An 81 year-old woman from Ireland just got to meet her 103 year-old birth mother for the first time after she searched for her for over 60 years.

Eileen Macken was raised in an orphanage in Dublin, and she had been looking for her birth mother ever since she got out at the age of 19. Though she had no success for decades, Eileen was adamant that she would find her mother one day.

“I felt, how could I be one person on this planet and having nobody – I had to go and search,” she said.

After Eileen recently told her story on a local radio show, she was contacted by a genealogist, who managed to trace her mother to Scotland.

“Once I heard that, nothing would stop me trying to get to see her,” Eileen explained.

Last month, Eileen made the journey to Scotland with her husband, daughter, and son-in-law to meet her mother, Elizabeth.

“She’s the most beautiful lady, lovely family, they gave me a great welcome,” Eileen said, adding that she had a “great chat” with her mom, who is turning 104 this month.

“There was such a bond between the two of us, it was fantastic. She’s such a kind lady, I said to my children that all this life I’ve loved this lady, even though I don’t know who she is,” Eileen said. She went on to say that the visit was a brief one, as she did not want to stay too long because of her mother’s age. However, the time she had with her mother is something that Eileen will treasure for the rest of her life.

“I don’t think I’ll ever come down out of the cloud,” Eileen said. “I don’t think I’ve done any work in the house [since I came back], I’m that happy. I’m going around singing.”

“You’ve no idea what it’s done to me, I’m just so happy.”

Find out more about this incredible story in the video below.