“Can you spot the fairies? Look, I think they might be there,” Jack Keating whispers to his daughter Maya, as she scans a tree trunk, amid fits of giggles.
He lifts her up, throws her in the air and more laughter erupts. “Is there anything better than that sound?” asks Yvonne Connolly, Jack’s mam and now doting granny to two-year-old Maya, as she watches the pair play.
In their very first photoshoot together, we joined Jack and his little girl at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Dublin. “I grew up just down the road, then moved abroad for a few years. I went to live with my dad (Ronan) in the UK for a while but now I’m back. This will always be home, I love it here,” he told us. “I’ve so many special memories here and can’t wait to create some of the same with this little one,” he says, pulling Maya closer. A quick peck on the cheek is all he manages, before she wiggles away and runs towards Yvonne and his sister Ali, who joined us behind the scenes.
“They’re just as obsessed with her as I am,” he beams. “She’s made everyone so happy. I’m sure everyone says it, but she really is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
After a game of chasing, a jaunt down the beach and a quick paddle in the water, we sat down with Jack for a long overdue catch up. He tells us about becoming a dad and how Maya has changed his life for the better, what he’s learned from his own parents and advice they’ve shared, plus how he’s settling into his new role, with a blossoming radio career.
Jack, thanks a mill for introducing us to little Maya. She’s the cutest! How has your life changed since she came along?
Oh, it’s changed in every single way. It’s been the craziest two years ever, such a learning curve. I’ve always wanted to be a dad though. Since my dad and Storm welcomed my siblings Cooper and Coco, watching them grow up, I really looked forward to experiencing that for myself. The last two years have been amazing watching her grow up, her personality is starting to come through, she’s walking and talking and she’s been the biggest blessing of my life. Maya’s amazing.
What’s your relationship like?
Amazing. She lives away so I don’t get to see her all the time, only every two or three weeks, so when she does come over it’s hard not to spoil her. My mam is in proper granny mode, every time Maya’s over she’s like, oh a little bit of chocolate here or there, juices and nice drinks, but I’m trying to keep her on the straight and narrow [laughs]. It’s been great.
How have you found it, navigating fatherhood?
I wouldn’t say a challenge, but as a 26-year-old, I’ve had to re-evaluate what’s been going on in my life. You can’t go out partying all the time, booking holidays, going shopping for yourself. You’re not the most important person in your life anymore. You’ve to set your whole life up to look after someone else and be responsible for them. It changed all the priorities in my life. I’m focused on getting myself in a good financial space. It’s made me scrub my life up, in a good way. It’s been the best thing for me – a big learning experience, but I’ve loved every minute of iit.
What’s the most rewarding part so far?
Honestly, just seeing her smile and laugh. Any time I can get a giggle is so rewarding, and just being able to spend good, quality time with her, watching Maya grow up. We don’t get to spend as much time together as I’d like, so every minute we do have, I cherish so much. Having her around my family too is such a nice experience.
Tell us, what type of dad do you want to be?
I don’t want to necessarily be a strict dad, but I want to have rules and boundaries. I want to show her good traits to be a good person, which I know she will be. I want to be the fun dad too, have nice experiences, take her to the movies on a random Tuesday. I want to be able to set her up and help her be the best person she can be.
What was your own dad like growing up? What did he teach you?
He was the exact same. I base a lot of what I do and how I am as a dad off my own dad. We share a lot of the same experiences, being parents at a relatively young age. He was in the spotlight in such a major way back then, me, not so much, but being able to navigate that world and pick his brains over things is brilliant. He’s living abroad at the moment so we don’t get to see him as much. When we were really young he’d travel a lot so my mam would hold down the fort as much as possible. It’s great having both of them now to be able to turn to. They’re my main sources of advice. They both help me so much.
You touched there on life in the spotlight, what was that like for you growing up?
It’s always tricky to answer this because it was just my reality, I didn’t know any different for a long time. I knew my parents obviously didn’t have normal jobs like everyone else. When you’re really, really young, you never notice anything. Looking back, it was amazing though, it was such a blessing being able to grow up in that situation. We got to travel, see the world, meet amazing people. I got to try so many different types of food, experience different cultures. That stood to me, Missy and Ali, and it will for Cooper and Coco and hopefully Maya as well. Being able to see different places broaden your horizons a little bit more, it’s the best thing for kids. When Maya gets to an age where she’s able to travel, I’ll be the first person to tell her to do it.
Maya is the first grandchild, right?
She is! I wasn’t expected to be the first parent in the family, it was definitely a shock for everyone, but yeah, she’s the first grandchild. My mam loves being a granny, she took to it so well. My dad doesn’t love being called granddad too much, he says it makes him feel a little bit older than he’d like, but he loves it too. He’s back in the UK for summer so I’m looking forward to having all the kids running around together.
How does it feel for you seeing them with your daughter, what are they like as grandparents? Are they totally different to how they are as mam and dad?
