Monsignor Kieron J. Kennedy, Parish Priest of Freshford, Co. Kilkenny and Episcopal Vicar for Social and Family Affairs, died unexpectedly, but peacefully, at his residence on Tuesday, 10th June 2025, in his seventy-fifth year.
THE EARLY YEARS
Born in Dublin, where his father was a serving member of An Garda Síochána and where Daniel J. Kennedy had met and married Mildred Rochford, who was to be his wife for almost 60 years. Kieron’s early life was characterised by several family moves with each promotion through the ranks to Superintendent, which would have been the norm for many members of the Gardaí at that time. Kieron’s father was an immensely proud Kerryman from Portmagee, and that connection to the Kingdom was sustained by family visits over the years. It created some rivalry in the Kennedy household during All-Ireland season as Mildred supported Dublin, leading to a lively dynamic when, as was often the case in those years (usually in front of the telly), the two teams fought it out in Croke Park. Kerry trips were a much-anticipated family holiday. On one such trip, at the age of 14, Kieron made a historic catch off the coast of Caherciveen in the form of a 14 lb 8 oz specimen sea bass that is recognised in the National History Museum. An early sign, if one was needed, that he was committed totally to whatever endeavour he was engaged in.
Kieron had an affinity with the Jewish tradition through his mother and grandparents’ family (Atkins), and that cultural echo through the ages enriched his priesthood and grounding in faith, family and especially in the appreciation of music that uplifts the soul. His exuberant tenor voice was an added gift to raise the hearts of the congregation, even when least expected.
KILKENNY
It was when his father was posted as a Detective Sergeant to Callan, Co. Kilkenny, that the then-teenage Kieron started to attend St Kieran’s College Secondary School, Kilkenny, and when an ongoing association with St Kieran’s College commenced, although there was only a brief salvo with hurling. That posting in Callan and attendance at St Kieran’s meant that Kieron’s calling to the priesthood saw him commence his studies as a seminarian for the Diocese of Ossory, which Bishop Peter Birch determined should be at the Pontifico Collegio Irlandese, the Irish College in Rome.
ROME
The young Kieron enthusiastically grasped the opportunity to study in the Eternal City. The language, the people, the entire environment of cultural richness inspired a chapter in his life which he found both formative and fulfilling. The appreciation of a good coffee was kindled in those days too. Throughout his life he maintained a deep affection for the City and its culture, and, indeed, for the Irish College, which he felt had such a positive influence on his education and formation. His culinary skills, initially formed by his mother’s side (there were stories of apple tarts ‘bursting’ with goodness and accompanied by the best of Callan’s Co-Op’s double cream) were superbly enhanced with other delicious Italian flavours, much to his friends’ delight and enriching very memorable family gatherings. The return of ‘the first-born son’ from Rome was always met with excitement for the stories of ‘gitas’ and little gifts that were always thoughtful and especially loved by his mother and sisters.
Following his ordination in St Mary’s Cathedral in Kilkenny on 30th June 1974, Kieron was appointed by the Episcopal Conference as Irish Director for the Holy Year 1975 celebrations in Rome, which in that year had Reconciliation and Renewal as the theme, an early recognition of the organisational and administrative skills that were evident throughout his ministry. Post-graduate studies followed at the Gregorian Pontifical University, again in Rome, before Kieron returned to Ossory, appointed curate in St Canice’s parish in Kilkenny City.
LONDON
In 1978 Kieron was commissioned to work with the Archdiocese of Westminster, and the following five years saw him live and minister in London. Kieron would always say that the importance he attributed to the development of appropriate structures through which the Church could support the marginalised and enhance its mission was shaped by his experiences in the Archdiocese. Appointed Diocesan Housing and Resource Officer, he worked with and ministered to a wide array of state and diocesan groups, including the London Voluntary Housing Association, the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants, the Irish Chaplaincy Scheme and the Catholic Housing Aid Society. He recognised that his strength lay in the administrative, striving to ensure that the organisational scaffolding was in place to support the mission of the Diocese, and that appropriate governance was always adhered to in assisting the most vulnerable. However, that skill set was always grounded in his priesthood and his appreciation of a ‘sacred space’. He worked with parishioners to enhance the churches he ministered in to improve and create places of beauty and peace, providing, especially during the later COVID years, a safe and peaceful oasis for prayer, reflection, and sense of community.
OSSORY SOCIAL SERVICES
Kieron enjoyed his posting to the Archdiocese of Westminster: he often spoke of his work there as ‘life-giving’, and it was a productive and fruitful time for him. Recognising his gifts and talents, Bishop Laurence Forristal called him back to the Diocese of Ossory with a particular remit to work with Ossory Social Services, an organisation established by Bishop Peter Birch and with which Kieron would be associated throughout his ministry. In the following years, while serving as Director of Ossory Social Services, Kieron was appointed Episcopal Vicar for Social and Family Affairs, Diocesan Director for Emigrant Services, and Director of SOS (Kilkenny Ltd.), while continuing his pastoral work in St Canice’s parish. Some will remember his days residing in the Presbytery beside St Canice’s Church where Dean, his much-loved, very alert, long-haired German Shepherd, maintained a vantage point high above the retaining wall on the laneway leading to the Butt’s Green. On more than one occasion in the early hours, much to Kieron and Dean’s amusement, you would find a knight of the road transfixed looking up at the wolf-like apparition and then serenading him with a rousing rendition of ‘How Much is That Doggie in the Window?’.
