Ellen (26) was tearfully reunited with her family after arriving home from New York, where she has worked for the last number of years, to spend Christmas with her family in Nenagh, Co Tipperary. She said she was "overwhelmed" by the moment, landing from JFK to greet her mum Una, her brother John, her dad Eunan and their beloved dog Oreo. "You're going to laugh when you hear my surname," she told the Irish Independent as Oreo, who was patiently waiting to greet her, sparkled in his Santa suit as he jumped up on her lap. "It's Merry, like Merry Christmas."