John Brendan Keane (July 21, 1928–May 30, 2002) was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, County Kerry.

Life

He was the son of William B. Keane and Hannah Purtill, and was educated at Listowel National School and then St Michael's College, Listowel. He worked as a chemist's assistant between 1946-51, and had various jobs in the UK between 1951 and 1955 - he was a pub owner in Listowel from 1955. He married Mary O'Connor and had four children. He was an Honorary Life Member of the Royal Dublin Society from 1991, served as president of Irish P.E.N. and was a founder member of the Society of Irish Playwrights and a member of Aosdána. He died at his home in Listowel - a popular public house - aged 73 from cancer. In his life Keane published 46 works.

Works

Plays (in order of production)

• Sive (first staged 1959)
• Sharon's Grave (1960)
• The Highest House on the Mountain (1961)
• No More in Dust (1961)
• Many Young Men of Twenty (1961)
• Hut 42 (1962)
• The Man from Clare (1962)
• Seven Irish Plays (1967)
• The Year of the Hiker
• The Field (adapted later as a film of the same name)
• Big Maggie
• Moll
• The Crazy Wall
• The Buds of Ballybunion
• The Chastitute
• Faoiseamh
• The Matchmaker

Novels

• The Bodhran Makers
• Durango
• The Contractors
• A High Meadow

Essays

• Letters of a T.D
• Love Bites
• Owl Sandwiches

References

• Irish Writers Online: John B Keane (http://www.irishwriters-online.com/johnbkeane.html)
• Play Information (http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsK/KeaneJohnB.htm)
• About the Matchmaker (http://www.culturevulture.net/Theater2/Matchmaker.htm)
• BBC Report of his death (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2016252.stm)
• RTE Report of his death (http://www.rte.ie/arts/2002/0530/keanejb.html)