Irish woman, 81, meets 103-year-old mum after 60-year search

_{London: An 81-year-old Irish woman has been reunited with her centenarian mother for the first time after searching for her for over 60 years, according to a media report.}

_{Eileen Macken grew up in a Bethany Home orphanage in Dublin and had never met her biological mother.}

_{She started searching when she was 19 and last year contacted Ireland's RTE's Liveline to appeal for help to find her mother.}

_{Earlier this year a genealogist called to say he had tracked her down in Scotland.}

_{"Once I heard that, nothing would stop me trying to get to see her," Eileen said.}

_{She travelled to Scotland last month and finally met her mum, Elizabeth, who will be 104 on Saturday, the BBC reported on Friday.}

_{"I went over to see her and she's the most beautiful lady, lovely family, they gave me a great welcome," she told RTE's Liveline programme.}

_{"We came in and, honestly I haven't got over the acceptance that I got.}

_{"They accepted me and I had a great chat with my mother."}

_{Eileen said Elizabeth was reading the newspaper when she saw her.}

_{"I said we were from Ireland and she said 'I was born in Ireland'.}

_{"I said: 'You know I'm your daughter' and she just looked up at me and she took my hand.}

_{"I think it's nearly gone past her, but there was such a bond between the two of us. It was fantastic."}

_{Eileen, a mother of three, also discovered she has two half brothers.}

_{She said she did not think she would "ever come down out of the cloud" after meeting her mother.}

_{She said she was always adamant that she should find her mum and never gave up the search.}

_{The meeting had made her happier than she could have imagined, she said.}

_{"We had three days of wonderful happiness that I've never ever had before.}

_{"I don't think I've done any work in the house [since she came back], I'm that happy. I'm going around singing.}

_{"You've no idea what it's done to me, I'm just so happy," Eileen said.}