82-year-old woman finally reunited with 103-year-old mother

An 82-year-old Irish woman has said she is over the moon after meeting her estranged mother for the first time after 60 years of searching for her.

Eileen Macken was raised in a Bethany Home orphanage, and had never met her genetic mother.

Earlier this year - having looked for her since she was just 19 - Macken contacted a genealogist and discovered her mother, who was 103-years-old and residing in Scotland, was alive.

Macken then proceeded to get in touch with RTÉ's Liveline to make an appeal to track down her down.

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When she discovered her birth mother was alive, Macken told RTÉ News that "just to touch her, it would mean so much".

And last month, her dream came true as she travelled down to Scotland with her husband, George, and her daughter and son-in-law, to meet Elizabeth.

"I went over to see her and she is the most beautiful lady," she said of the visit. And while her family were worried about the toll that the trip could take on her, Macken insisted on "taking the bull by the horns," and undertaking the journey.When she knocked on the door, she was greeted by a man who was, in fact, her half-brother. "I told him I was from Ireland and that I had found my mum here and could we come in to see her, and he said 'certainly'," she explained.

She said she had a "great chat" with her mother during the three-day trip. "She was reading the newspaper and when she saw me, I said we were from Ireland and she said 'I was born in Ireland'. She was thrilled and she never let go of my hand."

Ms. Macken's mother will celebrate her 104th birthday this weekend.

She told the publication that she's been so happy since coming home that she has not done any housework. "I don't think I'll ever come down out of the cloud," she concluded.