John Keane RIP

A man who played his part in the history of Celtic


One of the unsung heroes

 

R.I.P John

 

RIP

 

A lovely man who put his money in.

He once egged me on at a shareholders meeting to ask Eric Reilly if he was a Celtic fan!

May he rest in peace.

 

RIP

 

Kept us going when we absolutely needed it. Thank you John.

R.I.P.

 

RIP

 

R.I.P

 

RIP John

 

It is with real sadness that Celtic Football Club today confirmed the passing of former Director and Honorary Chairman, John Keane.

John will forever be regarded as one of the Club’s saviours and, for that reason, all Celtic supporters will always owe John an eternal debt.

In the 1990s, an immediate £1million was needed to save Celtic from the ignominy of administration. To avoid such a catastrophe, John pledged this amount to the Club. John then went on to back Fergus McCann’s takeover with further crucial investment.

A man of absolute humility and dignity, and a lifelong Celtic supporter, John played a hugely significant role in preserving the Club’s history, success and, above all, continuity. John played a pivotal role in saving Celtic for us all and his contribution can never be underestimated.

John served as a non-executive director of Celtic Football and Athletic Club for well over 20 years, and in 2013 was confirmed as the Honorary Chairman of Celtic Football and Athletic Club.

The Club was delighted in August 2013 to give John the highly-deserved honour of unfurling the League Championship Flag, a moment we know was so dear to John and his family.

John gave so much to Celtic, making such a crucial contribution and putting the club before anything else. He should be remembered, always as one of the most important figures in the Club’s long history.

An unassuming man of such knowledge, warmth and character, John will be so sadly missed by so many. The sincere thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with John’s family at this very difficult time.

Celtic Chairman, Peter Lawwell said: “Today we have lost a true Celtic great and a wonderful friend, someone who will always mean so much to Celtic and a man who gave his heart and soul to the Club.

"His contribution to Celtic was phenomenal over many years but above all, the way he was, his humility and compassion and love for his family shone from him every day and made him the man he was.

"All our thoughts and condolences go to John’s wife, Kathleen, son Mark, daughter-in-law Karisma and grandchildren, John-Henry, Norah and Fiádh and his wider family. John will always be in our hearts."

Dermot Desmond, Celtic’s principal shareholder, said: "The Celtic family will be forever indebted to John Keane, for in our darkest days he alone delivered funding.

"He was a humble man of few words, but when he did speak they were pearls of wisdom. We are fortunate that he has passed on these virtues to Mark, his son, one of our shareholders. May he sit at the right hand of our Lord."

Fergus McCann commented: "John Keane was a staunch and key partner in the takeover, refinancing and rebuilding of Celtic.

"I continue to be thankful and honoured for his commitment to me and to the Club, and for his friendship. 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth'

 

Beautiful words from the club there, even wee Fergus providing a quote. It's easy to forget the importance of the input of some of these guys, Mr Keane's was as important as any of them.

Rest in peace, and thanks for standing up to be counted.

 

https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/john-keane-the-only-man-who-stepped-forward/



Few Celtic fans could reflect on what they have done for the club with as much satisfaction as John Keane, the former director, who died yesterday. In 1994, when the Bank of Scotland gave Celtic 24 hours to repay their borrowing or face administration, Keane was one of a group of Celtic supporters who had engaged ‘the old board’ with a view to brining about a regime change.


The board resisted, but when faced with the inevitable, they looked for help. John Keane was the only man who stepped forward. As I understand, he paid a banker’s draft for £1m into Celtic’s Bank of Scotland account. This put the club in credit, Keane had no claim on the money or the club, it was completely an act of faith. The board, in theory, could have continue to trade, but they immediately opened negotiations with Keane, Fergus McCann and others.

John joined the board when the new regime, headed by McCann, took control. As one of the largest shareholders in the club, his influence was larger than his public profile. The Irishman remained on the board as a non-exec and eventually honorary chairman until 2019

Football is full of blowhards who like to shout about others, but very few of us did what was necessary to prevent our club from collapse. Without John’s £1m, a brutal administration would have followed the next day and Celtic’s history since then would be very different.

Those who knew him and worked with him held him in great affection. Our thoughts go to his son Mark and the family.