Riverdance and Lord Of The Dance star Michael Flatley has said he has "never felt pain like it" as he said goodbye to his "dream girl" wife Niamh O'Brien. Flatley stood alongside the couple's son Michael St James as he emotionally honoured their "lady of the dance".
Ms O'Brien, 52, passed away peacefully at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin last week following an illness. Mourners from around the globe gathered to attend her funeral at Church Of St Thérèse, Mount Merrion on Saturday. Among those present were former Riverdance principal dancer Padraic Moyles and actor Patrick Connolly Bergin, reports the Irish Mirror. Ms O'Brien took on the leading role of Saoirse in the Lord of the Dance productions alongside Flatley.
Emotional tribute to his 'dream girl'
Flatley became emotional as he described the final three weeks as "unbearable" for her as her condition deteriorated, and performed her favourite melody on his flute, telling mourners that he anticipated their next dance together in heaven.
He began his tribute in tears asking: "How did we get here?" adding that his legs felt hollow, that he felt empty on the inside, and had brought their son to the front of the church with him for strength.
"I felt a lot of pain in my life," he told mourners, referencing his past as a boxer and during his dance career. He added: "But this morning I have never felt pain like this in my life."
Memories of their life together
He quoted Irish playwright Samuel Beckett: "Where I am, I don't know, I'll never know, in the silence you don't know, you must go on, I can't go on, I'll go on. I can't believe that I was so lucky that Niamh said yes to me.
"She wasn't just my lady, the lady she was, 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, and how well I remember her, she was always the dancer immediately on my left because she was the greater dancer we ever had because she was the most beautiful girl in the world."
A proposal in Barbados and final farewell
He reminisced about a moment before they became a couple, waiting in the wings at Madison Square Gardens ahead of taking to the stage. "I felt a hand in mine, turned to see Niamh there, she said 'remember Michael this was always your dream', I just wanted to say good luck. That was the person she was," he said.
"I remember I had a place in Barbados, we were there. She was stunning in her beautiful white dress and she was in the middle of telling me a story but I wasn't listening, I couldn't stop staring at her big eyes, perfect face, her warmth, she just exuded love.
"In the middle of a sentence I just said would you marry me Niamh, she stopped like a deer caught in the headlights. I got down on one knee and said, would you marry me Niamh, and she said yes, and my life was never the same again.
"She was the calming force in my life in every way. I was so lucky and so blessed to marry her, and the majority of people who saw us together agreed with that statement."
Flatley revealed the past year had been "particularly difficult" but noted she would scold him against saying anything that might distress her parents, as she didn't want them to be concerned.
"The last three weeks were torturous and unbearable for her because she couldn't breathe. Her sisters and her mother spent almost every single night at that hospital, what a family, absolutely incredible," he said.
"She's gone to heaven but heaven is everywhere, heaven is around us all right here today, I believe Niamh is standing beside me right at this moment, I can feel her. I love you Niamhy, my dream girl, and I'm looking forward to our next dance in heaven together."
Previously, a priest characterised Ms O'Brien as a "human of great faith, selfless in care for others and a spirit believed in doing what was right". He described her as an exceptional representative and advocate for Irish dance throughout the globe.
"Niamh loved the lord of the dance in heaven and the lord of the dance on earth too," he said.
