LIAM NEESON was unable to attend his beloved mother’s funeral in Northern Ireland this week, local reports say.
Katherine ‘Kitty’ Neeson passed away last Saturday, aged 94, after being ill for several months.
The much-loved mother-of-four died at a nursing home where she lived, just one day shy of the Taken actor’s 67th birthday.
The Hollywood star had been expected to travel from New York back to his hometown of Ballymena, where his mother lived, to attend her funeral this past Monday.
However, according to The Belfast Telegraph, Neeson appeared to have not been able to make the long trip, with no signs of the Star Wars actor at the service.
The reasons for Liam’s absence are unknown though the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions in place around much of the world could well have been a major factor.
Despite her son’s absence, Katherine enjoyed as good a send-off as Northern Ireland’s social distancing rules could allow for.
A private service only attended by close friends and family, Liam’s sisters Elizabeth and Bernadette were among those in attendance while as many as 100 mourners took to the streets of Ballymena to pay tribute to a woman who will be fondly remembered by the local community.
Described as a “lovely lady adored by many”, Katherine was fondly remembered as a dinner lady at the local St Louis School.
Kitty was married to school caretaker Bernard ‘Barney’ Neeson who, together had four children; Liam and three daughters named Elizabeth, Bernadette and Rosaleen.
Reflecting on her son’s remarkable career and success in the late 1990s, Kitty recalled: "He was such a quiet lad, I never knew it would turn out like this.
"I love people. I love talking. Not like Liam. He got his quiet ways from his father."
