A Co Limerick pensioner, Mrs Nora Mary King (80), was reunited with her family yesterday after going missing for four days.
A massive search including some 500 local people and gardaí spent all weekend looking for the missing woman.
Mrs King had been missing since last Thursday morning from her home at Monagea, near Newcastlewest, in Co Limerick.
The widowed mother of seven, turned up at a house five miles from her own home in Templeglantine at 4.30 p.m. yesterday.
"She just arrived at the house and the family rang the gardaí because they had obviously heard about her disappearance on the news," explained Mrs King's daughter, Ms Betty Ryan.
"We just couldn't believe it. We could hear lots of cheering outside but we didn't believe it until we were told officially.
"We're just over the moon. This is definitely the happiest day of my life," she added.
Her elderly mother couldn't recall where she has been for the last four days.
However, she was in great spirits when the family was finally reunited with her yesterday evening, according to Ms Ryan.
"She was in great form, a bit tired, but in great form.
"She looks fine and has a great tan.
"I don't think she realises how long she was away for.
"All she wanted was a shower and to go to bed."
"She's an extremely active woman and still cycles and goes to Mass every day but lately she has started to forget small things.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before though," she added.
Mrs King seemed relaxed when she knocked on the door, according to Mrs Maura Sexton who lives in the house in Templeglantine where Mrs King called yesterday .
"Myself and my husband John Joe had been out searching yesterday morning but were at home watching the match when there was a knock on the door at around 4.30.
"She said who she was and we knew she had been missing so we brought her in and she had about four cups of tea with us while we waited for her family to arrive," Mrs Sexton said.
All of Mrs King's family - including her son Bill, who travelled home from the Philippines yesterday and her daughter, Maureen, who came home from England - last night thanked everyone who took part in the search.
"We just really want to thank everybody who was involved.
"It was just unreal the way so many people helped out," said Ms Ryan.
Dozens of volunteer groups including a team from the South East Mountain Rescue Unit spent the weekend searching for Mrs King.
Her bicycle was found in a ditch last Thursday.
A pair of her glasses were found by 12-year-old local boy, Dermot Considine, who was searching with his father at lunchtime yesterday.
According to Insp Ann Marie McMahon who co-ordinated the search operation the support was excellent.
"I cannot emphasise enough the help and support from all the voluntary groups and from all the local people who took part in the search," said Insp McMahon.
Up to five buses full of volunteers from the Civil Defence took part in the search, along with a helicopter from the Irish Coastguard.
Sniffer dogs from the Garda Dog Unit and the Search and Rescue Dog Association of Ireland were also involved.
A temporary canteen was set up at the old national school in Monagea where locals had been giving out food and beverages.
Over the weekend one local farmer opened up his field as a car-park, such was the volume of traffic.
"I've seen crowds before but I have never seen anything like the number of people who were in Monagea this weekend for the search," said one local.