‘You’ll always be the boss’ - Roy Keane shares tribute to late mother Marie

Marie Keane (79) died in Marymount University Hospital in Cork last Friday after a long illness.

Her family were by her bedside as she passed away.

The footballer was very close to his mother and a regular visitor to see her at Marymount over recent weeks.

He has now posted a photograph of Marie and himself on his Instagram account with the touching caption: "You’ll Always Be The Boss."

Four years ago he captioned another Instagram picture of himself and his mother with the words: "The Only Boss I Listen To."

Messages of sympathy have flooded in to the former Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Celtic star from friends and former players.

Amongst the former football players to have extended their condolences to the Cork midfielder were David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Jamie Carragher, Raimond van der Grouw, Robbie Keane, Anton Ferdinand and Shay Given.

Marie Keane nee Lynch was “surrounded by her loving family” when she passed away on Friday.

Today's News in 90 seconds - Sunday March 29

She was predeceased by her husband Maurice 'Mossie' Keane, her brother Pat, her niece Estella and her nephew Thomas.

Mrs Keane is survived by her adult children Denis, Johnson, Hilary, Roy and Pat and their spouses, her six siblings, grandchildren, great grandchildren, extended family, her neighbours and friends.

Visitation before her removal will take place at O’Connor Brothers funeral home on the North Gate Bridge in Cork from 6pm to 7pm on Monday with prayers at 6.45pm.

Her Requiem Mass will take place at 11am on Tuesday in the Church of the Resurrection in Cork with burial following at St Catherine’s Cemetery in Kilcully, Co Cork.

In his first autobiography, Roy Keane hailed Mossie and Marie as "warm, loving parents."

He remarked that Marie was "always good for the bus fare" when he was a teenager.

"And if I needed a pair of football boots she would miraculously provide them. Maybe not the best brand on the market, but more than adequate for me," he wrote.

Mrs Keane, who was late of Rathpeacon and Mayfield in Cork, lost her husband Mossie in August 2019.

His funeral mass heard at the Church of the Resurrection in Farranree on Cork’s northside heard that Mossie and Marie were 57 years married the month of his passing.

Paul Murphy, a nephew of the late Mossie Keane, said that his uncle was smitten with Marie from his “first glance” when he first encountered her at his friend Pat Lynch's home.

Pat's sister Marie was hard at work under the kitchen table cleaning the floor for her mother when a young Mossie spotted his future bride.

The following week at a local dance Marie was chatting to a suitor but "Mossie sized up the opposition, made his move and yer man got blown out."

"The charming original Keano married Marie on August 10 1963. Last Saturday was their 57th wedding anniversary. 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."

Mr and Mrs Keane moved from Mayfield to Rathpeacon, Co Cork in the 1990s.

They were proudly present at all of Roy's major sporting moments over the years.

They were also in attendance when he received an honorary degree from UCC and the Freedom of Cork city from the local authority.

Roy Keane now enjoys hero status in Cork where he is a major supporter of various local charities.

Having started as a schoolboy with Rockmount, he began his League of Ireland career for Cobh Ramblers.

A scout from Nottingham Forest spotted him and he subsequently signed for Brian Clough's side.

His standout performances during Forest's relegation season of 1992/93 resulted in his being signed by Alex Ferguson's Manchester United for a British record fee of €3.75m.

Clough retired from his longtime role at Nottingham Forest in May 1993 after they were relegated from the Premiership but said that if he had remained in charge at Forest he would have defied panzer tanks being sent from Manchester to Nottingham to keep the Corkman at Forest.

Roy Keane subsequently played for Manchester United and Celtic.

He was capped 67 times by Ireland.

Over his playing career - which ended with his retirement at Celtic in 2006 - he won seven Premiership titles, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League and one Intercontinental Cup.

During his brief time at Celtic he won one Scottish Premiership title and one Scottish League Cup.

He was selected on the PFA Team of the Year and Team of the Century.

In 2000, he won both the FWA and PFA Player of the Year.

He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.

The midfielder has also managed Sunderland and Ipswich, having also served as assistant manager to Martin O'Neill with Ireland.

Click here to read article