Kind, charming, and genuine, John Kerry Keane was a force in local journalism - Kilkenny Live

The funeral took place today (Wednesday) of the well-known Irish businessman John Kerry Keane.

Mr Kerry Keane — of Crans Montana, Switzerland and formerly of Blackrock, Dublin and Kilkenny — passed away on March 13, 2026, peacefully after a long illness. His death brings to an end one of the most remarkable Kilkenny-related lives of the past century. For 40 years, he was the proprietor, publisher and editor of the Kilkenny People — a role he took on in the 1960s when in his early 20s.

Like his father Edward, he was pitched into an unforeseen situation by an unexpected legacy. In his father’s case, it was the passing on of a well-established provincial newspaper from an uncle; in his own, it was his father’s sudden death aged 62.

At that time, Kilkenny was opening up as a heritage and commercial centre, with the handing over of Kilkenny Castle to the state by the Marquess of Ormonde, the establishment of Kilkenny Design Workshops, and the founding of Avonmore.

Mr Kerry Keane’s early education at Clongowes, UCD and the Kings Inns meant that he was able to relate to these developments in a dynamic way. He joined the board of the Workshops in his 20s, and represented Kilkenny at a national level in other areas of public and commercial life. He also served as president of Kilkenny Chamber, was a board member of the RHA, and was a grand prior of the Order of St Lazarus.

As well as guiding the fortunes of the Kilkenny People for more than four decades, he showed a range of interests and skills that marked him out from his peers — first as a promising young law graduate, and then as a significant force in international investment

Throughout his career as editor and publisher, Mr Kerry Keane played an important role in the combined affairs of the Provincial Newspapers Association and the Irish Master Printers Association, later helping set up the Regional Newspapers Advertising Network.

Though he maintained the traditional approach of the Kilkenny People to reporting local news, his expansion of interests in publishing and printing resulted in one of the most significant commercial developments in the city. A merger with Wellbrook Press and a takeover of the Tipperary Star and the Nationalist (Clonmel) resulted in the establishment of a state-of-the-art production centre at Purcellsinch. The three titles and print plant were later sold in 2000.

Equally pioneering and fortunate in the disposal of his business interests as media investments peaked, his last quarter century was spent mainly in Switzerland and France. He headed a family investment firm that, after some early adventures in commercial property, finally settled into a profitable progress in the area of foreign exchange rate prediction.
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That he accomplished all of this with the benefit of a genuine talent for journalism, a kind and charming manner, and a strong dedication to family life, is all the more remarkable in the modern age and the cosmopolitan environments in which he moved. May he rest in peace.

Beloved husband of Leonora (née Murray) and truly loved father of Adriana, the late Andrea (deceased 1990), Tanya and Leo.
John Kerry Keane will be sadly missed and forever loved by his adored grandchildren Amber, Lauren, Charlotte, Gracie May, Andrew, George, John Joseph and Helena, sons-in-law Alan McGilton and Conor MacManus, the late Bryan McSharry (deceased 2023), extended family and his many friends from his wonderful life adventures in Ireland and around the world.

A Funeral Mass to celebrate his life took place today (Wednesday) in the Church of the Assumption, Booterstown (A94 NW53), followed by burial in Deansgrange Cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to the Irish Heart Foundation.
- Denis Bergin