Latest news with #Kealy
Extra.ie
28-05-2025
- Extra.ie
GAA star 'may have fallen asleep at wheel' before fatal accident
The wife of a well-known Gaelic footballer and businessman fought back tears yesterday as she recalled her late husband bringing her breakfast in bed for her birthday on the day he died. The inquest also heard that the man's death two years ago, in a single-vehicle collision, may have occurred after he fell asleep at the wheel due to tiredness. Denis Kealy, 43, suffered fatal injuries when his Nissan Cabstar truck crashed into a tree on the R154 at Piercetown, Co. Meath, at around 2.30 pm on June 24, 2023. He was pronounced dead at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Dublin, a short time later. Former GAA star and businessman Denis Kealy. Pic: His wife, Charlene Kealy, told the inquest that Denis brought her a birthday breakfast in bed on the morning of the crash, before he went off to work. She said she had been celebrating with a number of her girlfriends later that day when she received a phone call about the tragic collision. A father of three boys and managing director of building firm KeaMac, Mr Kealy was a former GAA player with Meath as well as his local club, Dunshaughlin. At the inquest, Coroner Aisling Gannon observed that there were no witnesses to the collision, and the evidence had not been able to establish definitively what happened. Former GAA star and businessman Denis Kealy in 2006. Pic: Damien Eagers / SPORTSFILE Forensic collision investigator Garda John Coughlan told Dublin District Coroner's Court the deceased's vehicle had crossed to the other side of the road 'for some undetermined reason' before mounting a grass verge and hitting a tree. A crash report established that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. Garda Coughlan said there was no evidence Mr Kealy had applied the vehicle's brakes at any stage during the incident. Having ruled out any environmental or vehicle factors to explain the crash, Garda Coughlan said he believed it was due to 'driver error' but could not be sure if it was because of 'a distraction or a medical event'. A postmortem showed Mr Kealy died as a result of catastrophic brain injuries consistent with a road traffic collision, with no pre-existing health condition or alcohol or drugs present in his system that could have contributed to the fatal crash. Former GAA star and businessman Denis Kealy in 2006. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Honan Ms Kealy said that her husband had recently filled out a lifestyle form in which he complained of regularly feeling drowsy. 'That stuck out to me,' she remarked. Ms Kealy said she had no concerns about her husband's well-being or his mental health, but that he would sometimes shake his head to keep himself awake. The inquest heard he had collected a new car the previous day and had arranged to bring his family to one of their favourite restaurants the following day. Ms Kealy said her husband had taken a day off work to collect the car and that she believed he was 'trying to catch up' with work on the day of the crash. The inquest heard that on the day before he died, Mr Kealy had gotten up at around 4.30 am and did not get home until 11 pm. The deceased's wife said he went to bed at 11.30 pm but was up early the following day as he had sent an email at 6 am. Summing up the evidence, the coroner said there was nothing to indicate any intentional act by Mr Kealy in relation to the crash as the inquest had been told of 'significant future-focused acts', like the purchase of a new car and making a dinner reservation. Ms Gannon noted suggestions that the deceased was 'significantly tired', which she said was a 'more probable' explanation for what may have happened. Offering her condolences to Mr Kealy's family, the coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, which she explained was because the death was due to an unintended act.
Sunday World
27-05-2025
- Sunday World
Former GAA star killed in crash may have fallen asleep at the wheel, inquest hears
'I've three little boys at home who are devastated by the loss of Denis. They adored him and Denis adored them,' said Ms Kealy. A businessman and well-known Meath GAA figure who was killed in a single vehicle collision two years ago may have fallen asleep at the wheel due to tiredness, an inquest has heard. Denis Kealy (43) suffered fatal injuries when his Nissan Cabstar truck crashed into a tree on the R154 at Piercetown, Co Meath at around 2.30pm on June 24, 2023. Mr Kealy was rushed by ambulance to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in Dublin but was pronounced dead a short time later at 4.20pm. The married father of three and managing director of building firm, KeaMac, was a former GAA player with Meath as well as his local club, Dunshaughlin. At the inquest into his death on Tuesday, the coroner Aisling Gannon observed there were no eyewitnesses to the collision, while the evidence had not been able to establish definitively what had happened. A forensic collision investigator, Garda John Coughlan, told a sitting of Dublin District Coroner's Court that the deceased's vehicle had crossed over to the other side of the road 'for some undetermined reason' before mounting a grass verge and colliding with a tree. Businessman and well-known Meath GAA figure Denis Kealy A report on the crash established that the driver was not wearing a seat belt at the time. Garda Coughlan said there was no evidence that Mr Kealy had applied the vehicle's brakes at any stage during the incident. He confirmed that the road surface was dry and in good repair, while weather conditions were good. Garda Coughlan said tests on the truck found it had no defects which could have contributed to the collision. In reply to questions from the coroner, he said the speed at the point of impact with the tree could not be established. Having ruled out any environmental or vehicle factors to explain the crash, Garda Coughlan said he believed it was due to 'driver error' but could not be sure if it was because of 'a distraction or a medical event.' A postmortem showed Mr Kealy died as a result of catastrophic brain injuries consistent with a road traffic collision with no pre-existing health condition that could have contributed to the fatal crash. Tests confirmed there was no alcohol or drugs in his body. Denis Kealy News in 90 Seconds - May 27th The deceased's wife, Charlene Kealy, gave evidence that her husband had recently filled out questions about his lifestyle in a form in which he complained of regularly feeling drowsy. 