Michael Flatley has spoken of "never feeling a pain like this" as he bid farewell to his late wife, Niamh O'Brien, at her funeral on Saturday (October 10). The Riverdance star was photographed greeting mourners at the Church of St. Thérèse, Mount Merrion, alongside their son, Michael St James, as he tearfully paid tribute to his "dream girl."
A Pain Like No Other
Remembering their "lady of the dance," Michael reportedly struggled to fight back tears as he reflected on the "unbearable" past three weeks, during which his wife's health worsened. Niamh died "peacefully" at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin after an illness earlier this month.
Niamh, who performed the lead role of Saoirse in the Lord of the Dance shows alongside Michael, was inundated with tributes from heartbroken fans. The 68-year-old confirmed her death last week, describing her as "the most loving mother, wife and person, and our lives will never be the same without her."
Final Farewell and Eulogy
During the funeral, the father-of-one played his late wife's favourite tune on his flute and told mourners that he looked forward to their next dance together in heaven. Among the guests, former Riverdance lead dancer Padraic Moyles and actor Patrick Connolly Bergin were in attendance.
Michael began his emotional eulogy, questioning: "How did we get here?" adding that his legs felt hollow, that he felt empty inside, and that he had brought their son to the front of the Church with him for strength.
Reflections on Love and Loss
Reflecting on his past as a boxer and in his dance career, he told attendees: "I felt a lot of pain in my life, but this morning I have never felt pain like this in my life." He referenced a quote from Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, and read: "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."
Michael continued: "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."
The star added: "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 greatest dancer we ever had because she was the most beautiful girl in the world."
Michael then thought back to a time before their romance, when they were waiting to go on stage at Madison Square Garden and shared: "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 recalled: "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."
A Calming Force
He continued: "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." Michael opened up about the last year, which had been "particularly difficult", but she would remind him not to say anything that would upset her parents, because she did not want them to worry.
"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. 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."
