Mrs Brown's Boys star Brendan O’Carroll is mourning the loss of his sister Fiona after she died in Canada last month.
Brendan's co-star and sibling Eilish, 68, revealed they both managed to make it across the Atlantic to say their final goodbyes to their "second mammy".
Opening up about their family loss, Eilish told how her comedian brother was able to have one last laugh with Fiona.
She told the Irish Mirror : “An awful lot had to be halted for me [recently].
“Sadly my sister took very ill and passed away in Canada on March 3.
“I had been out there with her for Christmas but we didn’t manage to get out until the day after she died.”
She added: “He was there to see her and got her talking and laughing and singing and I knew she was hanging on for him.
“They were very close, she was like a second mammy. Very much so. For her I know it was her wish to see him and she did and that was lovely.”
The Dublin native said it was a blessing the tight-knit family finished filming All Round To Mrs Brown's before Fiona's devastating death as they were able to mourn together.
The 68-year-old star added: “We got to stay there for a couple of weeks. And then we flew back here and we flew into lockdown actually.
“None of this had happened when we flew out but we flew back in on the March 16 and we were straight into isolation because we had been on a long-distance flight and it has been the same ever since.
“So that was a blessing and I’m looking forward to the tour that will hopefully start in June but who knows."
She added: “I’m still in my head going, ‘yeah June it will all be over and we will be back to normal’.”
And despite her loss, and the scary times she returned to, the funnywoman added she feels extra fortunate and comforted to be able to lift people’s spirits during this time of crisis.
Eilish said: “Comedy tends to thrive in times like this, like in the last recession comedy took off."
She added: “When people’s backs are against the wall and they don’t know what the future holds for them, humour tends to be the only thing that lifts them and provides a bit of restbite.
“And thank God, I mean I am so privileged to be involved in that."
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