Today, the Limerick Leader published an in-depth interview with Dolores’s mother, Eileen O’ Riordan, who shares a bit of detail concerning Dolores’s marriage separation and her state of health. The interview is available both in print and online.

Limerick Leader – Front page

“She is going through a marriage separation at the moment. That’s hard for anyone” said Eileen.

Dolores’s mother goes on to state that though Dolores is currently doing much better, Dolores did not recognize her mother at the garda station in Shannon, Ireland, where Dolores was arrested on Monday morning.

“Dolores was inside in a room, she was lying on the floor, curled up. She had her head covered and her face covered up. She was trying to protect herself. I gave her a hug. I tried to talk to her. She didn’t realise I was there at all. I put Lourdes water on her. She didn’t know who I was, she was trying to cover herself from me” said Eileen.

Mrs. O’ Riordan said that she was anticipating her daughter’s arrival on Monday and was in the process of preparing Dolores’s breakfast when she received a call from her son with the news of Dolores’s arrest.  She says that he had been fearing for Dolores’s health for some time, prayerful that Dolores would not be in New York, away from those who could best care for her, if or when something were to go wrong.

“I was waiting for it, hoping that it wouldn’t happen in New York. It would be awful because she wouldn’t have the support there. She is suffering from lack of sleep over the weeks and her brain is racing all the time. She is working very hard. When she was in New York she kept saying ‘when I go home to my mother in Ireland, I will be fine’. She was working in New York producing a new album.”

“She rang on Sunday to say she was coming. She was OK then but she wasn’t herself. She wasn’t Dolores. She would hide it from me. If I asked ‘are you sleeping?’ she would say: ‘Oh I am, I am.”

Mrs. O’ Riordan says that at this time, Dolores “is a lot better than what she was, thanks be to God”.

She confirms that Dolores remains in Ireland where she is cared for by a nurse and a psychiatric doctor who visits Dolores daily.  Dolores reportedly speaks with her children by phone and they are aware that their mother is not well at this time.  The children remain in Canada with their father.

When answering questions specifically concerning Monday’s on-board incident at Shannon International Airport, related to the alleged assault of a flight attendant and an arresting officer, Dolores’s mother states that when Dolores was taken to the hospital for a medical and psychiatric evaluation following the arrest, there were no drugs or alcohol in Dolores’s system.

“She had two glasses of wine with her dinner when she started off but she had no alcohol or drugs in her system. That is completely clear”, Eileen says.

It is suspected that Dolores had been hassled for autographs, photographs, and requests to sing during the flight and had been poked by a couple of passengers who were reportedly drunk, seated behind Dolores, for the duration of the flight and that Dolores “lost it”.

Mrs. O’ Riordan also says that the injured flight attendant is a long-time acquaintance of Dolores: “That girl is a friend of hers. She is a very nice girl. She knows [Dolores] for years.”

Dolores’s mother goes on to say that Dolores had been flying in the company of a “producer and songwriter” (presumably JETLAG partner Olé Koretsky, with whom Dolores had been photographed during her time in New York City over the last several weeks).

When asked how she remains strong to care for her daughter, Mrs. Eileen O’ Riordan credits her strong faith.

“I pray.  I don’t know what I would do only for my religion. There are so many good people – so many I have met are lovely and are thinking of her and praying for her and what more can we do at this stage.”

From all of us, we wish Dolores a full and speedy recovery.  We also express our deepest regret to learn of Dolores and Don’s marital separation and send all of our absolute best wishes to Dolores and her family during this difficult time of transition and healing.

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