'That stuck out to me,' she remarked. Ms Kealy said she had no concern about her husband's well-being or his mental health but noted that he would sometimes shake his head to keep himself awake. The inquest heard he had collected a new car the previous day and had arranged to bring his family to one of their favourite restaurants the following day. Ms Kealy said her husband had taken a day off work to collect the car and she believed he was 'trying to catch up' with work on the day of the crash. The inquest heard on the day before he died, Mr Kealy had got up at around 4.30am and did not get home until 11pm The deceased's wife said he went to bed at 11.30pm but was up early the following day as he had sent an e-mail at 6am. She claimed he was a hard worker who enjoyed his work. While he had a stressful job as a managing director of a company, she said he was well capable of managing such stress. In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Kealy said their business was doing well financially, while there was nothing that had emerged following his death which would have caused them any concern. Although sometimes she might have complained about some of his driving habits, Ms Kealy said her husband would definitely wear his seat belt whenever she was with him. Ms Kealy fought back tears as the inquest heard that her husband had brought her breakfast in bed on the morning of the fatal crash before he went off to work on a number of sites as it was her birthday. She described how she was celebrating with a number of female friends later that afternoon when she received a call to alert her to what happened. 'I've three little boys at home who are devastated by the loss of Denis. They adored him and Denis adored them,' said Ms Kealy. She added: 'We're broken. We really are.' Summing up the evidence, the coroner said there was nothing to indicate any intentional act by Mr Kealy in relation to the crash as she had heard of 'significant future-focused acts' like the purchase of a new car and making a dinner reservation. Ms Gannon noted suggestions that he was 'significantly tired' which was a 'more probable' explanation for what may have happened. Offering her condolences to the deceased's family, the coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure which she explained was because the death was due to an unintended act.
Irish Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tears as inquest hears ex-GAA star may have fell asleep at wheel in fatal crash
A businessman and well-known Meath GAA figure who was killed in a single vehicle collision two years ago may have fallen asleep at the wheel due to tiredness, an inquest has heard. Denis Kealy, 43, suffered fatal injuries when his Nissan Cabstar truck crashed into a tree on the R154 at Piercetown, Co Meath at around 2.30pm on June 24, 2023. Mr Kealy was rushed by ambulance to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in Dublin but was pronounced dead a short time later at 4.20pm. The married father of three and managing director of building firm, KeaMac, was a former GAA player with Meath as well as his local club, Dunshaughlin. At the inquest into his death on Tuesday, the coroner Aisling Gannon observed there were no eyewitnesses to the collision, while the evidence had not been able to establish definitively what had happened. A forensic collision investigator, Garda John Coughlan, told a sitting of Dublin District Coroner's Court that the deceased's vehicle had crossed over to the other side of the road 'for some undetermined reason' before mounting a grass verge and colliding with a tree. A report on the crash established that the driver was not wearing a seat belt at the time. Garda Coughlan said there was no evidence that Mr Kealy had applied the vehicle's brakes at any stage during the incident. He confirmed that the road surface was dry and in good repair, while weather conditions were good. Garda Coughlan said tests on the truck found it had no defects which could have contributed to the collision. In reply to questions from the coroner, he said the speed at the point of impact with the tree could not be established. Having ruled out any environmental or vehicle factors to explain the crash, Garda Coughlan said he believed it was due to 'driver error' but could not be sure if it was because of 'a distraction or a medical event'. A post-mortem showed Mr Kealy died as a result of catastrophic brain injuries consistent with a road traffic collision with no pre-existing health condition that could have contributed to the fatal crash. Tests confirmed there was no alcohol or drugs in his body. The deceased's wife, Charlene Kealy, gave evidence that her husband had recently filled out questions about his lifestyle in a form in which he complained of regularly feeling drowsy. 