Funeral of businessman Des Kelly held in Co Meath

The funeral of well known businessman Des Kelly, owner and founder of Des Kelly Interiors, took place on Monday in Ratoath, Co Meath.

Best known for the business that bears his name and his long-time association as primary sponsor of Bohemians Football Club, the late businessman was also very involved with a number of charities across the country, as well as in his local community.

Fr Gerry Stuart, who officiated the ceremony, spoke fondly of Mr Kelly and said in regards to his charity work, “He kept it under the radar and shunned any kind of attention on himself. He didn’t like that at all; he wasn’t that kind of man.”

Fr Stuart said that Mr Kelly joined the Legion of Mary and had worked with the Morning Star Hostel in Dublin for years.

“Des then worked with the Regina Coeli Hostel in Dublin, he was involved with the Knights of Columbanas, often doing the Christmas dinners. He was also involved in Cenacalo in Knock, where they look after a drug rehabilitation centre and he was the director of that for a number of years. Then of course he was very much involved in Medjugorje,” said Fr Stuart.

Tom Mulligan of the Morning Star Hostel, a voluntary organisation that caters to the homeless men of Dublin, said that Mr Kelly worked with the hostel on a part-time basis for many years, and was its president for five years.

Mr Mulligan praised Mr Kelly’s dedication to the hostel and said, “He had a lovely rapport with the men, they always felt that he was there with them and wasn’t above them”.

“He was a great delegator but he was also a great man to sit down, have a meal with and talk to them one by one,” said Mr Mulligan.

Mr Kelly was predeceased by his wife Youlanda, and he leaves behind his eight children as well as one of Ireland’s most famous home furnishings companies.

Paul O’Farrell of Des Kelly Interiors said that “The company is still in shock, we haven’t come to terms with it yet.

“We just going to let the dust settle, see where we stand and get a handle on things, and please God we’ll just continue on as we did in his memory. I’m sure that is what he would have wanted,” Mr O’Farrell said.