Michael Flatley’s wife, Niamh O’Brien, has been laid to rest in a funeral mass at the Church of St. Thérèse, Mount Merrion.
The Lord of the Dance star shocked fans when he announced the death of his 52-year-old wife on Monday.
In a statement, a spokesman said that Niamh passed away peacefully at the Beacon Hospital in south Dublin, ‘following a period of illness’.
Pic: Mark Marlow/PA Wire
On Saturday, the parish priest told the congregation of Niamh’s faith: ‘We all know Lord of the Dance, but in her own way, in life, Niamh did a dance with the Lord.’
Gifts were offered up at the altar to remember the late mum-of-one, including rosary beads, and dancing shoes, which signified ‘a lifetime of talent, creativity, and her extraordinary love for dance’, per Niamh’s sister.
Michael and his son, Michael St. James, were each other’s pillars of strength at the funeral service, with both the 68-year-old and his 19-year-old son keeping a steady hand on each other’s backs.
Pic: Mark Marlow/PA Wire
Michael was joined by his son to read the eulogy, telling mourners: ‘How did we get here? My legs are hollow, I feel empty on the inside, I hope you don’t mind I brought my son for strength. He is my strength.’
Choking back tears, he said: ‘I felt a lot of pain in my life. I was a boxer and I lived with pain as a dancer when my parents died, but I can honestly tell you this morning, I’ve never felt pain like this in my life.
‘I want to say how much I love the O’Briens and how they welcomed me into their life, Tommy and Monica, and one of the most respected and loved families in Ireland. And they raised three incredibly talented, highly intelligent and extraordinarily beautiful daughters.’
‘I can’t believe that I was so lucky that Niamh said yes to me. She wasn’t just my lady, but the lady she was,’ Michael continued. ‘She was my dream girl. She was my everything.
‘She was the lady of the dance. She was the love of my life. She was the mother of our son. She was highly intelligent. And she was the most beautiful girl in the world. My dream girl, Niamhy.
‘We danced around the world for 20 years. She was always the dancer immediately on my left, because she was the greatest dancer we ever had, and because she was the most beautiful girl in the world.’
Michael revealed Niamh was diagnosed with an autoimmune connective tissue disease, scleroderma, and was given 24 months to live at the time, but he praised her courageousness.
Irish actor Patrick Connolly Bergin and Riverdance CEO Pádraic Moyles were in attendance at Niamh’s funeral service in support of Michael and Michael St. James.
Michael and Niamh had been due to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this month.
