She met her long lost cousin on a cruise ship

CNN — When Eileen Monaghan’s cousin Nora died in 2014, Eileen grieved not only the loss of a beloved older relative but also her last link to Ireland. “We compared stories of travels around the world.” Transatlantic friendship Here's Paddy, Hazel, Gerard and Eileen photographed on board the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship in 2015, not long after they met. From there, as Hazel puts it, “a great friendship developed.” “We’ve been friends ever since and we visit across the Atlantic regularly now to see one another,” she says. Monaghan family Today, the cousins like to imagine Nora “laughing her head off” at the idea of Eileen and Gerard meeting and becoming close thanks to the unlikely combination of a cruise ship, an elevator and an overheard conversation. Last year, Eileen’s brother passed away, and she says Paddy and Hazel’s letters and emails “helped so much” during that tough period.