'That stuck out to me,' she remarked. Ms Kealy said she had no concern about her husband's well-being or his mental health but noted that he would sometimes shake his head to keep himself awake. The inquest heard he had collected a new car the previous day and had arranged to bring his family to one of their favourite restaurants the following day. Ms Kealy said her husband had taken a day off work to collect the car and she believed he was 'trying to catch up' with work on the day of the crash. The inquest heard on the day before he died, Mr Kealy had got up at around 4.30am and did not get home until 11pm. The deceased's wife said he went to bed at 11.30pm but was up early the following day as he had sent an e-mail at 6am. She claimed he was a hard worker who enjoyed his work. While he had a stressful job as a managing director of a company, she said he was well capable of managing such stress. In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Kealy said their business was doing well financially, while there was nothing that had emerged following his death which would have caused them any concern. Although sometimes she might have complained about some of his driving habits, Ms Kealy said her husband would definitely wear his seat belt whenever she was with him. Ms Kealy fought back tears as the inquest heard that her husband had brought her breakfast in bed on the morning of the fatal crash before he went off to work on a number of sites as it was her birthday. She described how she was celebrating with a number of female friends later that afternoon when she received a call to alert her to what happened. 'I've three little boys at home who are devastated by the loss of Denis. They adored him and Denis adored them,' said Ms Kealy. She added: 'We're broken. We really are.' Summing up the evidence, the coroner said there was nothing to indicate any intentional act by Mr Kealy in relation to the crash as she had heard of 'significant future-focused acts' like the purchase of a new car and making a dinner reservation. Ms Gannon noted suggestions that he was 'significantly tired', which was a 'more probable' explanation for what may have happened. Offering her condolences to the deceased's family, the coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure which she explained was because the death was due to an unintended act.
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
What next for Ireland after failing to reach Eurovision final for eighth time in 10 years?
It had been hoped Ryan O'Shaughnessy's qualification in 2018 could turn the tide after four years stuck in the semi-finals, but Ireland – still barely holding onto the joint record for the highest number of wins – returned to the wilderness for six more years until Bambie Thug again raised the nation's hopes last year. The 'ouija pop' artist finished in sixth place, the first top 10 result since Jedward were so good in 2011 that we sent them again the following year. However, the new dawn presented by Bambie Thug went behind another cloud last night, as it was revealed Ireland would not be heading to the grand final in Basel. Where did it all go wrong for the country that once won the contest three times in a row – and will we ever again manage to merely qualify three times in a row? The Irish delegation has been led by Michael Kealy since 2013, who has shared his thoughts on the country's Eurovision finish each year. Here is what he has said after each of the last seven Eurovision Song Contests – from what worked to what didn't. 2024 – Bambie Thug finishes sixth in the final with Doomsday Blue A memorable performance in Malmo landed Bambie Thug in top ten, Kealy hoping their success could be the beginning of 'a renaissance period' for Ireland. 'I always thought we were only one great artist and one great song away from a good result,' he said, praising the 'powerful team' and 'clear idea' that Bambie had. 'It is not that we [RTÉ] have had a different attitude to the contest, it's not. [It's because] a great artist comes out of nowhere… and has a vision that connects with people.' 2023 – Wild Youth fails to qualify with We Are One Band Wild Youth did not crack the code to qualification in Liverpool, with their song We Are One not making it past the semi-final. ADVERTISEMENT In the aftermath, Kealy said he 'would agree' that Ireland's selection process should be separated from The Late Late Show, He told RTÉ's The Ray D'Arcy Show that RTÉ has been 'chronically underfunded' for decades, which 'shows particularly when it comes to us putting on entertainment shows'. "When it comes to entertainment, you need scale to make it look as impressive as a show that you would see in other European countries, and the truth is our facilities in RTÉ are not sufficient to mount shows like that." 2022 – Brooke Scullion fails to qualify with That's Rich! It was a surprise when Brooke Scullion, with her catchy pop song That's Rich!, did not qualify in Italy in 2022. Kealy said the singer had reached the high standard needed to succeed in a tough competition, but told The Irish Sun that she potentially lost out in the jury vote. Six professional juries from the second semi-final were removed that year due to irregular voting patterns. 2021 – Lesley Roy fails to qualify with Maps Singer Lesley Roy had a second chance at Eurovision in 2021 after the contest was cancelled due to the pandemic the year before, but it was not to be. She later said there had been technical issues before the performance. 2019 – Sarah McTernan fails to qualify with 22 A catchy track did not translate to success in Tel Aviv in 2019 and while McTernan put in a strong performance, Kealy said going on stage in the 'notoriously difficult' number two slot had been a challenge. "But that's the breaks. It's a tough, tough competition, it's not as easy as it once was, there are over 40 countries taking part, it's a difficult, difficult competition and it attracts top professionals from around Europe,' he said. "Other countries plough in huge resources into the competition which unfortunately a small broadcaster like RTÉ just doesn't have so we have to be clever with what we do with the limited resources we have.' 2018 – Ryan O'Shaughnessy finishes 16th in final with Together A strong finish by Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Portugal in 2018 marked some progress for Ireland in the Eurovision, with Kealy saying his success helped boost entries to the represent Ireland the following year. 2017 – Brendan Murray fails to qualify with Dying to Try A hot air balloon on stage in Kyiv did not raise Ireland's chances with Murray's song, with Kealy saying he was 'devastated' for the singer. He added: "I'm not sure people appreciate how hard it is to qualify these days – it's a completely different competition to how it was when we used to win back in the 90s.'
