In Memoriam | Ailis Kennedy, RIP | Died OTD in 2025

– Ailis Kennedy, RIP, died on this day, last year, in 2025 –

According to the death notice that appeared shortly after, Ailis Kennedy passed away "peacefully in the care of staff at Blackrock Hospice, Co Dublin, with her family by her side."

It is said that "Ailis requested anyone attending her funeral that they should feel free to wear bright, colourful clothing in celebration of her life."

Among the many tributes that were paid to her, a theme emerges of a person who was a warm, kindhearted, a wry sense of humour and a passionate sports person, both as a participant and as a spectator, with a particular interest in hockey and bowling. She clearly had a touching effect upon all who knew her.

We came to know Ailis through our work with her on the book, The Tragic Isle by Nicholas P. Kennedy, who was her late father. He died in 1978, and the manuscript for the book only came to light with his death. The story behind the book and how it came to be published is as interesting as the story in itself, and it is Ailis who takes up vital parts of both those stories, as told in her Foreword to  the volume.

"This book was found among my father’s many papers some years ago. He was an interesting man, a prolific reader and writer. He was born in 1908 and lived in Townsend Street in Dublin, where the family owned a general store and so would have had first-hand exposure to the Easter Rising and the subsequent turmoil in the city. The story spans some of the recruitment of World War II veterans as auxiliaries to the RIC (the infamous Black and Tans), through the rebel resistance, the post-treaty Civil War and final declaration of peace. It is a story of civil and personal conflict, of love and despair plus courage and commitment. The book is a valuable legacy for our family, which we would like to share with you."

It was Ailis, together with her brother, Mahon, who were very much to the fore in bringing the book to public light, seeing it published for the first time in 2023, under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher.

We pay tribute to Ailis, extend condolences to family, friends, and invite all to celebrate her life and achievements, in the same colourful manner that she lived that she lived hers.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.