Patrick Kielty and his family have been left heartbroken by the death of his mother, Mary Keilty – who passed away over the weekend and was laid to rest on Monday
Patrick Kielty had a close bond with his mother who sadly passed away over the weekend.
The 54-year-old Irish presenter is the son of late Mary Keilty who died at the age of 84 on Saturday and who was laid to rest on Monday. Patrick’s father, Jack Keilty, had died in 1988 amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland – leaving Mary to raise Patrick and his two brothers, John and Cahal.
While Patrick is arguable one of the most famous presenters from Ireland – having helmed shows in Ireland, the UK and the USA – his mother kept herself largely out of the spotlight. However, Patrick would often open up about his close relationship with his mum – who he said continued to offer to do his laundry until he was in his 50s.
On Monday, hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Dundrum in Norther Ireland to pay respects to Mary – who had a history integrating herself into the local community. Patrick – who has been married to This Morning star Cat Deeley since 2012 and shares two young sons with him – and his family have said they will remember Mary as a “loving mother” and “devoted grandmother”.
Mother’s pride
While Patrick and Cat have high-profile careers as TV presenters, Mary was happy to be out of the spotlight. In 2012 she joined Patrick to help him run with the Olympic torch ahead of the the London Games that year. And Patrick has joked about his mother’s pride in his career.
While he has helmed shows for ITV, the BBC, Channel 4 and America’s ABC, it wasn’t until 2023 that he landed a high-profile job in Ireland when he was announced as the host of the Late Late show. Not long after he took over the role as the host of the late night show, Patrick quipped: “Mary Kielty is secretly delighted but not making any real public statements.”
And proving he has always been a mother’s boy, Patrick also shared during a recent appearance at the Amgen Irish Open, that Mary still offered to do his laundry for him. He said: “I think Irish mummies never really understand what age their youngsters actually are. So you do get a lot of offers like ‘Do you have any washing’ and I would be like ‘Well no, no that’s done, I’m 53 mum.”
Patrick shared a family snap with his mum to mark St Patrick’s Day in 2021, writing at the time: “Nothing to see here people. Just your typical Irish family. In their Aunt Kate’s front garden. About to go cruisin in the family cart. Being pulled by their pet donkey, Barney. Happy Paddy’s Day.”
A fond farewell
Following the sad news of Mary’s death, her family released a statement where they branded her a “loving mother” and “devoted grandmother”. The statement added she “will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends”.
On Monday, Patrick was one of the pallbearers that carried Mary’s coffin to the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dundrum as those close to her gathered to bid her a final goodbye. In the eulogy, Mary’s eldest son, John, spoke about their “brilliant” childhood in the 1970s despite the ongoing challenges of the Troubles.
He recalled: “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.”
After John, Patrick and Cahal’s father died, Mary raised the three boys and became involved in local activities. John said: “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. 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.”
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.
