'I found out I had five siblings when I was 73'

Robert pictured with his three half-sisters Kathy Smith (left), Trisha Oliver (middle) and Maureen Wootton (right)

A daughter researching her ancestry has helped her 73-year-old father discover five siblings he never knew existed.

Teresa Collins from west Belfast wanted to find out more information about her grandmother who she had never met.

She posted on Facebook and online forums and soon discovered a distant relative researching the same person.

"My daddy grew up believing he was an only child his whole life but I then found out he had a half-brother and four half-sisters," Mrs Collins said.

In June, Teresa posted in a Facebook group that helps reconnect people with long-lost family members.

She was hoping to find out more information about her grandmother Martha who was originally from Raholp in County Down, close to Downpatrick.

Teresa said if it wasn't for Julia McCorley (pictured left) she may not have found Robert McGrady's siblings

Teresa said her grandmother had left her family home in Northern Ireland when her father Robert McGrady was very young.

Her father told her he had no knowledge whatsoever of what his mother's life was like after that.

'Began piecing it together'

By chance, Teresa said a woman named Julia McCorley from Manchester got in contact with her and they soon discovered they were in fact third cousins and researching the same person.

Teresa, with Julia's help, said that she then "began piecing it all together".

After exchanging information, Teresa went on to an ancestry website and discovered that Martha had remarried and went on to have five children.

She also found out that her grandmother had died in 2001.

Trisha replied to Teresa's message over social media confirming that she was in fact Robert's half-sister

Teresa was then able to track down two of Martha's daughters, who were both living in England, and nervously sent them a message on social media.

"I didn't really know if I should send the message or not," Teresa told BBC News NI.

"I debated it back and forth with my husband because it's just a very weird thing to message someone.

"Eventually I worked up the courage and sent it - I simply just said: 'I think you might be related to my dad.'"

Teresa then received a reply from a woman called Trisha Oliver who confirmed that Robert's mother Martha Convery went on to have five more children.

They were Tony, Kathy, Maureen, Mary - who died in 2018 - and herself, Patricia.

Robert, accompanied by daughter Teresa, went on a plane for the first time to meet his siblings

Teresa said her father "who rarely shows emotion" was understandably shocked when she told him the news.

"I was just sitting watching TV and when she told me I nearly dropped off my chair - it was just such a big shock," the 73-year-old said.

The sisters started to exchange phone calls with Robert and then in August one of the sisters paid for him to fly from Belfast to meet them in person.

"I have never been on a plane before in my life so that was whole new experience," Robert said.

He and Teresa landed at Luton Airport and arranged a hire car to head off and meet his siblings.

Teresa said there was some difficulty in actually finding where they were supposed to meet up and her father ended up having an impromptu reunion with one of his sisters in another location.

Robert and Kathy embrace for the very first time

"It's actually quite funny because we couldn't find where we were supposed to meet one of the sisters," she said.

"We then saw a woman drive up and we knew straight away that it was my daddy's sister, she just got out of the car and they both just hugged each other there and then by a busy roundabout."

Teresa said it "felt like they had known each other their whole lives" when Robert and Kathy began chatting.

Robert then went on to meet Trisha for the first time at a hotel, his half-brother Tony at his house and eventually met many other family members at a big family barbecue.

"There were too many names to remember - there were nieces, nephews, cousins everywhere," Robert said.

"It was quite overwhelming."

Robert and Teresa attended a family barbecue to celebrate their newly-discovered extended family

The reunited siblings are now organising to meet up again, with trips to Belfast planned for the near future.

"I'm just so happy that daddy was still alive to be able to meet them and experience this after all these years," said Mrs Collins.

"It just goes to show that you should never give up if you're looking to reconnect or find someone that you've lost touch with - even after all these years."