Roy Keane paid tribute to his late mother Marie at her funeral, telling mourners that her family was relieved to know she was reunited with people who loved her as much as she did.
Roy Keane speaks movingly at his mother’s funeral (Image: Provided)
Roy Keene said the loss of his mother Marie was heartbreaking and told mourners he and his siblings were comforted by knowing she was back “with people who loved her as much as we did.”
The 79-year-old man died at Marymount Hospice in Cork on Friday. Mrs Keene (née Lynch) was predeceased by her husband Mossy, who passed away in 2019. The couple were married in August 1963 at the Church of the Resurrection in Farranlea, Cork.
The former Manchester United and Ireland star revealed he rarely went against his mother’s wishes. Nevertheless, he emphasized that he intended to use this special occasion to rebel against her by “fussing” her at her funeral.
Mr Keene explained that his mother grew up in Fairhill, Cork city. She was the second oldest in a family of nine and was given great responsibility from an early age. Romance arrived in the form of Mossy Keene. He said his parents were smitten with each other from the beginning.
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“One day, her brother brought home Mossy Keene, a handsome teenager. She was standing in her living room and she was in love. They had five children. She said six, including me, because her father was more spoiled than any of us,” Cork Beo said.
He confessed that he and his siblings, Dennis, Johnson, Hilary, and Pat, “weren’t ready for Mom to leave.” Keene said the two often thought about who their mother’s favorite was. “Denise, the oldest, always thought she might be the one. Pat was the youngest. Maybe he was. Hilary was the only girl — maybe. I don’t know where that left Johnson and I. But she was loyal to all of us.”
A former Irish assistant manager described Marie as “always very cool, but she was an excellent mother”. Mr Keene recalled “great memories” from his childhood.
Marie Keene was buried in Cork (Image: Michael Mac Sweeney/Courtesy)
“My mother didn’t always get us what we wanted, but she always gave us what we needed,” he said. “She was very hard on us and when we tried to do something wrong she had an amazing skill at throwing shoes and no matter where we were in the house she always hit the mark.”
He also laughed as he recalled how his late mother “chase down the street the young men who had stolen the wood for the fire. She ran as fast as she could to catch them and came back dragging the tree behind her. It was very impressive.”
Mr Keene revealed that summer holidays to Garrettstown, Co. Cork, were always a highlight for him and his family. “It was fun walking around and getting a bag of crisps. I thought life was great. It was so simple. I think they (my parents) are going to be in great shape.”
Another cherished memory was traveling to Dublin with my family for the All-Ireland final, which Cork won. Keene admitted he did not have a ticket for the match itself. It was, “You can’t have it all.”
The funeral took place at the Church of the Resurrection, Farranleigh, Co. Cork (Image: Pennsylvania)
He explained that Marie Keene could convey a lot just by rolling her eyes, while her characteristic “wicked sense of humor” remained present until the end. He thanked everyone who had left tributes on Rip.ie following his mother’s death.
One gentleman said he was “overjoyed” when Marie Keene came to introduce herself while on holiday in Portugal. The man said that although the meeting was short, he felt that she was a wonderful woman.
Keane grinned as he revealed the message of sympathy was written by Westlife’s Nicky Byrne. “That was my mother. Don’t be shy about approaching strangers, especially if they are famous!”
He stressed that his mother had given “tremendous help and support” to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as friends and neighbors. Keene also credited her aunt and uncle, as well as the Lynch family, for caring for her mother in recent years.
Roy Keane and his mother Marie (Image: @officialkeane16/Instagram)
“I’ve never known a closer family and I can’t thank them enough.” Ms Keene said the past few years had been “difficult” for her mother, but she never complained.
“In all that time, I never once heard her complain. Not once. What a wonderful woman she was. In the end, our mom and dad were happiest when they were together, and we never will be together again.” We wish you all the best and thank you for everything you have done for us.” Meanwhile, Father Sean O’Sullivan emphasized that Marie and Mossy were married on August 10, 1963 in the church. Black and white snapshots of the two smiling faces were displayed above the casket throughout the mass.
Father O’Sullivan said Marie Keene meant everything to the family. She valued them “not for what they did or accomplished,” but simply for who they were.
Roy Keane previously shared a photo with Marie (Image: Instagram @officialkeane16)
“As we grow up, our hearts grow to love others, but there’s a place in our hearts that will forever belong to our mothers. That’s what makes them special. It also makes it harder to lose them.”
Marie Keene was predeceased by her husband, brother Pat, niece Estella, and nephew Thomas.
She will also be “sadly missed” by her adult children, sisters Ina, Annette and Josephine, brothers Jack, Leo, Michael and Noel, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, daughters-in-law Linda, Teresa and Mary, brothers-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews and nieces, extended family, wonderful neighbors in Mayfield and Ruspecon, and her friends. Burial took place in St Catherine’s Cemetery, Kilcurry, Co. Cork.