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
What next for Ireland after failing to reach Eurovision final for eighth time in ten years
It had been hoped that Ryan O'Shaughnessy's qualification in 2018 could turn the tide after four years stuck in the semi-finals, but Ireland – still barely holding onto the joint record for the highest number of wins – returned to the wilderness for six more years until Bambie Thug again raised the nation's hopes. The 'ouija pop' artist achieved a sixth place finish last year, the first top ten result since Jedward were so good in 2011 that we sent them again the following year. However, the new dawn presented by Bambie Thug went behind another cloud last night, as it was revealed Ireland will not be heading to the grand final in Basel. Where did it all go wrong for the country that once won the contest three times in a row – and will we ever again manage to merely qualify three times in a row? The Irish delegation has been led by Michael Kealy since 2013, who has shared his thoughts on the country's Eurovision finish each year. Here is what he has said after each of the last seven Eurovision Song Contests – from what worked to what didn't. 2024 – Bambie Thug finishes sixth in the final with 'Doomsday Blue' A memorable performance in Malmo landed Bambie Thug in top ten, with RTÉ's head of delegation hoping their success could be the beginning of 'a renaissance period' for Ireland. 'I always thought we were only one great artist and one great song away from a good result,' he said, praising the 'powerful team' and 'clear idea' that Bambie had. 'It is not that we [RTÉ] have had a different attitude to the contest, it's not. [It's because] a great artist comes out of nowhere… and has a vision that connects with people.' 2023 – Wild Youth fails to qualify with 'We Are One' Band Wild Youth did not crack the code to qualification in Liverpool, with their song 'We Are Young' not making it past the semi-final. In the aftermath, Mr Kealy said he 'would agree' that Ireland's selection process should be separated from The Late Late Show, He told RTÉ's The Ray D'Arcy Show that RTÉ has been 'chronically underfunded' for decades, which 'shows particularly when it comes to us putting on entertainment shows'. "When it comes to entertainment, you need scale to make it look as impressive as a show that you would see in other European countries, and the truth is our facilities in RTÉ are not sufficient to mount shows like that." 2022 – Brooke Scullion fails to qualify with 'That's Rich!' It was a surprise when Brooke Scullion, with her catchy pop song 'That's Rich!', did not qualify in Italy in 2022. Mr Kealy said the singer had reached the high standard needed to succeed in a tough competition, but told The Irish Sun that she potentially lost out in the jury vote. Six professional juries from the second semi-final were removed that year due to irregular voting patterns. 2021 – Lesley Roy fails to qualify with 'Maps' Singer Lesley Roy had a second chance at Eurovision in 2021 after the contest was cancelled due to the pandemic the year before, but it was not to be. She later said there had been technical issues before the performance. 2019 – Sarah McTernan fails to qualify with '22' A catchy track did not translate to success in Tel Aviv in 2019 and while McTernan put in a strong performance, Mr Kealy said going on stage in the 'notoriously difficult' number two slot was a challenge. "But that's the breaks. It's a tough, tough competition, it's not as easy as it once was, there are over 40 countries taking part, it's a difficult, difficult competition and it attracts top professionals from around Europe,' he said. "Other countries plough in huge resources into the competition which unfortunately a small broadcaster like RTÉ just doesn't have so we have to be clever with what we do with the limited resources we have.' 2018 – Ryan O'Shaughnessy finishes 16th in final with 'Together' A strong finish by Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Portugal in 2018 marked some progress for Ireland in the Eurovision, with Mr Kealy saying his success helped boost entries to the represent Ireland the following year. 2017 – Brendan Murray fails to qualify with 'Dying to Try' A hot air balloon on stage in Kyiv did not raise Ireland's chances with Murray's song, with Mr Kealy saying he was 'devastated' for the singer. He added: "I'm not sure people appreciate how hard it is to qualify these days - it's a completely different competition to how it was when we used to win back in the Nineties.'
