The remarkable story of a woman whose coffin toppled and fell from a helicopter when being flown home is being retold in a brand new documentary.
Mary Folan emigrated from her native Ireland to the US in the 1920s, but wanted to be buried back home, overlooking the sea.
So upon her death in 1967, her family arranged for her body to be flown back to Inis Meáin, off Co Galway, where she had grown up.
However, a new documentary is telling the story of how the incredible gesture to repatriate her body didn't quite go to plan.
On the journey home, her remains tumbled from the helicopter and fell into a field below, The Irish Mirror reported.
Mary’s remarkable story reached fame in 2019 when a resident from Co Clare spread the unbelievable tale.
But now RTE are turning the story of her journey home into a documentary.
In 1967, Mary lost her battle with cancer, aged 56.
She had left Inis Meáin at 18, to move to Boston in the US, where she worked as a nanny.
But her final wish was to watch the Atlantic in perpetuity from the vantage point she had enjoyed as a child.
The man in charge of bringing Mary'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 to 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 a boat.
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 mighty endeavour was even mentioned in The Boston Globe's obituary for Mary.
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 precious 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 when 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.
