No foul play as murdered woman’s father found dead

THE father of a young woman who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend five years ago was found dead in his home late on Tuesday.

Foul play is not suspected in relation to the death of Peter Keaney, 47, who died at his house in the Elm Park area of Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Mr Keaney was the father of Sheola Keaney, 19, who was strangled to death while returning to her home in Cobh, Co Cork, after a night out in July of 2006. She was missing for three days before her body was found under plastic sheeting in a lane.

Her ex-boyfriend Thomas Kennedy, 25, was given a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder at the Central Criminal Court in Cork later that year.

Peter Keaney’s body was discovered in the bathroom of his home by neighbours after they became concerned about his whereabouts. It’s understood he had been dead for a number of days before being found.

A postmortem examination was carried out at Waterford Regional Hospital yesterday but it’s believed he may have suffered a heart attack.

Originally from Cobh, Peter Keaney moved to Clonmel in the mid-90s and established a hairdressing business on Market Street in the town. His relocation followed the break-up of his marriage to Sheola’s mother, Carol, who remained in Cobh. He closed down the salon shortly after his daughter’s murder.

The couple had no other children and were left devastated by Sheola’s premature death.

Peter was outspoken in his condemnation of the murderer and was also a passionate advocate for victims’ rights, highlighting what he perceived as injustices in the court and prison systems. He had many photographs of Sheola and souvenirs of her life dotted around his home in Clonmel.

“The house was like a shrine to the daughter,” said one local man who knew Peter. “There were photographs everywhere and one room was still left as a child’s room.”

In recent years he was active in Advic, the organisation for the families of homicide victims, and secretary Annie Mulvaney said she was “saddened” by his death. “Peter attended many of our meetings and he was a very nice man.”

He was deeply traumatised by the death of his daughter, she said, and found common purpose with other Advic members. “Like all of us in Advic, he was feeling that the system was unfair and his involvement in Advic was to try to redress that balance.”

Mr Keaney’s brother, Vincent Keaney, was a €1.25 million lotto winner in 1996 and used his winnings to set up the Titanic Bar.