Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy once gave an exclusive interview with Irish broadcaster RTÉ on how she was coping with the tragic deaths of her three sons John, Robert, and Joseph.
Rose Kennedy, the mother of former President John F. Kennedy and former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, spoke to RTÉ's Radharc program at the Kennedy family home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, in 1973.
Rose's son Edward and her daughter Eunice also feature during the 45-minute program, entitled "Mother of the Kennedys".
It marked the first time that a film crew was given access to the Kennedy family home.
RTÉ's "Radharc" team discussed making a film about coping with loss following the death of a teenage girl in Athy, County Kildare, in the 1970s and chose to speak to Rose Kennedy as she had publicly dealt with the tragic deaths of three of her sons.
Two priests played a pivotal role in arranging the interview. First, a Florida priest named Fr. Delaney made an initial approach on behalf of the "Radharc" team.
When Rose Kennedy later cabled to cancel the interview, Fr. Dermod McCarthy flew out to Massachusetts to reassure her and eventually convinced her to go ahead.
"Faith has been a great comfort and a great inspiration," Rose told Radharc in 1973. "God has given me many gifts through the years and still I think that's the greatest gift.
"I've always been firm in my belief that he would give me the strength to bear these tragedies and that we'd go along.
I think that's very important for a mother because if a mother collapses or submits to discouragement, what does the family do?"
Meanwhile, Ted Kennedy told the program that he didn't believe a day went by when his mother was not reminded of the tragic deaths of his three brothers.
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