Irish broadcaster refused entry to EU with baby born via surrogacy

Darragh and Aoife McCullough were refused entry into the EU after travelling to Northern Cyprus to pick up their baby born via surrogacy.

Irish broadcaster Darragh McCullough and his wife travelled to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where their baby girl was born. The McCulloughs planned to cross into southern Cyprus, which is part of the EU, but were denied entry. Darragh McCullough used his position as a presenter for RTÉ, and columnist for the Irish Independent, to share his family's story.

'I've told our story because I hope it illustrates for other couples out there who may be struggling to conceive or start a family that this is an option, this is a possibility,' Darragh McCullough told RTÉ radio. 'It's not for the faint-hearted, but it is a real possibility out there and that was my main motivation for being as honest as I am.'

The couple tried multiple methods to have a child over the past 15 years, including several rounds of IVF, and ultimately decided to pursue surrogacy. Darragh McCullough told RTÉ radio, 'While I had winced at the cost of IVF, it was in the ha'penny place compared to surrogacy. However, commercial surrogacy is not allowed in the EU, so we had to look further afield.'

The McCulloughs found that other Irish couples had used a service in Ukraine, and started their surrogacy journey with an agency there in 2020. However, due to the ongoing war, services shifted elsewhere, and the McCulloughs' baby was born in Northern Cyprus to a Ukrainian surrogate.

This is not the first time surrogacy arrangements in Northern Cyprus have made headlines this year. Last month, similar paperwork issues prevented a British couple from returning to the UK with their newborn twins (see BioNews 1280). Earlier this year, two UK judges warned of the dangers of complex international surrogacy arrangements (see BioNews 1278 and 1279).

To cross the border into southern Cyprus, the McCulloughs were required to provide paperwork, including DNA tests, to prove the baby's relation to at least one of them.

'We nearly got all the way there, in that we had all the documentation that up to this point allowed couples to cross the border from Northern Cyprus to the south, where then we could travel home,' Darragh McCullough explained. 'But when we got to the border the guards waved us away and the taxi driver informed us that the law had changed a day before.'

The McCulloughs hope to return to Ireland with their baby soon once new paperwork, including DNA tests, is completed and approved.

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The past, present and future of surrogacy law will be discussed at the free-to-attend online event 40 Years of the Surrogacy Arrangements Act: What Next for Surrogacy?, taking place on Wednesday 16 July 2025.

Find out more and register here.