Irish mum finally reunited with daughter taken abroad by dad 17 years ago

In an emotional reunion, Victoria O'Leary held her daughter in her arms for the first time in 17 years after she was taken to Saudi Arabia by her father under false pretences when she was just a toddler.

Victoria's daughter, Fatima, now 19, was taken from their home in Cork city to Saudi Arabia by her father, a Saudi citizen, in 2007. He had told Victoria that it would be a short holiday, but once he arrived in Saudi Arabia with Fatima, he cut contact and refused to send her back.

Despite numerous trips to Saudi Arabia and countless appeals to government departments over the past 17 years, Victoria was unable to bring her daughter home. However, she never gave up and managed to stay connected with Fatima through Snapchat, Whatsapp and sending money via Revolut.

Last week, after years of tireless efforts, Victoria and Fatima were finally reunited in Cork, marking an end to their long and painful separation. In a heartwarming turn of events in 2023, Fatima took control of her destiny. Despite the stringent laws for young women in Saudi Arabia, upon turning 18, she sought legal help to claim her independence, reports Cork Beo.

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Victoria made her way to Saudi Arabia last month for what would be an emotional reunion with her daughter.

Recounting the moment on the Neil Prenderville Show on RedFM, Victoria shared: "She came to the hotel where I was staying and knocked on the door," adding humorously, "and the funny thing is I had a chain on the lock and when I opened the door the chain wouldn't open!

"So there I am trying to break the door open to give her a hug and I eventually got it open and gave her a big massive hug. It was surreal, it was absolutely surreal. She was even in shock, just with a big smile on her face that I was finally standing in front of her."

A snap of the emotional reunion 17 years in the making
(Image: Victoria O'Leary)

Victoria also expressed gratitude towards her parents for their unwavering support during the tough times, revealing that the grandparents were ecstatic to meet their granddaughter again in Mahon after such a long separation.

"They had all of the banners outside the door and you could just see my father bawling crying," Valerie recounted. "And my mother came over and gave her a big hug. They haven't seen her since she was two years old, so it was a big thing for me that they got to meet her again before their time passes."

Sisters Zahra and Fatima are making up for lost time
(Image: Victoria O'Leary)

Fatima couldn't hide her excitement about returning to Cork, with rollerblading in Fitzgerald's Park topping her list of must-dos.

Adjusting to having an older sister is another significant change for Fatima. She experienced an emotional reunion with her sister Zahra at the airport, despite only having brief encounters with her previously.

Overwhelmed with joy, Zahra expressed: "It's amazing, it was such a wholesome moment being in the airport, seeing her walk through the doors. I couldn't believe it, I thought this day would never come, so it was nuts."

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