Eilish Flately will be laid to rest in her native St Mullins
DRANAGH native Eilish Flatley (nee Ryan), the mother of world famous dancer Michael will be laid to rest in St Mullins later this week.
Eilish (81) died at Silver Cross Hospital, New Lenox, Illinois on Wednesday. Born Elizabeth Ryan in Dranagh, St Mullins Eilish always maintained strong links with Carlow despite emigrating to America at a young age.
Following her death Michael posted this message on his official Facebook page: ‘My dear mother Eilish passed away this morning. She is now with my father in heaven. Words cannot express myself and my family’s sadness at this time. May God rest her soul.’
Eilish met fellow Irish immigrant Michael Flatley Sr. at a dance in Detroit. They married and moved to Chicago.
Both Eilish and her mother Ann were champion Irish dancers and Michael began taking lessons when he was eleven, which led him to become the first American to win the Irish Dance World Championships six years later.
Michael who shot to fame with Riverdance and Lord of the Dance said: ‘We were blessed that my mother and my grandmother both carried on the tradition and gave us the opportunity to do something that is uniquely Irish.’
Eilish’s husband Michael Senior, a native of Sligo, died in March 2015. During his eulogy Michael junior said his mother had ‘ been a pillar of strength through all of this. I loved my father, he was my hero. He was a strong Irishman.’
While his parents were based in Chicago, they were also regular visitors back to Ireland and to Carlow where they eventually owned a holiday home. The dancer spent numerous holidays as a child in the Dranagh area.
Michael’s granny Ann is widely credited with having given critical support and advice to him as he started out on his own dance career.
Mrs Flatley is survived by her children Michael, Patrick, Annie Flatley, Liza Callahan, and Thomasina ‘ Thoma’ Griffin.
On Saturday mourners visited a Chicago Funeral Home to pay their respects and her funeral mass and burial will take place in St Mullins this week.