Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Dermot O’Neill was overcome with emotion as he bid farewell to his beloved wife Patricia “Chickie” O’Neill, who died last week at the age of 60 after a heartbreaking battle with cancer.
The 74-year-old actor attended her funeral service at Dardistown Crematorium in north Dublin, where family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of a woman remembered for her warmth, humour and determination to bring joy to others, even in her final days.
Supported by a walking stick and surrounded by loved ones, Dermot struggled to contain his grief as mourners comforted him outside the service. Those closest to him described him as utterly devastated by the loss of the woman he had been married to for 14 years.
Despite facing a terminal diagnosis earlier this year, Chickie remained remarkably positive and even took charge of planning her own farewell. During the service, her son Salvador revealed that she had ordered an end-of-life planner to help organise everything. Ironically, the planner arrived on the very day she passed away.
The cover reportedly read: “Sorry it’s your problem now, because I’m dead.”
Salvador recalled how the family burst into laughter when they saw it, saying: “That really made us laugh. That was my mum all over.”
The packed service featured emotional tributes from all four of Chickie’s children — Salvador, Evan, Yolanda and Nicola — who spoke movingly about losing their mother and the enormous impact she had on everyone around her.
They described the huge turnout at the funeral as proof of how deeply loved she was and admitted that the world felt much quieter without her.
Dermot was too emotional to deliver a speech during the service. However, in one of the most touching moments of the day, he stood and gently touched his wife’s coffin before it disappeared behind the crematorium doors.
Afterwards, he revealed that Chickie had personally requested something unusual for her funeral reception — karaoke.
Speaking about her final wishes, Dermot said: “Chickie wanted people to have a good time even at her funeral. That was very much her personality. She was a joyful, warm person. I’m so sad she is gone.”
Friends and colleagues from the Mrs Brown’s Boys cast were among those paying their respects.
Long-time co-star Paddy Houlihan admitted he had never seen Dermot so shaken.
“I’ve known Bugsy for so many years and it’s the first time he doesn’t sound like Bugsy,” Paddy said. “He’s absolutely devastated. But everyone on Mrs Brown is there to support him.”
He also revealed that fellow star and show creator Brendan O’Carroll had been calling Dermot from Florida to offer support in the days following Chickie’s death.
The funeral marked the end of a devastating journey that began in January when Chickie travelled to Spain for what she believed would be routine hernia surgery.
Instead, doctors discovered multiple tumours in her stomach and informed her that she had stage four cancer.
Reflecting on the shocking diagnosis, Chickie previously explained: “If I hadn’t have gone abroad, I’d never have known I had stage 4 cancer.”
She chose to return to Ireland to spend her remaining time with her family, fearing she might never see her children again if she remained in Spain for treatment.
One of her most painful memories was telling her sons about the diagnosis from her hospital bed.
“Dermot put his hand on my knee and both boys held each of my hands, and we all hugged and cried,” she recalled.
In her final weeks, Chickie received treatment at Beaumont Hospital before moving to St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown.
Dermot later revealed that her condition had worsened significantly after chemotherapy stopped working.
“There was nothing more they could do for Chickie,” he said. “She knew she didn’t have much time left but was hoping for a few more weeks. They had her on morphine because she was in terrible pain and she could only talk in a whisper for the last few days.”
Even in death, Chickie’s generosity continued. Guests attending her funeral reception were encouraged to donate towards a new inpatient unit at St Francis Hospice — a cause close to the family’s heart after the care she received during her final days.
For those who knew her, Chickie’s farewell reflected exactly who she was: someone determined to leave behind laughter, love and unforgettable memories, even as her family faced the pain of saying goodbye.
