Patrick Kielty carries mother’s coffin as mourners gather for funeral

Patrick Kielty’s mother has been remembered as a resilient woman whose life changed following the death of her husband during the Troubles.

Mary Kielty, whose husband Jack was shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) in 1988, died peacefully at home in Dundrum, Co Down, on Saturday aged 84.

Mourners at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dundrum heard that Mrs Kielty had had “a difficult life”, referring to the death of her husband.

“It left its impact not only on the close family and friends, but also on the wider community,” parish priest Robert Fleck said.

“On the occasion of her funeral, we recommit ourselves to working for peace and reconciliation in the divided community that is the north of Ireland.”

Canon Fleck said that in his last conversation with Mrs Kielty, she was “a bit tired” but managed to share some stories.

“Mary had a good sense of humour, her family have thrived on this gift,” he said.

“Recently, Pope Francis met a number of world comedians, including Mary’s stand-up comic son Patrick.

“He spoke, the Pope did, of the gift that was theirs, and of how it also pointed to the joy of resurrection.”

Born in 1940, she was the youngest of four sisters and a brother, and grew up on a farm near Annaclone.

She and her sister Margaret worked at a hardware store in Banbrige before meeting her future husband Jack – at a showband dance in Hilltown – whose job was to book the bands.

“They enjoyed a courtship based on dancing all over Ireland,” he said, before they married in 1968 and had three sons.

In the eulogy, Mrs Kielty’s eldest son John spoke about their “brilliant” childhood in the 1970s despite it being associated with “the darkest days” of the Troubles.

“We had a brilliant childhood – the beach, the school, the castle and the football field within a few hundred yards and summer holidays in Wexford. What was there not to like?

“Being a stay-at-home housewife, Mary was brilliant mother. Between his day job and bands and dances at night, daddy was never there, and mummy took us everywhere.

“So I had assumed that daddy started us playing football, but Mary did, taking us in half of Dundrum to the matches in the car.

“He jumped on later on when he discovered that we might be half good at it.”

Her life changed when her husband was killed in 1988.

“Mary’s life changed in 1988 when daddy was killed. Left with three sons aged 18 and under, it was a real bad hand of cards,” he said.

“She got a job in the school, got involved in the football club. She even managed to become chairperson and she got the three of us reared.”

He said that in the 1990s, her grandchildren were born and gave her “a new lease of life”.

In recent years, he said her health had faltered but that she had retained her good humour.

“She had plenty of hospital appointments in recent years,” he said.

“During one such visit last year, I was with her. She was struggling a bit with breathing.

“A young doctor says ‘Do you smoke, Mrs Kielty?’ ‘No.’ Full stop. She looks at me and says nothing.

“I said, ‘Mummy, do you not think you should say you stopped smoking when you were 80?’ The doctor laughs.”

Patrick Kielty, who had presented an episode of RTE’s flagship TV programme The Late Late Show hours before her death, gave the second reading at her funeral mass.

Among those who were in attendance at the funeral were RTE director general Kevin Bakhurst and other RTE representatives.

North Belfast priest Gary Donegan, an advocate for peace and reconciliation, also attended.

The burial took place in the cemetery of the Immaculate Conception in Aughlisnafin.