Colm Keane

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Colm Keane
Keane in 2014
Born1951 (1951)
Died (aged 70)
Alma materTrinity College Dublin
Georgetown University
Occupation(s)Author, broadcaster, journalist
Years active1977–2022
SpouseUna O'Hagan
Children1 son (deceased)

Colm Keane (1951 – 22 January 2022) was an Irish author, broadcaster and journalist. Originally from County Cork, he studied economics at

Raidió Teilifís Éireann as a broadcaster in the late 1970s, and produced and contributed to several shows with a current affairs and documentary focus. After his retirement from broadcasting in 2003, Keane became a full-time writer, authoring 29 books,[1] including eight Irish best-sellers.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Early life and education

Keane was born in Youghal, County Cork, in 1951.[10][11][12] He attended Trinity College Dublin, where he graduated with a B.A. (Mod.) degree and was subsequently awarded an M.A. in economics and political science.[13][14] He undertook postgraduate studies at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where he obtained an M.A. degree in economics.[15]

Broadcasting career

Keane joined the Irish national broadcaster,

Raidió Teilifís Éireann, in 1977, where he initially worked as a television journalist.[16] He co-presented the weekly investigative series Public Account with Pat Kenny,[17][18] and he worked as a reporter on the current affairs programme Today Tonight.[19] While in television, Keane won a Glaxo Fellowship for European Science Writers for his scripting and presentation of the science series A Future in Mind.[20][21]

In the early 1980s, Keane moved to

Auschwitz survivor living in New York, and a feature documentary on NASA astronaut James Irwin.[23]

As a radio producer, Keane compiled and presented documentaries based on interviews with musical figures including

Among his documentary subjects was the former

Manchester United footballer George Best.[25][26] He also produced and presented A Belfast Game, profiling the Troubles in Northern Ireland through the experiences of the Ardoyne Kickhams Under-16 football team. A Belfast Game inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End theatre production, The Beautiful Game.[27]

Keane's radio presentation work included Studio 10, which he co-presented with Mary McAleese, later the president of Ireland.[28][29]

Career as an author

After retiring from broadcasting in 2003, Keane became a full-time author.[

near-death experiences
.

Keane also wrote three national No. 1 best-sellers on the Italian saint Padre PioPadre Pio: The Irish Connection,[30] Padre Pio: The Scent of Roses[3] and Padre Pio: Irish Encounters with the Saint.[8] He published a further No. 1 best-seller, co-authored with his wife Una O'Hagan, entitled The Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux: The Irish Connection.[31] He collaborated with O'Hagan on the best-selling book Animal Crackers: Irish Pet Stories, published in 2016.[32] Other co-written books are the best-selling The Village of Bernadette: Lourdes, Stories, Miracles and Cures – The Irish Connection, published in 2019,[33] and The Book of St. Brigid, published in 2021.[34]

Keane founded the publishing company Capel Island Press in 2008.[35] He authored the company's first book, The Beatles Irish Concerts.[36] Since its inception, Capel Island Press has published six No. 1 best-sellers.[2][37][4][5][31][8]

Personal life

Keane was married for nearly 30 years to Una O'Hagan,[38][39] a former RTÉ newsreader,[11][40] until his death. They had one child (Seán), who died in 2007.[41]

Keane lived in Waterford, where he died from cancer on 22 January 2022, at the age of 70.[38][42]

