Limerick mother reunited with her son after more than 50 years apart

Limerick mother reunited with her son after more than 50 years apart. Mark Balls and his mother Phylis O’Neill pictured with other family members on his visit to Ireland. Picture: Facebook

Mark Balls has reunited with his Limerick biological mother, Phylis O’Neill, after 53 years apart

Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Mark, who celebrated his 50th birthday three years ago was adopted as baby and raised by a loving family in London. It wasn’t until the passing of his adoptive parents that Mark decided to search for his birth family.

Now living in Paderborn, Germany, with his six children, Mark had some information about his biological mother but was struggling to make further progress. As his 50th birthday approached, when his daughters asked what he would like for the milestone age, he revealed his dream of meeting his biological mother and asked for their help.

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Mr Balls spoke recently on Limerick’s Live 95 and explained, “I said to my daughters, ‘Is there any chance you could look into this and maybe find more than I found.’ They couldn’t find anything and their answer was to get me a DNA test off of MyHeritage site.”

Mark explained there were “a few close connections, some unanswered emails” but did receive one email back which was guiding him toward Limerick, but says there was no family connection, and in the last months a woman came onto the DNA site with her DNA.

The breakthrough came through a line of messages involving relatives he found in Greece, Australia, and Reading, before he eventually received a confirmation email that Phyllis O’Neill from Ballysheedy, Limerick, was his mother, and he also had two blood brothers, Jason and James.

Mark’s mother, Phyllis, had been an 18-year-old living in Hampstead, London, when she gave birth to him. Due to societal pressures, she kept the pregnancy secret and arranged for his adoption. She later married Mark’s biological father, Pat, and gave birth to his two brothers.

The reunited son said he was looking for his mother to “alleviate any guilt” she may have felt about the adoption, saying he didn’t have a bad life and understood society was different in the past, “especially in Ireland“.

Also speaking on the show, an emotional Phylis said it was a relief knowing Mark didn’t hold bad feelings, saying, “Oh my God, it does, and knowing that he had a good life. I had never forgotten him, he was always there. We had never forgotten him, his dad as well, like we’d never forgotten him.”

Phyllis, who had prayed for Mark every night, expressed her regret that Pat, who passed away, could not witness the reunion. One of his newly found brothers said, “It’s just brilliant to have everyone together. We lost our father in 2012, and we’re such a small tight family that when myself and James found out the news, it was just brilliant to have another member to the family.”