Last night saw Keelin Shanley’s husband, Conor Ferguson on The Late Late to speak about her passing and the release of her memoir.
The award winning journalist sadly passed away earlier this year.
A Light That Never Goes Out, published by Gill Books came out on the 2nd of October this year and in it Keelin documents her thoughts as she came to terms with her diagnosis of breast cancer, aged just 51.
“I realised that I am still Keelin Shanley: I still am that person, in spite of everything. In spite of the wig, the scarves, the IV lines, the tests, mum, wife, news presenter, daughter, sister, stepdaughter – I am all of those things. And that’s why I decided to write this book: to remind me of who I am, and to leave those who love me something to hold on to.”
Whilst on the show Conor spoke about how he and Keelin had to tell their children about her devastating diagnosis; “That was hard for her and hard for all of us. And telling the kids was really hard. They were 11 and 13.”
“Keelin had always drip fed information to them or let them know what was going on or speak quite candidly in front of them to other people about what was going on so at least they got a sense of what could happen.”
“So when it cam to actually telling them ‘there’s no more treatment’, it was really really hard but they were just so brave,” he added.
“They were really just amazing. They took the information in and obviously it was a very intimate time for us. We really felt that the kids just seemed to manage it.”
Tubridy also spoke about his own memories of the late Keelin saying she always had; “charm and good humour”.
“She was that light buzzing with all of the energy and intensity that you’d expect from a brilliant mother excited for her children and all of the curiosity you’d expect from a talented journalist excited by the world.”
“Her career went on to ultimately anchor the Six One news and she went into your living rooms, indeed my own too, every evening with her trademark charm and good humour.”
Keelin’s memoir is out now.
