AllMovie

Father Michael Cleary was a Catholic priest who became a celebrity in his native Ireland in the 1970's; he hosted a radio show in which he offered spiritual advice to listeners who called in with questions, he appeared on a televised evangelical program, and wrote and sang Christian-themed music, releasing two albums of his work. Father Cleary was well known for his open-minded take on contemporary issues, but it wasn't until after his death in 1993 that a surprising secret was revealed about the priest -- for years he had a romantic relationship with his housekeeper, Phyllis Hamilton, and that he was the father of her son, Ross Hamilton. In 1991, filmmaker Alison Millar began work on a documentary about Father Cleary and filmed many hours of the priest spending time with Phyllis and Ross, unaware of the true nature of their relationship. Seventeen years later, At Home With The Clearys offers a look inside the life of a family who lived together while denying the true nature of their relationship, while also examining the toll that Father Cleary's double life claimed among those closest to him. Originally produced for Irish television, At Home With The Clearys was screened as an official selection at the 2008 Sheffield International Documentary Festival.