Tag Archives: Keelin Shanley

This afternoon.

Before her passing in February, award-winning journalist and broadcaster Keelin Shanley was writing a memoir, ‘A Light That Never Goes Out’ (above) which will be published in October.

Ellen Monnelly at Gill Books writes:

‘In the introduction to the book, Keelin writes of her thoughts as she came to terms with her diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer, aged just 51:

“I realised that I am still Keelin Shanley: I still am that person, in spite of everything. In spite of the wig, the scarves, the IV lines, the tests, mum, wife, news presenter, daughter, sister, stepdaughter – I am all of those things. And that’s why I decided to write this book: to remind me of who I am, and to leave those who love me something to hold on to.”

The title of the book is a play on the song, ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’ by The Smiths, one of her favourite bands when she first met her husband, filmmaker Conor Ferguson.

Conor, who completed the last chapter of the book after Keelin passed away, said,

‘Keelin lived such an extraordinary life, she has left behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. Keelin wasn’t prone to nostalgia, she was upfront and a “doer” from the very beginning. She always grabbed life by the reins and, as a result, didn’t have many regrets.

Though we miss her every day and remember her in every moment, we hope that her remarkable story will inspire people to live life to the full and put the best foot forward, no matter what obstacles life presents.”

A Light That Never Goes Out will be published by Gill Books on October 2 at €19.99.

Keelin Shanley’s posthumous memoir to be published this October by Gill Books (Gill Books)

This afternoon.

Glenageary, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin.

Friends and colleagues of Keelin Shanley gather outside St Paul’s Church following a funeral ceremony.

From top: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (roght) Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe (Centre) and Minister for Children Katherine Zappone (left); Miriam O’Callaghan, John Bowman, Alan Kelly,  Áine Lawlor, Ryan Tubridy, Des Cahill, Charlie Bird, Bryan Dobson and Caitriona Perry (centre) with RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes (right) and Keelin’s husband Conor Ferguson,

Rollingnews

Earlier:…

This afternoon.

Glenageary, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin.

The funeral mass – a Humanist ceremony – for broadcaster Keelin Shanley is taking place at St Paul’s Church.

Previously: ‘Warm, Tenacious And Fiercely Intelligent’

Rollingnews

Keelin Shanley

This afternoon.

The death from cancer of journalist and broadcaster Keelin Shanley has been announced. She was 51.

Via RTE:

Keelin grew up in Monkstown, County. Dublin. Having graduated from Trinity College with a degree in biochemistry, Keelin worked as a researcher in the Department of Pharmacology in the University of Bologna. Keelin then returned to Ireland and started working with RTÉ, presenting a number of science and technology in the late 1990s.

Via Sinéad Crowley at RTÉ:

Over the years at RTÉ, Keelin earned the reputation of being an agile broadcaster, presenting TV programmes Crimecall and Morning Edition. She also worked on the station’s flagship radio shows Morning Ireland and Late Debate.

In January 2018 she took over the reins of Six One News on RTÉ television alongside Caitriona Perry. The pair became the first female duo to anchor the show.

However, her time on the programme was brought to a premature end when she faced cancer.

A warm, tenacious and fiercely intelligent journalist, Keelin Shanley was an exceptional broadcaster and a wonderful colleague.

She will be sorely missed by many, but most of all by her husband Conor, their children Lucy and Ben, her wider family and a large circle of friends.

RIP.

RTÉ broadcaster Keelin Shanley dies following illness

Rollingnews

Meanwhile…

 

This afternoon.

RTÉ, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

Laura Fitzgerald writes:

Keelin Shanly (right) and Caitríona Perry on set in the RTÉ News studio for the first time.

The new presenters will begin their new roles on-air from tonight.

…Please note the presenters will alternate seating positions in studio each day. 

Anyone?/Fight!

The RTÉ Six One News tonight at 6.01pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ News Now.

Screen Shot 2015-07-28 at 10.52.55

Irish Water protesters outside the GPO in Dublin on June 20

John Downing, of the Irish Independent, spoke to Keelin Shanley as she sat in for Seán O’Rourke on RTE Radio One this morning.

The interview followed this morning’s reports that Eurostat is expected to rule that the State funds spent on Irish Water will have to remain on the Exchequer balance sheet until at least 2017.

Ms Shanley said, despite attempts by RTE to have somebody from Government speak on the show, nobody was available.

During the interview, they discussed the strength of the anti-water charges movement…

Keelin Shanley: “You would have to say politically: this is messy for them [Government], they’ve already had an awful lot of controversy around water charges. The movement did seem to be dying down, the anti-water charges movement, a little. How big a political fiasco is this for them?”

John Downing: “I believe it has that the anti-water charge movement was losing impetus and I think the Government were confident that it would be less of an election issue. This brings it right back. However, the timing of this news coming out is interesting: people going, already on holidays, people coming back from holidays, I think the Government will be hoping that it won’t be as noticeable as it might if it had emerged in September or October but it is very difficult for them and, at all events, we are now heading right into the teeth of an election campaign.”

Shanley: “I suppose the problem with this decision is that it seems to imply incompetence, that the Government thought the decision would go in another direction, you know, rather than implying that you might disagree with the ideology, the basic idea of paying for water, it says something about the way in which they’re working.”

Downing: “I believe so and I believe there was a point where, of all things, all the products, all the nasty products of austerity, water charges, for the bulk of middle Ireland was seen as reasonable and if we could see improved service and so on that people could have lived with it. I think, when you go back again to the point about the growth errors made by Irish Water, they have completely very, very seriously damaged that whole principle and, on that basis, at the end, as you say, it does, voters are entitled to say that this reflects on the competence of Government.”

Listen back here

Previously: Balance Sheet Hits The Fan

Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie