O'Hara's daughter Bronwyn dies at home in Glengarriff

BY BRIAN MOORE

LESS than a year after the death of her screen legend mother, Maureen O’Hara’s daughter Bronwyn Fitzsimons was found dead at her home in Glengarriff.

Ms Fitzsimons (71) was a popular member of the Glengarriff community and was seen regularly about the village. 

Indeed, Bronwyn was last seen in Glengarriff on the Tuesday before her sudden death.

Bronwyn’s body was discovered by her home help. She was sitting in her armchair in front of the television, and pronounced dead at the scene. The home help had needed assistance entering the property. Ms Fitzsimons’ body was removed to Cork University Hospital for a post-mortem. 

Maureen O’Hara’s only child, Bronwyn took her mother’s maiden name of Fitzsimons after her mother’s divorce from Bronwyn’s father  – the American film director William Houston Price (Maureen’s second husband) – in 1953. For a while she followed in her mother’s acting footsteps and after an appearance alongside Maureen in the 1963 movie Spencer’s Mountain with Henry Fonda she was also cast in the war epic, The Ravagers in 1965. Bronwyn went on to star in the very popular TV series The Virginian and McHale’s Navy.

She is survived by her son Conor Beau Fitzsimons who lives in Boise, Idaho, his wife Elga and her grand-children Everest and Baylee. 

Bronwyn was very devoted to angels, and had a list of all the archangels inside the glass on her front door. She had even named her house at Reenmeen East ‘Angel’s Rest’ and she would often tell friends ‘May the angels go with you and keep you safe’.

Her longtime friend Angela Muckley from Bantry said this week that Bronwyn was ‘very kind, caring, with a great sense of humour and she was a great friend. Despite loving Ireland, she always had a fourth of July party and we all celebrated it with fireworks and a barbeque at her house,’ she said.

Her son Conor Beau is in West Cork this week to finalise arrangements for the funeral service. The funeral mass will be in the Sacred Heart Church in Glengarriff on Sunday June 12th at 11.30am.