The mother of former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has sadly passed away, her family confirmed on Friday.
Marie Keane passed away ‘peacefully, surrounded by her loving family and in the tender loving care of the doctors, nurses and staff’ at Marymount University Hospital and Hospice in Cork.
The former Manchester United and Ireland player was close to his mother and would regularly travel back to his hometown to visit her.
He shared a picture of the two of them together on one such visit in January 2022, alongside the caption: ‘The only boss I listen to’.
Marie is predeceased by her husband, Maurice ‘Mossie’ Keane, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 79 after suffering a stroke. Roy was one of the pallbearers at his funeral. Marie is described as the ‘beloved mother of Denis, Johnson, Hilary, Roy and Pat’.
Keane’s parents were big supporters of his footballing career, watching on as he made 480 appearances for United between 1993 and 2005, as well as earning 67 caps for Ireland.
The former Manchester United and Ireland player was close to his mother, and would regularly travel back to his hometown to visit her
Marie and Mossie married on 10 August 1963. At Mossie’s funeral, his nephew told mourners his uncle was known for his ‘infectious smile’ and of his great love for his wife and their five children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
‘The charming original Keano married Marie on 10 August 1963. Last Saturday was their 57th wedding anniversary,’ he said at the time. ‘Mossie and Marie were blessed with five wonderful children, Denis, Johnson, Hilary, Roy and Pat. They moved to Mayfield, where they reared their family in hard times but always managed to get by.
‘Mossie was always a very proud father of all of his children and siblings, singing their praises at every opportunity and never forgetting his roots. His proudest moment was yet to come: to see his son Roy captain Manchester United and lead them on to many successes.’
During an episode of Stick to Football last year, Keane became emotional when he came across a picture of his parents while going through his footballing memorabilia.
‘You’re on about the ups and downs of football, but when you see your family after Wembley, when you’ve won a big game…’ he said, before choking up. He was comforted by his fellow hosts Ian Wright, Jill Scott and Gary Neville.
Sir Alex Ferguson once labelled Keane as the ‘best player’ he had ever worked with, with the Irishman lifting 12 major trophies during his 12-year spell at the club.
The legendary manager did, however, write in his autobiography that Keane had a ‘savage tongue’ and that he had to be moved on for the greater good of the club after he ‘overstepped his mark’ by criticising his team-mates on United’s in-house television station.
Marie leapt to the defence of her son, telling the Irish Sun in 2013: ‘God almighty, I can’t believe Sir Alex would say such things about Roy. I just can’t believe it.
Keane’s parents were big supporters of his career, watching on as he made 480 appearances for United between 1993-2005, as well as earning 67 caps for Ireland
‘I would have never thought he would do something like this. He’s our son and he has a wife and children, and it’s not nice for any of us to hear someone run a loved one down like that.
‘It’s all very nasty what he said. It’s nasty, really. It’s terrible and I’m very upset.’
Keane moved to England to join Nottingham Forest in 1990 and made sure that his parents always had tickets to his games.
It was during this time that Maurice and Marie moved from Mayfield to Rathpeacon, to a house Roy had bought for them.
The visitation will take place at O’Connor Bros. Funeral Home, North Gate Bridge, on Monday, 30 March, between 6 and 7 pm.
It will be followed by a requiem mass on Tuesday, 31 March, at 11.00 am in the Church of the Resurrection, Farranree. The family has requested donations to Marymount Hospice in lieu of flowers.
