Jon Kenny

Jon Kenny (born 28 September 1957 in Hospital, County Limerick, Ireland) was a seminal figure in Irish comedy and cinema, best remembered as one half of the beloved duo D'Unbelievables alongside Pat Shortt. From a precocious start at age fifteen performing with the Limerick band Gimik, Kenny transitioned to comedy and acting, forging a career that spanned over five decades despite battling dyslexia and a lack of formal training. His partnership with Shortt produced a string of wildly popular videos such as One Hell of a Video, D'Video, D'Telly and D'Mother, earning them a Meteor Music Award for Best Selling Irish Video in 2001. Kenny’s television work includes memorable dual roles in the cult classic Father Ted: the bumbling Michael Cocheese in “The Passion of Saint Tibulus” and the flamboyant Fred Rickwood in “A Song for Europe”, performances he later linked to a childhood priest’s protest antics. Expanding into film, he delivered a gritty turn in the independent feature Insatiable and later appeared as Gerry in the internationally acclaimed The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), a role that secured ensemble nominations from Gold Derby and Critics’ Choice. After a decade‑long hiatus forced by a non‑Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in 2000, Kenny returned to the stage with a solo one‑man show, released the stand‑up DVD Back to Front in 2007, and co‑hosted the innovative theatre production Mag Mell from 2012 to 2014, contributing to its puppetry, costumes and set design. Beyond performance, Kenny was a talented singer who collaborated with folk star Sharon Shannon and remained an avid supporter of Munster Rugby. His personal life was anchored by his marriage to Marguerite Kenny in 1988, with whom he raised two children. Despite surviving a stem‑cell transplant, a triple heart bypass in 2011, and recurring cancer battles, Jon Kenny’s resilient spirit endured until his passing on 15 November 2024 from heart failure and lung cancer, leaving an indelible legacy in Irish entertainment.