Selected bibliography

References

  1. ^ Orpen, Joy. "I lost my beloved son to cancer and then faced it myself". The Irish Independent. Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Heading for the Light". No. Irish Times 6 December 2014. Nielsen Book Research.
  3. ^ a b "Padre Pio: The Scent of Roses". No. Irish Times 28 September 2013. Nielsen Bookscan.
  4. ^ a b c "We'll Meet Again". No. Irish Times 30 March 2013. Nielsen Bookscan.
  5. ^ a b c "Going Home". No. Irish Times 24 October 2009. Nielsen Bookscan.
  6. ^ "Padre Pio – The Irish Connection". No. Irish Times 27 October 2007. Nielsen Bookscan.
  7. ^ "Nervous Breakdown". No. Irish Times 16 April 1994. Book Sellers Association Irish Branch.
  8. ^ a b c "Irish Bestsellers 30th September 2017". Writing.ie. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  9. ^ Writing.ie. Writer Rebecca Brown. (5 October 2018). "Irish Bestsellers 29th September 2018". Writing.ie. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  10. ^ McGreevy, Ronan. "Bestselling author Colm Keane dies aged 70". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b "bestselling author on saints and near-death experience". Colm Keane. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Youghal author 'Going Home' for book signing". youghalonline.com. Youghalonline.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  13. ^ Dublin University Calendar 1974–5. p. 674.
  14. ^ Dublin University (Trinity College) Graduate Records. 6 July 1990.
  15. ^ Georgetown University Graduate Records. 29 August 1975.
  16. ^ "RTE crew outside Kerry Co-op, Listowel". rte.ie/archives/. Stills Library – RTÉ Archives. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  17. ^ RTÉ Guide. 5 March 1982. pp. Front, 12.
  18. ^ "'Public Account' production team (1981)". rte.ie/archives/. Stills Library – RTÉ Archives. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  19. ^ Today Tonight, season 1980–81. RTÉ Television Archives: RTÉ.
  20. ^ "Technology Ireland". August 1981: 7. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ^ O'Connor, John. "Where do we go when we die?". munster-express.ie. The Munster Express. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  22. ^ "RTE Radio producer Colm Keane". rte.ie/archives/. Stills Library – RTÉ Archive. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  23. ^ "RTE Radio Archives 1 August 1987, 8 August 1987, 25 July 1987".
  24. ^ RTE Radio Archives 28 August 1997, 17 March 1999, 4 April 2002, 28 October 1996, 12 June 1997, 17 March 1998, September 1998 (3-part series), 18 March 1996, 7 August 2000, 28 December 1998.
  25. ^ "The George Best Story". RTÉ Radio Archives. 5 November 1984.
  26. ^ George Best, A Cut above the Rest. RTÉ Radio Archives. 24 September 2000.
  27. ^ Keane, Fergal. "The tragedy, hopes and fears behind the beautiful game". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  28. .
  29. .
  30. ^ "Padre Pio: The Irish Connection". No. Irish Times 27 October 2007. Nielsen Bookscan.
  31. ^ a b Writing.ie. Writer Rebecca Brown. (5 October 2018). "Irish Bestsellers 29th September 2018". Writing.ie. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  32. ^ "Colm Keane – Animal Crackers Irish Pet Stories". colmkeane.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  33. ^ "A Day with Colm Keane & Una O'Hagan | Knock Shrine". Knockshrine.ie. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  34. from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Capel Island Press Ltd". companiesireland.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  36. ^ "The Night Dublin Rocked The Beatles". The Irish Independent. Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  37. ^ "Padre Pio:The Scent of Roses". No. Irish Times 28 September 2013. Nielsen Bookscan.
  38. ^ a b McGlynn, Michelle (22 January 2022). "Cork author Colm Keane dies age 70". Irish Examiner. Cork. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Colm Keane, Una O'Hagan and Sean". rte.ie/archives/. Stills Library – RTÉ Archives. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  40. ISSN 0039-5218. Archived from the original
    on 13 June 2018.
  41. ^ "Sadness at death of Sean". The Irish Independent. The Bray People. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  42. ^ "Tributes paid to author and journalist Colm Keane, who has died aged 70". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  43. ^ Keane, Colm; O'Hagan, Una (15 September 2019). The Village of Bernadette: Lourdes – Stories, Miracles and Cures: The Irish Connection. Capel Island Press.
  44. ^ Keane, Colm; O'Hagan, Una (14 September 2018). The Little Flower – St Therese of Lisieux: The Irish Connection. Capel Island Press.
  45. ^ Keane, Colm (1 September 2017). Padre Pio – Irish Encounters with the Saint. Capel Island Press.
  46. ^ Keane, Colm; O'Hagan, Una (20 June 2016). Animal Crackers: Irish Pet Stories. Capel Island Press.
  47. ^ Keane, Colm (10 September 2013). Padre Pio – The Scent of Roses. Capel Island Press.
  48. ^ Keane, Colm (15 March 2013). We'll Meet Again: Irish Deathbed Visions. Capel Island Press.
  49. ^ Keane, Colm (10 October 2011). Forewarned: Irish Stories of Premonitions and Dreams. Capel Island Press.
  50. ^ Keane, Colm (12 October 2010). The Distant Shore: More Irish stories from the edge of death. Capel Island Press.
  51. ^ Keane, Colm (1 October 2008). The Beatles Irish Concerts. Capel Island Press.
  52. ^ Hyland, Paul (22 January 2022). "Novelist and former RTÉ journalist Colm Keane dies aged 70". Irish Independent. Dublin. Retrieved 22 January 2022.