The Late Dan O'Keefe DAN O'Keefe, known as 'Danno' to his friends, has passed away after a short illness in Killarney. He was aged 74. Dan is survived by his wife, Carmel, his sons, Niall and Gerard, and his daughter, Sharon. Removal to St Mary's Cathedral was followed by Funeral Mass and burial at Aghadoe Cemetery. In 1990, Dan O'Keefe received the Hall of Fame award in recognition of his services to Killarney Legion GAA club. He was a legion minor in 1946 capturing two minor titles with the club before moving on to senior and helping the team to win three titles. Dan was captain in 1955 when the legion won the O'Donoghue Cup and he went on to win a Junior Munster Championship medal with Kerry in 1956 and play a number of challenges in tournament matches with the Kerry senior team. A teammate described Dan O'Keefe as "an outstanding, classy player, highly consistent and always led by example." In essence, he was a true blood Legion clubman and when his playing days were over he continued for many years as a trainer and as a selector, getting involved in "Tops of the Clubs" nights and other fund raising activities. Dan's sporting life was not confined exclusively to GAA. He was also an excellent basketball player, playing with the great Killarney United and Busby Babes teams and winning county championship medals in 1952, 1953 and 1954. Perhaps his basketballing pinnacle was reached when in 1957, he helped the Kerry Senior basketball team win their first ever All-Ireland, defeating Antrim in the final. Teammates that day included Christy Walsh, Paul Cantolan, Paddy O'Reilly, Denis Moriarty, Don Moriarty, Halo Donoghue, John Dalton and Paddy Culigan. "One of the greatest Legion and Kerry followers that it has to been my privilege to know," said great friend and teammate Weeshie Fogarty of the late Dan O'Keefe, RIP. Courtesy of the Kerryman, October, 2004. Tweet

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