It is with broken and very heavy hearts that we share the news that our brother, uncle and colleague Dessy Kenny, very sadly died on Tuesday.
Dessy was born in Salthill, Galway to Maureen and Des Kenny, and was brother to Thomas, Jane, Gerry, Monica and Conor. He lived in Galway virtually all his life. In 1976, he married the love of his life Anne, and together they had four children – Deirdre, Dessy, Aisling and Eimear. He has eight grandchildren.
Dessy worked in Kennys his whole life and was an outstanding bookseller. He was usually found behind the front counter, or sitting at his desk which was permanently covered in books, files and papers, or walking up and down the shop floor selecting and looking at books. He had a particular aversion to ‘bloody technology’ which brought us all lots of laughs, and there was nearly always a big mug of black coffee nearby.
He had a unique gift of matching an individual with the perfect book for them, often one they had never heard of. Des started and ran Kennys Book Club for several decades, whereby he sent regular ‘surprise’ parcels of Irish books overseas to customers, mostly to the US, based on their personal preferences. He would include handwritten letters and regularly correspond with these customers. He never got a return.
For several years, he read poetry or short stories to residents in St. Mary’s Nursing Home in Galway on a weekly basis, readings which were always very popular. He was a beautiful writer, and wrote a weekly ‘Biblio’ column reviewing books for the Galway Advertiser for many years. The Galway Echo was a monthly cassette tape that he created for the blind together with UCG, whereby he interviewed authors, artists and musicians.
His own book, ‘Kenny’s Choice: 101 Irish Books You Must Read’ was published in 2008 - a celebration of his life in bookselling and a tribute to his parents. He often spoke of how, from a young age, his mother and father instilled in him the importance of the book, of writing and reading, and of marrying the book and the customer.
Outside of the bookshop, he could often be found perched on a high stool in his local pub reading a book, walking the Salthill prom, running marathons, spending time with his family or reading in his armchair. He learned to speak French at a young age and always had a love for everything France, regularly travelling there over the years. Des was a great storyteller, a mighty man for a laugh and a slagging, a real lover of music – in particular French jazz – and he had a really warm and caring presence.
The outpouring of messages from customers, family, friends, staff and members of the book trade today has been continuous, heartwarming and a testament to how many lives he touched. One such note received today sums him up, “He made the world a better place.”
Life will not be the same without Dessy. We loved him and we will all truly miss him. Solas na bhFlaitheas dá anam uasal.
