Kieran Keaveney has been living in New York for two decades now but he's still a Roscommon man to the marrow of his bones. He has immersed himself in the GAA in the Big Apple and keeps a very close eye on how his beloved Rossies are faring back home. Needless to say, Kieran was delighted to see Fergal O'Donnell's team win this year's Connacht SFC. 

Kieran Keaveney is living proof that you can take the man out of Roscommon but you'll never take Roscommon out of the man. Since emigrating to the United States in 1990, the former Ballinameen footballer has continued to play the national code at the highest level across the Atlantic, representing a number of clubs and also lining out for New York in the Connacht senior football championship. At present, he's (aptly) involved with the Roscommon club in New York.

The Ballinameen native's contribution to the GAA in the States was soundly acknowledged when he was Guest of Honour at the Roscommon club's victory dance in New York earlier this year. It was a proud occasion for Kieran, who hails from a family with a deep love of all things GAA. His late father was a staunch Roscommon supporter and his six siblings (five brothers, one sister) all support the Primrose & Blue. Kieran's mother Ann and aunt Mary Sheridan travelled to New York to the Roscommon Dinner Dance on what was a memorable day for the Keaveney family.

Kieran's interest in gaelic football goes back to his childhood. He was always keen on the game and he lined out regularly at all levels with Ballinameen before emigrating at the age of 19. He won a county minor championship in 1989 and represented Roscommon at minor and U21 levels in 1989 and 1990 respectively. He won a Connacht MFC medal in the company of current county senior boss Fergal O'Donnell, lucklessly missing the provincial final due to a broken leg.

Thus, considering that his football career was going so well and that he was earmarked as a future Roscommon senior star, it was with both a heavy heart and a sense of excitement that Kieran packed his bags and set off to start a new life for himself in New York. "It was definitely a bit of both," he reflects. "Connemara Gaels had a team over here at the time and I started to play for them. Club football was exceptionally strong in NY at the time and I went straight into the mix with the big boys. There were a lot of quality footballers coming over to play here and it was intercounty standard really. In my first few games, I had the pleasure of playing against the likes of Niall Cahalane and Larry Tompkins."

In many ways, it was almost like he'd never left Ireland! Kieran lined out for Connemara Gaels between 1992 and '96 - winning one championship - but the club folded and he joined Donegal, with whom he played up until 2003. He played in four New York county finals with Donegal, captaining them to the third leg of a magnificent three-in-a-row in 2000. Last year, Kieran was on the Roscommon team that won a league and intermediate championship double - the club's first championship success in 16 years.

Despite leaving Ireland as a young man, he still enjoyed an alternative 'intercounty' career in the colours of New York, with whom he played for the best part of a decade, 1994-2003. He was on the NY team that played Mayo in the first round of the Connacht SFC in 1999 when the Exiles first entered the championship.

Unfortunately, the team was always lacking serious competitive match practice and could never really compete on a level playing field with the home counties. In 2001, Kieran had the honour of playing in the SFC at Dr Hyde Park, togging out for New York against his native county. What an occasion that was for the Ballinameen man!

Two years earlier, when Roscommon were in the Big Apple for the FBD final against New York, Kieran also got to play against his county of birth. On this occasion, he was invited back home to resume his intercounty career with the Rossies. However, he had put down roots in the States by then and was unable to take them up on their offer.

Off the field of play, Kieran Keaveney keeps himself busy as the driving force behind ECI Contractors. He set the company up twelve years ago in conjunction with his brother Alan and works all over the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas. Four years ago, ECI built a number of houses 'back home' in Strokestown, County Roscommon.

Roscommon will always be dear to his heart and Kieran remains actively associated with the Roscommon GAA club in New York. "I try to do what I can," he notes. "I give work to lads from Roscommon whenever I can and I'm still training with the team, even though I'm in the latter stages of my career now. I joined the club when I was 32 or 33, to try to give them a bit of a boost and get them going. We won the double last year, so that was a great boost for the club. I've been involved a lot more than I'd anticipated, but hopefully we can keep it going now."

And what about the Roscommon footballers, current Connacht SF champions? What does their future hold? "They're a young team on the rise and I think they can go on to bigger things as long as they hold it together. They've a good manager in there now and I think he'll continue to do a very good job with them.

"Obviously, they're lacking experience but they've learned a lot this year and the 2006 minor team will come through and learn the ropes at senior level There are some really talented players there and I've no doubt Fergal will keep them level-headed and bring them along the way they should be brought along. All in all, I'd be optimistic about the future of Roscommon football." Tweet

Most Read Stories