James Loughran

James Loughran (29 July 1925 – 31 May 2023) was an Irish general practitioner and a founding member of the movement that led to the establishment of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA).

Early life and education Born in Dundalk, County Louth, Loughran was the second of three children. After his mother's death during his adolescence, Loughran studied medicine at University College Dublin, graduating in 1949.

Career Loughran worked in hospitals in London before returning to Ireland, where served as a locum on Arranmore and later as a dispensary doctor in Ballina, County Mayo. The Supreme Court of Ireland reversed the High Court's dismissal of the case, contributing to the eventual legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland.

Personal life Loughran and his wife, Margaret (Peggy) Glynn, lived in Skerries, County Dublin with their four sons. They briefly resided in Sandymount in the late 1970s before returning to Skerries, where Loughran continued his medical practice and managed a family planning clinic in Dublin city center.

In his later years, he resided in an apartment in Skerries and worked on his memoirs until his health declined following a stroke in 2020. Loughran died in 2023.