Biography:
1958: Born in Corrydonlon, Rathowen, Co. Westmeath. 1970: I began writing detective/adventure stories for my own amusement. Over the following six and a half years, I wrote over 100 stories.
1977: Made my acting debut in a production of ‘Drama At Inish’ at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth.
1980: Joined Rathowen Amateur Dramatic Society (RADS).
1981: Had my first comedy sketch,’Father of the Bride’ performed in a variety concert in Rathowen.
1985-86: Wrote sketches and one-liners for the RTE variety series, ‘Davis At Large’.
1997: First one-act play, ‘Looking For Love’ performed in the Bog Lane Theatre, Ballymahon.
2000: First three-act play ‘The Maiden Aunt’ premiered in Killala, Co. Mayo.
2000-2021: I have written 23 three-act comedies, which have been staged all over Ireland. A number of the plays have also been staged in the United States.
In 2019 there were 38 productions of my plays around the country.
2021: I have a new three-act comedy – my 23rd – which is called ‘Finders Keepers’. 2022: I have just completed my new three-act comedy, ‘The Perfect Match’. 2023: Two of my plays – ‘Little White Lies’ and ‘Finders Keepers’ were staged for the first time. ***Apart from performances of my plays all over Ireland, two of my plays were staged in Prince Edward Island (Canada) and Milford, Connecticut. *** I completed my new play called ‘Marrying Mike’ which had its premiere in Portumna, Co. Galway in November. 2024: My play ‘Fortunes And Misfortunes’ won the Audience Award at the Newtownstewart Drama Festival. ***There have been 33 productions of my plays between January and July this year, a new record for me. ***My new play, my 26th, is entitled ‘Wedded Blitz’ and will be premiered in Duhill, Co. Tipperary on November 28th with two more performances on the 29th and 30th. *** Portumna Players are travelling to Fuengirola in two weeks and will stage two performances of ‘Marrying Mike’ on October 18th & 19th.
Welcome to my website. Feel free to contact me if you want to know any more.
What? No Mention of your number one fan? Congratulations my friend……
Hi Jimmy
Thanks for the Facebook message. Been busy getting my next short Gothic Horror story ready for filming in the US next year. I like your website very much.
Have a great Holiday season
Best
Jane
Best wishes with the new page jimmy,
from,
Clonmore Drama Group
Jimmy Keary is my favorite Irish Playwrite……..Oh hell…he’s my favorite playwrite PERIOD and I have had the great joy of reading his plays BEFORE they were produced.
Wish we had him in Cabot Cove,
Thank you for those comments, Ron – you have been very encouraging and supportive of my playwriting since I got to know you, must be five or six years now. I really appreciate it. Not sure if I’d be safe in Cabot Cove – it seems to be a very dangerous place to live. Thanks again.
Jimmy
Jimmy Keary website – wow! Congrats on the new website Jimmy – Portumna Players are really looking forward to staging The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley in January – all very upset to have postponed the premiere this week-end but it will be worth waiting for!
Best wishes from all the cast
Enjoyed reading the update on your site…Stay well and God Bless.
Congratulations on your new website. Loved our visit this summer. I still say you are the handsome one of the family.
I intend to check the site out regularly.
Dermotjk
Congratulations on your new web site – it really looks fantastic. Wishing you every success in the future – hope you don’t forget the poor relations when you are a rich and famous playwrite !!
Hi Jimmy,
Congratulations on the website and on the Shannonside interview. Continued success with your work.
Martin
We had a great first night performance on Friday 14th. January. On stage again on Sunday 16th. January and the following Friday 21st. January and Sunday 23rd. January. Comments from the Friday night audiences:
“very funny, and we need plays like this to give us a lift in times of doom & gloom”
” a great laugh, well done!”
That’s great to hear. Thanks for taking the time to post the message. Looking forward to seeing you all tonight.
Jimmy
Best wishes on the website Jimmy – great stuff – Not looking forward to the video’s though – photo’s are bad enough!
Thanks for the good wishes, Tom. A handsome fella like you shouldn’t be bashful about photos or a video. Now, me, on the other hand, who has to delete a lot of my photos…..Mind you, I think you have a secret pact with some gremlins as the guy who built the website is having trouble uploading that video.
Jimmy
Well done going to see your play The two loves of Gabriel Foley
Thanks, Margaret, I hope you enjoy it. There’ll be updates about it here and on my facebook page.
Jimmy
Best wishes from the Derrynoose Drama Group Armagh. We all enjoyed your visit for the
Northern Ireland Premier of your play ‘Mother Knows Best’ last February. It was wonderful to
have the Playwright and the Lord Mayor of Armagh present in the audience, a little nerve-wracking!
but an honour. It was also great to see the play so well received when we played again to a packed house
in the Market Place Theatre Armagh on 23 rd September last.
Love your plays so much we are going with ‘Fortunes And Misfortunes’ this year on 4th ,5th, 6th March.
Best wishes from all the gang in Derrynoose.