ST KIERAN’S COLLEGE
His association with St Kieran’s College was renewed in 1989 when he was appointed Administrator, and subsequently in 2004, when appointed President of the College. In these roles, he worked to improve the facilities of the College, both the Seminary and the Secondary School, to upgrade the fabric of the buildings, to enhance the profile and to expand the use of the College as a diocesan and educational facility. He was instrumental, for instance, in the establishment of the NUI Maynooth Outreach programme at St Kieran’s, which ran for many years. He served as Trustee of the College and as Chairperson of the Secondary School Board of Management, supporting management and staff in the running of the school and took immense pride in seeing the St Kieran’s College community flourish. He was also involved in the initial discussions with the Department of Education and Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board on the reconfiguration of the campus and the school building project now in train. The attention to detail and recognition of the needs of the students travelling to school from all across the county included the €1 breakfast roll that went down very well with the students arriving very early to campus now suitably fuelled to start their day’s studies. The specific Jubilarians will recall the anticipation for each St Kieran’s Day College menu having something ‘parish appropriate’ as ‘hand-fed Gowran salmon’ accompanied by fresh ‘college garden vegetables’ or a Thomastown-inspired dessert for a little sweetness. He added a flair of mischief to lift the everyday, often without admitting he had any part to play in it; you needed to recognise the twinkle in the eye, or it could be missed. That Kerryman trait of the ‘unsaid word’ had not fallen far from the tree. This would be a characteristic his ‘Roman’ college classmates would have enjoyed in their formation days.
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL
While continuing his work with Ossory Social Services, in 2011, Kieron was appointed Administrator of St Mary’s Cathedral. He very much enjoyed engaging with the parishioners of St Mary’s and was integral to the life of the parish and to the conservation and restoration work carried out in the Cathedral and Chapter House, initiated by Bishop Séamus Freeman, SAC, which is still ongoing. Kieron was involved in the establishment of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the Cathedral Book Shop and the Cathedral Café, which brought new life to the Cathedral parish.
FRESHFORD
In 2018, Kieron was appointed Parish Priest of Freshford, again while continuing his many other ministries. He very much valued and deeply respected the welcome and personal support he received from both its Church communities of Tulla and Freshford, where he enjoyed serving and attending to the needs of his parishioners until his unexpected passing. In his role as Episcopal Vicar for Social and Family Affairs and with Ossory Social Services, over the years Kieron was involved in various capacities with organisations too numerous to mention, often as a founding member as with the Kilkenny Support Services for the Elderly, the Counselling Support for Schools (CSS), Kilkenny Meals on Wheels, the Good Shepherd Centre, the Tar Isteach Housing Association and the Kilkenny Voluntary Housing Association, and this is a rich legacy of dedicated service. Furthermore, in his parish work and in his long association with St Kieran’s College and through his involvement with numerous Diocesan Committees and organisations, he assisted so many, always in a respectful and dignified way.
Throughout his ministry, Kieron was driven by a powerful sense of service and loyalty, even if it might mean that, on occasion, he could be unapologetically challenging, unrelenting, and demanding of friends or colleagues alike, in doing what he considered to be right and just. His work was characterised by an attention to detail and an insistence on high standards and structure, especially as it related to support for the marginalised, which he saw as intrinsic to the mission of the Church, and his fifty-one years of ministry bore testimony to the motto of Ossory Social Services, ‘Helping people to help themselves’. He ‘met people where they were at’ as he used to say, and above all his love of God, love and kindness for individual people, and a sense of the joy in the everyday was a core attribute. He enjoyed the celebrations around parish life, built around the sacraments: baptisms, first communions, confirmations, weddings and funerals, and felt deeply for those suffering grief.
It was fitting that at Kieron’s Requiem Mass Most Rev. Niall Coll, Bishop of Ossory, priests, religious and people of the diocese, were joined by lifelong friends, Most Rev. William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne, who journeyed with Kieron since their student days in Rome; Most Rev. Jim Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster; and Rt. Rev. Monsignor Martin Hayes, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Westminster, who were his friends and colleagues from his time in the Archdiocese, and by Sr. Therese Gillis, Sister of Charity, his friend and co-worker from his early days at Ossory Social Services. Kieron will be inconsolably missed by his family: Miriam, Dorothy and Tim; Donal and Shelley; and by his nieces and nephews Sarah, Daniel, Donal Jnr, Leah, and David, and his loyal extended family, Fran, Madeline, and Kay.
May he rest in peace with the parents he loved and cared for deeply.
John Curtis
Friend and colleague
