"I'm Coming Home to Prove I'm Not a Child of Rape', Says US Woman Who Claims to Be Fr Cleary's Daughter

Irish Independen
September 28, 2014

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/im-coming-home-to-prove-im-not-a-child-of-rape-says-us-woman-who-claims-to-be-fr-clearys-daughter-30621389.html

Felicia Irwin, an American-born woman who was adopted almost 30 years ago believes that she is the biological daughter of singing priest Father Michael Cleary. Inset: Ross and Phyllis Hamilton with Fr Cleary

The American woman who believes she's Father Michael Cleary's daughter has said she will do whatever it takes to prove he is her biological father.

Felicia Irwin has pledged to travel to Ireland to take a DNA test to disprove claims that she is a child of rape.

Ross Hamilton, his mother Phyllis and father Michael Cleary

An Independent.ie investigation revealed yesterday an American-born woman who was adopted almost 30 years ago believes that she is the biological daughter of singing priest.

Read more in our Exclusive Full Multimedia story - A Secret Daughter: Phyllis, Fr Michael Cleary and me

Fr Michael Cleary and a young Felicia

Felicia Irwin - a mother-of-three who lives in Florida - plans to undertake parental tests to determine if she is the third child of Fr Cleary, who died in 1993 aged 60.

She was given up for adoption as a baby by her birth mother Phyllis Hamilton, who was the secret lover of Ireland's most outspoken cleric and the mother of his two sons.

Ms Hamilton gave birth to Felicia in Fort Lauderdale in January 1985 when she went to stay with close friends who later adopted the baby girl.