Oh yeah, definitely! They don’t have to crack the whip, they have all the fun, spoil her rotten! They’re the typical grandparents in that they might have her for a few hours and hand her back sugar-wired, absolutely wrecked [laughs]. It’s brilliant. It’s so great watching them both go through that phase of life.
They must be so proud of you, seeing you become a dad and how well you’re raising her.
I’d like to think so. I hope they are!
We saw some snaps of Maya on a pony, following in your mam’s footsteps! Yvonne must be thrilled.
It’s adorable, but I am terrified after mam’s accident a while back. My mam and Ali are obsessed, they’ve got maybe ten horses between them now. They just had a foal a few days ago. They’re proper horse people and I’m so happy Maya gets to experience that as well. I’ve seen what it did for Ali, it’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. It’s given her such direction, she’s met amazing people. I hope Maya sticks with it. Every time she’s here, all she wants to do is play with the horses and stay out in the muck all day.
Between the girls – Ali and Missy – and then your step siblings too, what’s it like when you all get together?
Having the big, blended family must be great craic. Talk to us about that dynamic. It’s the best, it really is the best. Blended is the perfect word to describe it. We’re such a mixed bag. Between myself, Missy and Ali, we’re all so different and then Cooper and Coco, too. When Missy and I lived in London with my dad and Storm for three years, we really got to see the kids grow up and get to know them. All three of us have such good relationships with the kids. We love them to bits! We’d be changing nappies, doing school runs, getting up with them in the morning if my dad and Storm were busy, so I think it was great life experience. I’m sure many people my age, a lot of my mates even, wouldn’t know the first thing about changing a nappy or making a kid’s dinner. It helped get me ready for fatherhood.
Does it make you want to have a big family of your own one day?
Definitely! I really want more kids whenever I end up getting married, who knows when that’ll be, but I’d love a big family. We’re all such family orientated people and we’ve all been so excited to start our own families. Missy’s in New York, my dad’s away with the kids and Storm, Ali lives in Kildare same as mam so any time we do get together, we cherish those moments. When we lived together as children it was great, so now whenever we get the chance to do it again and spend time together, it’s amazing. I see my mam and Ali a lot, I go up for Sunday dinners every now and again.
The last time we spoke you were based between here and London, but you’re back now full time. What was it that made you decide to come home?
There was a lot of reasons, mainly I was missing home and missing my mates. I felt a little bit directionless in London, too. I had a couple of opportunities come up here in Dublin and thought, why not? When the radio show on Spin 103.8 came about, it was a match made in heaven.
So how did that happen?
I knew a few people in there, had some connections, got myself in the door and started off for a couple of weeks shadowing people. I loved the radio presenting side of things, had a chat with Nick our head producer at Spin and he was happy for me to stay and learn. A lot of people might think you walk in, turn on the mic and go, but I had to be trained for weeks. I had major imposter syndrome when I first started because I had no idea about the lingo, but I earned my stripes. I started in September and then my first live show was maybe October time. It’s the first job I’ve loved and really cared about, you know?
Is broadcasting and presenting what you want to focus your attention on now career-wise?
It’s definitely what I’m putting all my time and effort into. But with TV, I’d be happy to dip back into that again. There’s nothing confirmed yet, but a few things are in the pipeline which I’m very excited about. I’ll probably try to stay away from the dating shows as much as possible right now. I’d like to think that time of my life is probably over, but who knows, if the right offer comes in… It’s all about presenting now though, I’m chipping away at that.
What was it that piqued your interest in this field?
My dad was in radio doing Magic Breakfast in London for almost ten years. I got to go in, see the studio and do some interviews. After Love Island, I was thrown into that world even more.
As you said there your dad was on Magic FM for years, is it nice being able to go to him for advice?
Big time! Not many people get to have that source of knowledge so close by. My dad could share all the tips! He’s been great. I remember when I first told him about it, it was Father’s Day last year, we talked through the whole thing. It was a really nice moment.
Connections are a great help, as is the advice, but it’s talent that keeps you in the room and that’s all on you.
Of course! People love to throw around the term nepo baby, but connections can only get your foot in the door. It’s what you do with it, that’s all down to the individual. If you’re not funny, charismatic or engaging, you’re not going to last very long. I’d be found out very quickly if I wasn’t up for the challenge. We’re still going strong and I hope that continues! Radio and dad life are my two biggest priorities right now. I’m loving every minute of it.
When you’re not on air or chasing little Maya around, what do you like to do for yourself?
I’m pretty chilled out at the moment. I’m big into the gym, a big sports guy. The weather’s getting better now so I like to get outdoors as much as possible. I’ll go see my mates, have a drink at the weekend if my schedule is free but I’m trying to keep things as lowkey as possible. I’m single now as well so back on the dating scene.
So enjoying the normal life of a 20-something-year-old?
Yes, as normal as it can be! [laughs] I just want to have fun. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to seeing what happens in the radio world over the next year. Things have moved so fast in the last six months that it’s hard to imagine where it’ll go next. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen and what the future holds.
