Shelagh Riley was the wife of Sean Riley and mother of Concepta. The Rileys were native to Ireland although Concepta lived in Weatherfield, England.
Although Shelagh and Sean had been initially wary of Concepta marrying Harry Hewitt because he was a Protestant and the Rileys were Catholics, they were won over when Harry promised that any children he had with Concepta would be brought up as Catholics, and they attended the couple's wedding in Weatherfield. They were later joined in Ireland by Harry and Concepta when Harry agreed to take over the running of Sean's garage when Sean retired in 1964.