The body of an Irish woman who emigrated from Ireland to the US fell from a helicopter as it was flown home to her native Inis Meáin off Co Galway.
Mary Folan has emigrated to the States in the 1920s but wanted to be buried at home so after her death in 1967, her family arranged her final flight to the island.
The incredible gesture to repatriate her was almost ruined when the coffin carrying Mary's remains was accidentally dropped into a field below from a helicopter.
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The remarkable true story of Mary Folan's last journey reached national fame in 2019 when a resident of Co Clare spread the tale to RTÉ Documentary, who in turn are now telling the tale in an upcoming documentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
In 1967, Mary Folan lost her battle with cancer at the age of 56, she had left Inis Meáin at 18 and moved to Boston, USA where she worked as a nanny. Her final wish, to watch the Atlantic in perpetuity from the vantage point she had beheld as a child.
The man in charge of bringing Miss Folan's earthly remains back to her homeland was Gene Sheehan. Sheehan himself was one of Boston's many Irish diaspora having emigrated from Co Cork.
Sheehan's idea for the final leg of the journey was bring Mary home from Shannon Airport via helicopter. The undertaker had figured that it would be easier to do so than cross the rough seas on the surface.
A boat transfer to Inis Meáin at that time of year would have meant bringing Mary's remains via fishing vessel as far as Inis Mór and then transferring her via currach to her destination. The planned endeavour was even mentioned in The Boston Globe's obituary for Mary Foran.
The helicopter company tasked with transporting the coffin had settled on a sling design after testing but this was still their first operation carrying such cargo.
On the day, the islanders, including members of Mary's family had prepared a grave, a priest was on hand to perform the burial rite and a makeshift helicopter landing pad was laid out.
Meanwhile, the helicopter company collected Mary from Shannon Airport and attached her via the sling to the chopper. Shortly after take-off, the sling opened at one end and Mary's coffin plummeted to a field below.
The helicopter had only travelled a few kilometres from Shannon Airport where a part of the sling had failed, the coffin landed in Paradise, Co Clare.
The full story of Mary's last journey will be told on 'Miss Folan’s Last Wish' which debuts on RTÉ Radio 1, Saturday 29 October at 2.00pm.
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