Roy Keane is in mourning following the death of his mother, Marie Keane. She passed away on Friday, surrounded by her family. Marie Keane died at Marymount University Hospital and Hospice in Cork.
Roy Keane’s Close Relationship With His Mother
The former Manchester United and Ireland player was known to be close to his mother. He would regularly travel back to his hometown to visit her. In January 2022, Keane shared a picture of the two of them together, captioning it: ‘The only boss I listen to’.
Family’s Loss
Marie is predeceased by her husband, Maurice ‘Mossie’ Keane, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 79. Roy was one of the pallbearers at his funeral. Marie is described as the ‘beloved mother of Denis, Johnson, Hilary, Roy and Pat’.
Marie and Mossie married on 10 August 1963. At Mossie’s funeral, his nephew spoke of his uncle’s ‘infectious smile’ and his great love for his wife and their five children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
‘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.
Parents’ Support for Roy’s Career
Keane’s parents were big supporters of his footballing career. They watched as he made 480 appearances for United between 1993 and 2005. They also saw him earn 67 caps for Ireland.
During an episode of Stick to Football last year, Keane became emotional when he saw a picture of his parents. He was comforted by his fellow hosts Ian Wright, Jill Scott and Gary Neville.
Marie leapt to the defence of her son in 2013 after Sir Alex Ferguson wrote that Keane had a ‘savage tongue’. She told the Irish Sun: ‘God almighty, I can’t believe Sir Alex would say such things about Roy. I just can’t believe it.
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.’