'Kevin Kehily was one of the best full-backs that ever played football'

Newcestown chairman Seán Dinneen says the loss of one of their own Kevin Kehily has cast a shadow over the club.

The former Cork footballer, who played for the Rebels from 1969 to 1984, winning three Munster medals and two All-Stars, passed away last Sunday following a long illness. Kehily enjoyed great success with his beloved club, winning junior A championship medals in both codes as well as captaining the West Cork club to a famous IFC triumph in 1971.

“We all knew he was unwell but when the moment comes, it’s a shock,” Dinneen said. 

“It leaves the whole parish of Newcestown in a state of sadness and shock. He was a stalwart of our community and everyone growing up in Newcestown looked up to Kevin. He was the beacon. He was a brilliant dual player.

“He won an All-Star in 1980 and 1982, and it’s a mark of the man really that in an interview that came afterwards, despite everything he won, he said his biggest achievement was captaining Newcestown to win the intermediate football trophy in 1971. Kevin had his brothers, Norman, Frank, Dermot and Michael on the team. The Kehily family were always the backbone of Newcestown. Their father was the founding member of the club. 

“Kevin, despite moving into Bishopstown, came back to Newcestown and coached a number of teams. You would always see him at an occasion in the village. A very nice and intelligent man. He will be a massive loss. Newcestown GAA would like to pass on our condolences to Kevin’s wife Eileen, his kids and grandchildren.” 

Cork football legend Billy Morgan played with Kehily for over 10 seasons on the Rebels senior football team and he has expressed his sadness at the passing of his former teammate when he spoke to The Echo.

“I actually had intended to give Kevin a text last week and to hear on Sunday that he had passed away, is very sad news,” Morgan says.

“He was a great footballer. He started out wing-back, and then he went in full-back. He wasn’t just a stopper, he could play as well. A memory I have of him is the 1980 league final against Kerry which we won. He was outstanding that day on Eoin 'Bomber' Liston. He had great battles with the Bomber over the years and came out on top in a lot of them. In my opinion, Kevin was one of the best full-backs that ever played the game of football. There was no-nonsense about him, he did his job.

“We had great times with each other, on and off the field. I always enjoyed his company. He was good natured and good crack to have a few pints with after matches. He was competitive in everything he did. The only disappointment would be that he missed out on an All-Ireland medal in 1973. He was thrilled to have made the All-Star team of the 1980s, but it was unfortunate he didn’t win an All-Ireland. 

"I tried numerous times when I was managing Cork to get Kevin to come in as a selector. I thought he had a great knowledge of the game. It’s just a pity that Cork football didn’t benefit from his experience from a management point of view. He trained the Cork hurlers and did a great job but it would have been great if he got involved with the footballers but he felt he had enough done. Kevin will be missed.”