Patrick Kielty looked bereft as he carried the coffin of his late mother Mary at her funeral in County Down.
The Irish presenter’s mother, who was aged in her 80s, passed away at her home in the village of Dundrum on Saturday.
Patrick appeared heartbroken as he was seen carrying Mary’s coffin to the Church of the Sacred Heart in his Northern Irish hometown for her funeral on Monday.
His wife Cat Deeley was not in attendance for the church ceremony, instead staying in London to present This Morning earlier that day.
A death notice said Mary ‘will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends’.
Patrick wore a dark grey suit with a white tie as he laid his mother to rest with his brothers John and Cahal, joined by dozens of mourners.
Patrick Kielty looked bereft as he carried the coffin of his late mother Mary at her funeral in County Down on Monday
Patrick appeared heartbroken as he was seen carrying Mary’s coffin to the Church of the Sacred Heart in his Northern Irish hometown for her funeral
Patrick has often spoken fondly of his mother over the years, and told The Irish Sun in 2023 that she was ‘secretly delighted’ when he was chosen as host of the Late Late Show.
‘Mary Kielty is secretly delighted but not making any real public statements,’ he said.
‘I mean talking to people at mass, which is kind of a public statement in Dundrum.
‘”Well now, what about that son of yours, I’m sure you’re very proud,” to which Mary Kielty would say “Well now, I’ve got three sons, so which one are you talking about?”‘
Patrick’s life was rocked by tragedy after his father was killed by protestant paramilitaries who claimed he was an IRA chief during the Troubles when he was just 16 years old.
He relived the murder as part of a TV documentary in 2023, in which he said of his mother: ‘My dad was a brave man but it was my mum who wanted to protect us.
‘She’s the one who raised the family and kept us together. She was 46 when he died and she never remarried.’
The comedian revealed the moment he was called into the headmaster’s office of his school to be told of his father Jack’s death at the hands of Loyalist shooters.
The mother of the Irish presenter, who was aged in her 80s, passed away at her home in the village of Dundrum on Saturday (Patrick and Mary seen in 2012)
Patrick’s wife Cat Deeley did not appear to be in attendance at the funeral after presenting This Morning earlier that day (pictured)
A death notice said Mary ‘will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends’
Patrick wore a dark grey suit with a white tie as he laid his mother to rest with his brothers John and Cahal, joined by dozens of mourners
His wife Cat Deeley did not appear to be in attendance after presenting This Morning earlier that day
As part of a BBC programme documenting the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Patrick spoke about the effect the murder has had on his life.
The Loyalist assassins had fired on his father’s firm in Dundrum, County Down, at the height of the Troubles.
It was a case of mistaken identity, with the killers believing Jack to be an officer in the IRA, a link that was immediately dismissed by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and family members.
Reliving the moment he was told of the death, Patrick said: ‘It was the very first Red Nose Day and I’d put the posters up all around the school.
‘When I was called to the headmaster’s office, I thought I was going to get told off because I’d plastered the entire school with them. Then I got to his office and one of my dad’s business colleagues was there. That’s when I knew something was terribly wrong.
Patrick has often spoken fondly of his mother over the years, and told The Irish Sun in 2023 that she was ‘secretly delighted’ when he was chosen as host of the Late Late Show
Patrick’s life was rocked by tragedy after his father was killed by protestant paramilitaries who claimed he was an IRA chief during the Troubles when he was just 16 years old
Patrick was just six days away from turning 17 when he buried his father and served as a pallbearer at the funeral
‘I remember thinking, “I need to get home. How’s my mum? Where’s everybody else?” At the time you don’t realise you’re going through shock.’
Patrick was just six days away from turning 17 when he buried his father and served as a pallbearer at the funeral.
‘Growing up in Northern Ireland you had less of those chats because a lot of people knew what you were going through,’ he said. ‘There was never anger.
‘It was a case of looking after mum and the family pulling together. The minute you’re angry then someone else has won.’
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