A strange life in the year of Maureen O'Hara

TWO years ago Maureen O’Hara checked into the Ashford Castle hotel to stay in the room she called home during the filming of The Quiet Man.

She had returned to Mayo, along with 4,000 fans of the film, for the Cong Festival, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of the iconic production. O’Hara will always be synonymous with its tale of a bitter Irish-American’s struggle to love and control Mary Kate Danaher.

The festival takes place again this weekend but O’Hara won’t be there. Instead a statute will be unveiled, portraying her and her great friend John Wayne, who played the role of Sean Thornton in the film. During the festival a letter will be read from the 93-year-old actress, which she has penned from her new home in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.