John Keady of Bohermore has given a lifetime to soccer, as a player in his younger days and later as a noted referee. John has been appointed Honorary President of the Galway Referee Society, a truly well-deserved award.
As a youth, John played soccer with Galway Hibernians. They won the Under-15 Galway League in 1955, beating Our Lady’s Boys Club 3 – 2 in a replay. Pete Reilly scored all three goals for Hibs before going off injured. John also played with Oak Dale, a club founded by Jimmy Butler, who had a business in Prospect Hill. Although the club was short-lived, it was quite successful. John then went to playing with Galway Bohemians and remained with them for the remainder of his playing career, except playing senior rugby with Corinthians for a time.
John married Winnie Skully, and they had two children, Michael and Patrick. Michael and his wife Mary have two children, Melissa and Rachel. Patrick and his wife, Liadhan, have three daughters, Anna, Kate and Ruth. Anna won an Under-16 county football medal with St James’. Kate won an Under-14 county football medal with the same club. When John was just over 17, he became a victim of Meningitis and was out of soccer for over a year. In fact, some said he would never play again. However, his determination and never-give-up attitude ensured that he would play again, and he did for many more years. John captained Bohemians when they won the Joe Ryan Trophy in 1963-64. After he finished playing, John followed a career as a Referee. He wanted to give something back to the game he loved so well. He was dedicated, strong-willed in character and extremely fair when making decisions, regardless of who was playing. His years as a player and the experience he gained were certainly an asset to him. On 3 May 1981, John refereed a Youth International match between Ireland and Wales in Terryland Park (Chick Deacy Park).
Of course, John refereed many Connacht Cup finals, league finals and an array of other important matches during his career. He was highly respected throughout his sporting career. He was travelling around every Sunday, refereeing matches, which meant spending a lot of time away from home during the 1970s. Being a family man, John wanted to spend more time with the children as they were growing up, and this was something he certainly did not want to miss. Thus, he decided that he would call it a day and retired from the game.
The Galway Referee Society never forgot John Keady’s absolute commitment to the game and in 2022, they decided, as a mark of distinction, to appoint John as Honorary President. It was also a great honour for his family and his community, Bohermore. John and Winnie were also involved with greyhound racing for many years and were extremely successful.