Eileen Macken, 82, was reared in a Dublin orphanage. For years, she looked all around for her mom.
She only recently discovered her. Macken discovered that her 104-year-old mom was still alive and well in Scotland.
She was only able to find her mother because she made her search public. Eileen featured on the renowned Irish radio show “RTE Liveline,” pleading with listeners to assist her in locating her mom.
Of course, she imagined her mother had died by this point. When a listener who was also a genealogist assisted her in taking the required steps to locate her mother, she was relieved to learn that she was still alive and well.
Last April, Eileen and her spouse George (together with their daughter and son-in-law) flew to Scotland for the first time to meet Eileen’s mom. Some people were concerned about Macklen going at her age, but she seemed unconcerned.
She heard her mom was living at 103, and nothing could stop her from going to visit her mom, she explained.
After Eileen stated their reason for visiting, a guy met her and her family at the entrance and took them into the Scotland home.
She discovered her mom in her living room, reading a newspaper. When she told the 104-year-old that she was from Ireland, her mom instantly recognized her.
Eileen’s mom grabbed her hand and didn’t let go when they were reconnected. They became fast friends and spent three days together in Scotland before Eileen and her family had to depart.
Eileen returned to Joe Duffy’s ‘Liveline’ on May 9th of the same year to inform him and his listeners on her reconnection with her newfound mom.
Even better, she stated that her family is still expanding, as her mom informed her that she has two half-brothers!
It’s amazing that she never quit her search and was eventually reunited with her mother. God bless both of them!
Eileen MackenEileen Macken, who was born in the Bethany Home in Dublin, has been reunited with her mother after 60 years of searching for her
Posted by RTÉ News on Thursday, 9 May 2019
