Michael Flatley Sr., Founder of Flatley's Plumbing Express, Has Passed Away

Michael Flatley, Sr. — an Irishman’s Irishman, plumber and father of five, including the world-famous Lord of the Dance — has died.

The founder of Flatley’s Plumbing Express died Friday of congestive heart failure at the age of 87. He will be waked at Sheehy & Sons Funeral Home in Orland Park, and will return home to Ireland for a Mass of the Resurrection and burial in St. Mullins Cemetery, County Carlow.

Flatley Sr. is survived by his wife, Eilish; sons Michael Jr. and Patrick; daughters, Annie Flatley, Liza Callahan and Thomasina Griffin, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He came to the United States in 1947, a native of Culfadda in County Sligo, and moved to Chicago in the 1950s, starting his plumbing business in 1955. Now headquartered in Frankfort, his son Patrick runs the family business, whose motto is “We Do it For Less and Don’t Leave a Mess.” Serving communities in the south, southwest and western suburbs, the phones are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“He worked like a dog. He just never stopped,” Patrick told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Every house we lived in since we were little, he built himself.”

Very true, Flatley Sr. did not shy away from hard work. Nor would he let his children do so. His plumbing business took jobs on holidays, even Christmas, and his family worked on birthdays, too. Even Michael Flatley Jr., who was still working alongside Dad digging ditches while training for Ireland’s world dance competition.

“At the time, I was still digging ditches for dad, but my father wanted me to win the Irish crown almost as much as I did, so he gave me time off to dance in the garage,” Flatley Jr. wrote in his 2006 biography, Lord of the Dance: My Story, noting how the experience of toiling alongside his dad gave him an appreciation for hard work.

The family lived near 79th Street and Ashland Avenue and the boys attended Brother Rice High School. Flatley Jr. explains how their Irish heritage was important to his father, who played Irish flute music at home. Flatley Sr. gave his son a wooden flute, and taught his son how to play by ear. The younger Flatley even recorded an album of flute music at Pumpkin Studio in Oak Lawn and won several flute championships.

Flatley Jr., now regarded as the world’s most renowned Irish stepdancer, started dance lessons at the age of 11. Stepdancing was his mother’s passion — Eilish Ryan Flatley performed with her mother, champion stepdancer Hannah Ryan.

But a young dancing Irishman growing up the South Side would need to know how to defend himself, so the elder Flatley taught his son how to box.

“When after one too many bloody noses my father realized how much fighting was going on, he took my younger brother Patrick and me to boxing classes,” Flatley explained in his book.

Visitation will be 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Robert J. Sheehy & Sons Funeral Home, 9000 W. 151st St., Orland Park.

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