Much appreciated Jimmy all the help you rendered to us humble Eigse Players in Slieverue Co.Kilkenny.Rehearsals are going well for “Mother Knows Best”.Hope you can get to call down inMarch ,Marley(TessMcDermot)
Back again Jimmy, your new website is great and best of luck with it!
I will be checking it regularly from now on!
Just read through again and I’m not sure if my first comment went through.
I was letting you know that we are staging The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley on sat 19th, sunday 20th & monday 21st March, late in letting you know as we had to postpone for a week as usual as we are doing so much laughing in rehearsal that we cannot learn our lines! If the people that come to see our performances find it as funny as we do, they will have tears running down their faces from start to finish!
Great play and great fun, well done as usual and thanks a million!
Hi Jimmy
Great website. Just finished our prodution of “The Maiden Aunt” in Mountcoal on Sunday and topped off with a visit from the Minister for Arts, Heritage & An Gaelteach, my class mate Jimmy Deenihan T.D. who had just come back from London a couple of hours earlier.
We had a fantastic reaction to our production and the laugh that was had was a welcome relief to the doom & gloom present at the moment and the to top it off with a visit from our first local full Minister who spoke very positive about our drama group and our community.
Cheers Jimmy and keep writing comedies – there is nothing like a laugh.
Tom
Hon Sec St Senan’s Drama Group, Mountcoal, Listowel
Tom,
I’m glad the play was such a success for the group after all the hard work they put into it. And then to have the new Minister there on the closing night was a big coup.
I’m sorry I didn’t get down to see it. I’m looking forward to seeing the dvd. Give my best wishes to everyone involved.
Jimmy
Best wishes on your new website. Just been to see one of your plays ‘ The Maiden Aunt’ by the St. Senans Drama Group in Mountcoal near Listowel. One of the best productions I have seen on any stage. Very witty and insightful about country life.
Alice,
Thanks for taking the trouble to contact me.
I’m glad you enjoyed the play. It’s one of my most popular and was being staged near Ballina in Mayo at the same time.
If you want to read a piece about how I wrote it, click on the ‘February Archives’ on this page, scroll down and find ‘Writing The Maiden Aunt’.
Another of my plays, ‘Looking For Love’ is being staged in Listowel in April..
Thanks again for the message and good wishes.
Jimmy
Looking forward to visiting with you .I’ll be at the wedding in April .Congratulations on your latest play .Your last one was great .I went to Gealic park in Chicago to see it and was thrilled . Good for you Jimmy..
Jimmy:
Once again I am honored to have been allowed to read the new play. It is , as expected, a winner…Every Character has lines all actors live for.For the theatre goer another fun filled evening of laughter,,,Congratulations Jimmy…God Bless.
Hi Jimmy
Picked up your flier in Drogheda Library. Congratulations on your new website I will be keeping my eye on facebook too. Would love to see your plays will you ever bring them to Drogheda? I have penned a play myself some years ago and trying to get another on paper at the moment. I also have a book of funny poetry aimed at women but don’t really know who to approach to publish would you have any information for me?
If you can help in any way it would be greatly appreciated, best of luck and many thanks
Anne Nolan
Website looks impressive Jimmy, all systems go for the staging of “The Maiden Aunt”
in Rathowen Community Centre from Fri 11th – Sun 13th looks like we’re sold out for Saturday the 12th and Friday 11th looks good too so the heat is on!!
Best of luck
Rathowen Amateur Dramatic Society (RADS)
I can feel the heat, too, Betty! Best wishes to everyone involved! And thanks for the comments about the website.
Jimmy
Just finished 5 nights in the Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda with “The Yes Man”. Audience thoroughly enjoyed it as did the cast. Fantastic feedback. Looking forward to seeing production of your plays in the East Coast.
Angela.
I’m so glad the play was such a success for you, Angela! Give my congratulations and best wishes to the cast.
Jimmy
Just looked over your website, congratulations jimmy a fine body of work.
Jimmy here in Cliffoney Co Sligo we are about to stage Mother Knows Best Have enjoyed directing it as has the cast in rehearsals
Thanks for getting in touch, Frank. Glad you and the cast enjoyed the rehearsals. I hope the first night went well.
Jimmy you have given everybody such joy with your plays. Wonderful to hear you on Joe Duffy today. So glad you are finding ways of coping with your depression. I’ve seen many of your plays and look forward to many more productions. I know many people who have acted your plays from around Mullingar, Milltown, Rahugh etc
Thank you, Liz.
Jimmy. I heard you on Joe Duffy and I thought you were an inspiration. I was so impressed by your honesty and your desire to help others. Well done on reaching out for support and bring an agent for your own recovery. Thank you again for your generosity in sharing your journey. Wishing you all the best for the future. Best Wishes. Emer
Emer,
Thank you so much for taking the time to get in touch and for your kind words. They mean a lot to me.
Jimmy
Well done Jimmy on a fantastic play fortunes and misfortunes. It was lovely to meet you
Gerry mccusker