Keane of Kilnamona

ronan1 Ronan Keane was born on July 20th, 1932 in Dublin and was educated at the Holy Ghost Community's Blackrock College, Co Dublin. He was awarded a BA in Modern History (Hons) in University College Dublin in 1953 and subsequently studied to become a barrister at the Kings Inns where he excelled, being awarded the John Brooke Scholarship - The Benchers Prize, for best Kings Inns student each year.

Mr. Justice Keane was called to the Bar in 1954. He took silk, becoming Senior Counsel (called to the inner Bar) in 1970 and was appointed as a Judge of the High Court in July, 1979. He ran an extensive and broadly based practice before elevation to the Bench. He was the Head of the Stardust (nightclub fire where some 28 young people perished) Inquiry in 1981. He was President of the Law Reform Commission of Ireland from 1987 to 1992. In 1996 he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

The Government has chosen the distinguished lawyer and Supreme Court judge, the Hon. Mr Justice Ronan Keane to oversee the administration of Justice at the start of the new millennium. As well as being the most influential judicial figure, the new Chief Justice will also play a key role in the administrative tasks surrounding the Irish Courts Service which was established in November,1999.

Speaking on his appointment, The Mr Justice Keane said that he was conscious of the extremely daunting responsibility he was undertaking and that he hoped the confidence placed in him was justified.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, (left), with the Chief Justice, Mr Ronan Keane (centre) and the Chairman of the UK Press Complaints Commission, Lord Wakeham (photo:- Irish Times, October 26, 2001)

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Mr. Justice Keane is also well known to law students as he is the author of several works including 'Company Law in the Republic of Ireland' as well as the law of local 'Government in the Republic of Ireland' and numerous papers for legal journals.

Chief Justice Ronan Keane was conferred with a Doctorate Degree of Laws by University College Dublin in November, 2001.

Until his appointment to the Supreme Court, Mr. Justice Keane was the High Court representative on the Working Group on a Courts Commission, chaired by Mrs Justice Susan Denham, whose recommendations led to the most radical reform of the administrative structures of the courts system culminating in the recent establishment of the Courts Service.

A gifted academic and a highly articulate and literate man he had a keen interest in the performing arts. He has also been actively involved on behalf of the Council of Europe, in seminars and discussions in a number of new democracies in Eastern and Central Europe concerned with giving advice and assistance in the establishment of genuinely independent court systems in those countries.

His publications include Law of Local Government in the Republic of Ireland, Company Law in the Republic of Ireland, Equity and the Laws of Torts in the Republic of Ireland. He is regarded as a gifted academic and highly respected head of the Law Reform Commission.

Ronan retired in 2004.His interests include theatre, travel, reading and music. Married to Terry (Ann Therese) O'Donnell, educated in the Ursuline Convent, Wimbledon (UK) and Trinity College Dublin, provocative newspaper social columnist, they had one son, Timothy (deceased through fall mishap, July 2004, aged 39) daughters, Madeleine (Appleby), and Justine married to Diarmuid Gavin, design gardener, of BBC and Chelsea Garden show fame, (see more Diarmuid 1, Diarmuid 2); two grandchildren. Ronan had been estranged from Terry (who had an affair with Taoiseach Charles Haughey) for many years before she died in June 2008 and Ronan remarried to ? in 2012.