Keelin Shanley was an Irish journalist, newsreader, and presenter. Additionally, she worked for the RTÉ, Ireland’s national radio and television station before dying from cancer in February 2020. Moreover, before her death, she worked as the news presenter for the Six One television network along with Caitríona Perry, starting from January 2018 until February 2020.
Born as a native of Dublin, Ireland, Keelin Shanley was born on 8 February 2020. As per her birth details, she is an Irish by nationality and belongs to the ethnic group of white. Also, she was born under the star sign Aquarius. To know more about the late Irish Journalist’s bio, including family, husband, and illness, stick with us until the end.
Keelin Shanley Family: Father, Mother, and Siblings
Keelin was born as a daughter of Derry Shanley and Orna Shanley. In particular, her mother, Orna was a physiotherapist who left this world in 2006. Likewise, her father is a former dean of the Dublin Dental University Hospital and was also the dean of the Trinity College situated in Dublin.
Talking about her childhood, she grew up in Greystones, Co Wicklow before her family moved to Monkstown when she was just 10 years old. Furthermore, she is among the eldest of the five siblings who was a shy child among all of them.
Family Of Medics and Scientists
Talking about her family background, most of her family members are either Medics or scientists. Due to this reason, she was a huge admirer of science and thought she would one day become a scientist.
Despite interest in science, she became a journalist which she considered an accident.
In one of her interviews, she said: “It was very much an accidental falling into journalism.“
Early Life And Education
Keelin Shanley studied biochemistry in the 1980s, graduating from the Trinity College Dublin. Soon after her graduation, she moved to Italy and worked as an assistant researcher at the University of Bologna, the school of pharmacy.
Source: The Irish Time
During her tenure as a researcher at the University of Bologna, she researched about the neurochemistry of rats. At the same time, she got an opportunity to meet a new set of people who motivated her to start her career in journalism.
Keelin Shanley Husband: Conor Ferguson
Keelin was survived by her husband Conor Ferguson. Additionally, Shanley met her husband for the first time at the young age of 14, when both of them were Goths. The duo encountered each other for the first time in Grafton Street and eventually, they clicked with each other because the couple shared a similar interest in music.
Source: Irish Mirror
However, their relationship started only after Keelin returned from Italy, completing her education, almost a decade later. Soon after that, in 2000, the love bird shared marital vows. Remembering the early days on how the couple has managed to be together, Shanley in one of her interviews said:
“I have known Conor since I was 14. He was one of the goths around Grafton Street and I thought he looked pretty fantastic with this hair all sticking up,” she told the RTE Guide. “Of course, I wasn’t going out with him since I was 14- that happened after I came back from Italy- but we go back a long way.“
In the same interview, she added,
“I was always fond of Conor but it was years later before we started going out properly.“
Children: Lucy and Ben
Together with her husband, Keelin was survived by two adorable children, Lucy and Ben. As of 2020, her eldest child, Lucy is 13 years old and the youngest Ben is 11 years old. After being a mother, she once said that it completely changed her perception of life.
Source: TheJournal
Being a mother, in one of her interviews, she explained how motherhood can change one’s life, she said:
“Motherhood so fundamentally changes your life. It gives you a whole different perspective on things, that there is a greater purpose to life, not to sound too holier than thou. I am lucky too in that my dad is fantastic with the kids.“
Additionally, she used to admire her father for all the hard work he did to help her grow. She once said:
“I am very close to my father. I would ask him for advice and he has a sound head.“
Keelin Shanley Illness: Died Because Of Cancer
With all the heavy heart, we are sad to inform that Keelin is no more with us. Keelen left us on February 8, 2020, after battling with cancer for 9 years.
In 2011, she revealed about her illness, saying that she had been diagnosed with cancer and had undergone Mastectomy. The news came two years after Mrs. Shanley, along with former Washington reporter Caitriona Perry, was named as RTEs new Six One News reporter.
Similar Story: The Canadian Journalist Christie Blatchford died at 68, fighting Lung Cancer since November 2019: Know about her life in detail
Source: BBC
President D Higgins tributed her saying “People all over Ireland will have been greatly saddened by the news of the death of Keelin.”
He also described Shanley saying: “driven by a strong commitment to social justice”, adding more, ” she brought great professionalism and dedication to her work.”
With that statement, we can be pretty sure that Ireland has lost as one of the prominent journalists of recent times. However, we cannot imagine how hard the time is for her husband and children. May God give them the strength to overcome this heartbreaking grief. May her soul rest in peace.
For more trending articles, visit wikye.com
