Jon Kenny (28 September 1957 – 15 November 2024) was an Irish comedian and actor, best known as one half of the Irish comic duo D'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt. They were a successful duo until 2000, releasing One Hell of a Video, D'Unbelievables, D'Video, D'Telly, D'Mother and D'collection but the group stopped touring after Kenny was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Early life Jon Kenny was born in Hospital, County Limerick, on 28 September 1957. His mother's maiden name was Dirraine and his maternal grandparents came from Inishmore in the Aran Islands. His father died during Kenny's childhood.
Kenny had dyslexia and left school at 15. He started his entertainment career in 1972 singing and performing with the Limerick glam rock band Gimik before switching to acting.
Career Kenny, along with Shortt, as part of D'Unbelievables, won the Meteor Music Award in 2001 in the Best Selling Irish Video category for his work on "D'Mother".
He played two characters in separate episodes of Father Ted: Michael Cocheese in "The Passion of Saint Tibulus" and Fred Rickwood in "A Song for Europe". He later said that the famous protest scenes in the first episode were influenced by a priest he had known when he was a boy.
Kenny filmed a lead role in the independent Irish feature film Insatiable, directed by Jessie Kirby. On his 2007 DVD, Back to Front, Kenny said he played his first serious role in the film, the "nastiest man in Ireland".
Having taken a decade-long break from performing due to illness, Kenny returned to solo comedy in 2010 and continued to perform throughout Ireland with his one-man show. In the spring of 2007, Kenny released his first solo stand-up DVD Back to Front.Back to Front with Jon Kenny in Belmullet, Mayo Advertiser, 21 November 2008
Kenny hosted the theatre show Mag Mell with visual artist Des Dillon and musician and composers Benny McCarthy and Conal Ó Gráda from 2012 until 2014; creating its puppets, costumes and set.
Kenny portrayed the character Gerry in The Banshees of Inisherin in 2022. One of his last acting appearances was in The Hurler: A Campion's Tale in 2023, appearing as the main character hurler Gar Campion's coach and mentor.
Kenny, along with castmates Kerry Condon, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon, Bríd Ní Neachtain and Pat Shortt, was nominated for the by the in the Best Ensemble category for his work on The Banshees of Inisherin in 2023. He was also nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble in 2022 for his work on the film.
Kenny was also an accomplished singer, having performed with Sharon Shannon.
Personal life, illness and death
Kenny married Marguerite in 1988 and the couple went on to have two children. He was a supporter of Munster Rugby.
Kenny was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2000 and received a stem cell transplant. He was fully treated in 2004. In 2011, Kenny underwent a triple heart bypass and suffered from heart failure afterwards. His cancer recurred in 2020 and he had lung surgery. From 2023, Kenny received chemotherapy after cancer was detected on his left lung. Additionally, he also underwent heart surgery.
Kenny died on 15 November 2024, aged 67, from heart failure and lung cancer, at the Galway Clinic in Ireland. He had suffered from a heart attack on 10 November and never regained consciousness. He was buried at the Lough Gur Cemetery on 19 November, after a funeral at St Patrick's Church, Patrickswell.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1991 Nighthawks Self 1 episode (12 February 1991)1992 It's Bibi Self 1 episode (24 November 1992)1994 One Hell of a Do Self Writer1994 Gortnaclune Gerry/Pierre 1 episode (22 July 1994)1995–1996 Father Ted Michael Cocheese Fred Rickwood 2 episodes: "The Passion of Saint Tibulus", and "A Song for Europe"1996 The Van Gerry McCarthy 1996 Angela Mooney Dies Again Chaplin 1996 D'Video Self Producer, writer1998 D'Telly Music department1998 Les Misérables Thénardier1999 Angela's Ashes Lavatory Man 2000 The Fitz John F. 6 episodes2001 D'Mother Director, writer, composer, guitar2001 The Late Late Show Self 1 episode2004 Hanging with Hector Season 2Featured along with Ken Doherty2005 D'Collection Compilation2005 The Restaurant Head Chef 1 episode: Season 3 Episode 52006 The Podge and Rodge Show 1 episode: Season 1 Episode 6Co-guest with Frances Black2007 40 Myles On: A Night of Irish Comedy 2008 Dick Dickman P.I. 2008 Insatiable Mr Harvey 2008 Celebrity Bainisteoir 8 episodes2008 Back to Front Host Self performance2011 Escape of the Gingerbread Man!!! Paul/Storyteller/Kids Voice for Kids2011 D'Unbelievables One Hell of a Do Tom/GAA Coach/Himself Self2012 Joe Dolan – Sweet Little Rock N Roller Self 1 episode2012–2014 Mag Mell PJ Foley Set decoration, costume design2014 All Washed Up Johnaton Renmore 2014 Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie Cunningham 2014 Song of the Sea Ferry Dan/The Great Seanachaí Voice2015 The Break Derek 2016 Pat Pat Titular character2019 Love Her Bones Tom Kenneflick 2019 The Tommy Tiernan Show Self 1 episode2019 Niall Tóibín – Everyman Self 2020 Wolfwalkers Stringy Woodcutter Voice2022 The Banshees of Inisherin Gerry 2023 Me Head is Wrecked with Tony Kelly Self Voice on 1 episode2023 The Hurler: A Campion's Tale Billy Byrne Final role
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work Result Reference2001 Meteor Music Awards Best Selling Irish Video D'Mother 2022 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble The Banshees of Inisherin 2023 Best Ensemble The Banshees of Inisherin 2023 International Online Cinema Awards Best Ensemble Cast The Banshees of Inisherin
References
External links
Jon Kenny at
Jon Kenny archives Limerick City Library, Local Studies, Local Studies, Local Studies Files, A, Actors. Archived on the Wayback Machine on 28 April 2023. Limerick City Library, Local Studies, Local Studies Files, M, Musicians, Singers, Comedians, etc.. Archived on the Wayback Machine on 5 March 2024.