother who saved her daughter in Syria

An Irish mother whose mission to rescue her daughter from war-torn Syria inspired a Hollywood film experiences a fairy tale ending after marrying the love of her life.

There were emotional scenes as travel consultant Louise Monaghan, from Swords, Co. Dublin – who will be played by Galway actress Nicola Coughlan in the film about her life – married her partner Michael Scully in Cyprus this month.

In 2011, while Ms Monaghan was living in Cyprus, her abusive ex-husband, Mostafa Assad, kidnapped their six-year-old daughter May and took her to his home in Damascus, Syria.

In her book Stolen: Escape From Syria, Ms. Monaghan recalls the dramatic rescue operation in May in Syria at the beginning of the anti-government Arab Spring movement, when it was fraught with political instability. And 13 years later, May – now a 19-year-old politics and media student at a Dublin college – became a maid of honor at her mother’s wedding for the second time.

Louise and her new husband celebrated in the Cypriot sunshine this month at Paphos Town Hall with 50 of their loved ones. May made her Ireland’s proudest mum when she told wedding guests: ‘My mum taught me everything I know. She showed me the world and provided me with all the memories I cherish. We faced various difficulties. Nothing was ever given to us, but she worked and fought endlessly to get us where we are today.

She told her mother’s new husband, “Mick, when you came into our lives, I watched my best friend learn new things that she soon became better at than you, like golf, but most importantly, I saw the most important thing of all – the smile you put on her face. Thank you for making my mother happy. I’m so glad she met you.

“She’s not just my mother, she’s a daughter, a wife, a sister, an aunt, a person to look up to and a friend to everyone.”

Bridgerton and Derry Girls star Niciola Coughlan (37) will play Louise in the film based on the latter’s book.

Louise flew to Ireland to give birth to May in 2005 so that her daughter could obtain Irish citizenship. However, on September 7, 2011, Mostafa kidnapped May in Cyprus, telling Louise, then 36, that he was taking their daughter to the beach.

In her book, Louise details her journey to Syria, where she and her daughter were held hostage by her husband. One day in the car, Louise grabbed May’s hand and jumped out. Getting into a taxi, she asked the driver to take them to the Irish consulate in Damascus.

“He left May and me alone in the back of the car for a minute,” she said. I said, “May, run!”, grabbed her hand and opened the door. A taxi pulled up. We jumped into the back and threw ourselves on the floor.

Based on a police arrest warrant, Louise and May had to flee Syria illegally with the help of smugglers. They traveled in the dark through the Syrian mountains with three men and eventually made it home to Ireland.

The film is in the pre-production phase, shooting will start in the New Year. Ms Coughlan said she was “honoured” to play Louise in the thriller Love and War, in which Louise’s character is named Sarah O’Meara. Louise said of the star taking on the role: “I feel sorry for her… I think it will be an extremely arduous and difficult role.”