Philomena Lynott

Philomena Lynott (22 October 1930 – 12 June 2019) was an Irish author and entrepreneur. She was the mother of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott. Her autobiography, My Boy, documents their relationship. She was the proprietor of the Clifton Grange Hotel in Manchester, which provided accommodation for a number of bands in the 1970s including Thin Lizzy. Philomena Lynott was born on 22 October 1930 as the fourth of nine children to Frank and Sarah Lynott in Dublin, and grew up in the Crumlin district of the city. She left school aged 13 and worked in an elderly people's home. n 1947 Lynott took advantage of a viable job market in England, which needed labour to rebuild damage caused by World War II, finding work as a nurse in Manchester. She began a relationship with Cecil Parris, which led to Philip's birth on 20 August 1949. She suffered prejudice because she did not marry Cecil Parris and was the mother of a mixed-race son, who she decided would best be raised by her parents in Dublin. Lynott had two other children that she placed for adoption. She remained close to her son throughout his life but because she only saw him sporadically felt they were more like sister and brother or friends instead of a typical mother and son relationship. In 1964 Lynott began a relationship with Dennis Keeley and the couple took over management of the Clifton Grange Hotel in Whalley Range, Manchester. Though they had no experience in running a hotel, they bought the property after six months…