{"id":651264,"date":"2026-10-11T06:12:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T06:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/651264\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T06:12:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T06:12:10","slug":"it-leaves-a-big-hole-in-our-hearts-colin-keegan-remembered-as-a-master-of-his-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/651264\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It leaves a big hole in our hearts’ – Colin Keegan remembered as a ‘master of his craft’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A service to celebrate the life of top press photographer Colin Keegan took place on Saturday<\/p>\n

14:53, 10 Oct 2026Updated 16:54, 10 Oct 2026<\/p>\n

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The funeral of press photographer Colin Keegan (Image: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos)<\/p>\n

A top Irish press photographer who worked closely with the Irish Mirror and Irish Star has been remembered as a “master of his craft”, with a “rare gift for capturing the truth and emotion of a moment in a single frame” during a service to celebrate his life on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Colin Keegan, 54, was travelling on his bike near Harlockstown, Co Meath just after midday last Saturday when he was tragically involved in a collision with a car. Garda\u00ed and paramedics rushed to the scene but Mr Keegan was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.<\/p>\n

Colin was a massive figure in press photography, having worked for nearly three decades with Collins Photo Agency, supplying images to media outlets around Ireland and further afield<\/a>. He was hugely respected in the industry and had won numerous accolades throughout his career, lifting the top award as News Photographer of the Year at the Irish Press Photographers Awards in 2007.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Funeral of Press Photographer Colin Keegan at Newlands Cross Cemetery. (Image: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos)<\/p>\n

Mourners gathered in The Temple at Newlands Cross Crematorium on Saturday for a celebration of the top photographer\u2019s life, sharing stories and memories of Colin over the years.<\/p>\n

“Lovely” symbols brought forward to remember the beloved snapper\u2019s life included his motorbike helmet, one of the many awards he won for his photography work, as well as his press pass.<\/p>\n

Colin\u2019s cherished eldest son Riain told of the strong bond he and his younger brother Odhran had with their father, how he was proud to be his son, and that the two siblings feel “incredibly lucky” to have Colin as their father.<\/p>\n

He shared: “We grew up with my dad being a photographer. This is what he did. We knew he won awards, but we never really realised how many people knew him personally and admired his work so much.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The funeral of press photographer Colin Keegan(Image: Sam Boal\/Collins Photos)<\/p>\n

He continued: “I took after many of his interests as I watched him through my life. He was a better mechanic than most mechanics, between his car and most importantly his bike.<\/p>\n

“He fixed almost anything. If something broke, we’d give him a day, and he would know everything about it\u2026 As he always told me and my brother Odhran, if you’re going to do something, do it right, which he did.<\/p>\n

“I am proud to be his son, and always admired how smart and knowledgeable he was in the things he loved. If there was something interesting, he seemed to know everything about it. As many of you have told me, and from the stories of my dad helping out, he was always willing to help people, even if he moaned about it. He still did it.<\/p>\n

“So, on behalf of me and Odhran, we feel incredibly lucky to have him as our dad. We feel honoured to hear all the stories from the life he lived, and honoured to be the sons he raised.”<\/p>\n

\"Colin<\/p>\n

Colin has been remembered as “one of the finest photographers there has ever been”<\/p>\n

Colin\u2019s dear buddy Gary also spoke to mourners, telling of his “infectious smile” as he shared his great memories of a wonderful friendship.<\/p>\n

“I’ve known Colin since 1999,” he said. “If we could all take a leaf from Colin’s book, the world would be a better place. So I’ve known him for over 26 years, and on a professional level, in my opinion, he was the best news photographer I’ve known.<\/p>\n

“He’s won many awards through his beloved Press Photographers Association, and many awards he won captured iconic moments in history – a testament to his amazing eye and great journalistic skills.<\/p>\n

“Standing here today to speak about Colin is something none of us were prepared to do. To lose a true friend and a colleague so suddenly is tough.<\/p>\n

“It leaves a big hole in our hearts, and I can say the outpouring of messages for Colin, especially from his colleagues in Press Photographers Ireland, has been overwhelming and comforting.<\/p>\n

“For years, Colin and I walked the same beat as press photographers. In our line of work, you were thrown into fast-moving, high-pressure situations covering breaking news, crime, delicate funerals, and prison releases.<\/p>\n

“It’s a world where trust and timing mean everything. Whenever Colin and I teamed up on a job we relied on our shared experience, quick instincts, and mutual understanding to get the shot and get the job done right every single time.<\/p>\n

“Well, that last bit was AI, but the next bit isn’t. It\u2019s my opinion that Colin was simply the best news photographer this country has ever seen. His long list of awards he earned throughout his career stands as a clear testament to his exceptional talent and sharp eye.<\/p>\n

“He had a rare gift for capturing the truth and emotion of a moment in a single frame. Colin had an infectious smile, and it could be the shittiest gig, but if Keego was there, things would always work out. He was a master of his craft, an outstanding teammate, and above all, a deeply cherished friend.”<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A service to celebrate the life of top press photographer Colin Keegan took place on Saturday 14:53, 10…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":651265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[32555,61,60,43,30817],"class_list":["post-651264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-funerals","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-tributes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}