Derek Keaveney - 60 years in Canada with no regrets

By Eamonn O'Loghlin

As an immigrant myself, I have always had a great interest in those who have come to these shores before me, whether they were the diaspora of Black '47 or those of more recent vintage. On learning that my good friend Derek Keaveney was celebrating 60 years in our adopted land, I knew that here was a story worth telling. I was not disappointed.

Derek was educated at Dominican College, Newbridge and on completing his Leaving Certificate he was apprenticed to a firm of chartered accountants on Grafton Street in Dublin. He served five years - unpaid - as an 'articled clerk' and was required to pass the Institute's Intermediate and Final exams wherein he placed first in Ireland in both and was awarded the Institute's gold medal for honours standing in the final. No doubt his legendary photographic memory which is still as sharp today at 85 helped in these challenging academic times.

Then as for many years thereafter, there were few job opportunities in Ireland and London became the destination for many. So in 1947, Derek started a new career with the firm now known as KPMG at a salary of 500 pounds a year.

The principal firm of chartered accountants in Canada at that time was Clarkson, Gordon (now Ernst & Young). One of their senior partners was on a business visit to London and by sheer chance Derek was introduced to him. Canada was starting to boom and the firm had big expansion plans; also they were short of qualified staff because of the war. Derek was offered a job in the firm's Toronto office. And so, after only a few short months in London, he was on his way to Canada.

Sailing on the Aquitania, no longer a luxury liner as it had been converted into a troop ship during the war, Derek arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax 60 years ago this past October 6th and headed for Toronto which at that time was sometimes referred to as the City of Churches and Lost Souls. A city dominated by the Orange Order. As he took the tram up Yonge Street to the city limits at Lawrence that first Sunday, he noticed that the display windows of the Eaton main store at Queen and Yonge were covered by drapes - yes, it was Sunday and those were the times that were in it.

He started with the Clarkson firm on Wellington Street, just after Thanksgiving. "My salary was $300 a month. That figure sounds crazy to anyone reading this now but, believe me, for a young guy of twenty five, I was off to a smashing start".

Derek spent eight years with the firm in their Toronto office except for a two year assignment at the newly -opened Vancouver practice. That gave Derek an opportunity to see Canada as visits to clients took him not only throughout B.C. but also up to the Territories, the Yukon and Alaska. "What a fabulous opportunity I had to see and learn about this vast land. Indeed, what more could a young man have hoped for".

In 1962 he moved into the industrial sector and joined John Inglis as financial controller and stayed there for seven years before moving into banking - joining CIBC, also as financial controller. He moved up into the executive and stayed there for seventeen years until 1980 when he retired to carry out consulting assignments and to join the boards of other companies, including the Chairmanship of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro of Canada.

One of his assignments was as Director of Finance of the Archdiocese of Toronto and that brought him into contact with such wonderful people as Cardinal Carter and Bishop (later Archbishop) Wall as well as a major involvement with Sharelife. Also, this period coincided with the visit in 1984 of Pope John Paul II to Canada. "My wife, Mary Mahoney, and I had the great privilege of travelling back to Rome with His Holiness". Before the plane landed in Rome His Holiness laid his hand on Derek's shoulders and spoke to him as if "I was the only person in the world at that moment" The Pope's clear blue eyes and his kind and warm demeanor are still part of Derek's treasured lifetime memories. While Derek and Mary were in Rome, they visited the church where they had been married twelve years before in 1973 and also met the Benedictine priest who had married them.

Over the past several years Derek has had another very important business client and that, of course, is The Irish Shop started 37 years ago by his wife, Mary Mahoney. From 1986 - 1996 Mary and Derek also had another Irish store in New York - The Irish Secret. They still visit New York almost monthly and regard St. Francis Xavier's around the corner from their apartment as their second parish. Apart from assisting her in the financial and administrative aspects of the business he accompanies Mary to Ireland and London on her many buying trips.

While business has always been a big part of Derek's life, it did not preclude him from taking time to be involved in other areas and, especially, in charitable organizations. "I have had the privilege of being associated with several over the years. These have been so enriching".

Through Cardinal Carter, Derek was invited to be the Chair of the Board of Covenant House after the Cardinal had introduced that wonderful organization to Toronto from New York in 1982. He spoke of his admiration for the Cardinal who was of Montreal Irish stock and who treasured his Irish ancestry; he used to go fishing almost annually on County Galway's Lough Corrib.

Other rewarding experiences have been board memberships with St. Joseph's Health Centre, the C.M. Hincks Treatment Centre and The Ireland Fund of Canada.

Turning to the Irish community, Mary of course was his connection into the community. He met her at a reception at St. Michael's College at the University in January, 1972 in honour of Irish actress Siobhan McKenna who was appearing on the stage in Toronto and who, while here, performed the official opening of The Irish Shop just started by Mary on Avenue Road. After the reception, Derek's good friend Ted McConnell invited several guests to his home. Derek made sure that Mary was included. Later on he saw her home and that was the beginning of their wonderful romance.

It was not that long afterwards that Ted came up with the idea of establishing a forum from both sides of the great Irish religious divide that promoted respect for each other. He asked Derek and Monty Larkin to meet with him and over a very, very long lunch he outlined what he had in mind; they gave Ted their full support. And that was when The Apostles of Ireland was founded. The rest is history as they say.

I asked Derek for his thoughts about what the present Irish Community in Toronto can do to ensure that the community will, so to speak, live on. He was not short of an answer which he thankfully followed up with an email. "With minimal immigration these days, it is so important that this new generation always feel immense pride that they come from Irish roots that have brought great benefits to the many countries to which they have emigrated. They brought not only a strong work ethic and a desire to get ahead but also their laughter, smiles and readiness to help their fellow human beings. And they took on, so to speak, the clothing of the country they came to. Here they became Canadian first - although always with a strong sense of their Irish ancestry. And how does one go about nurturing this? Certainly they should know about and appreciate the simply immense contributions that Ireland down the years has made in the fields of literature, theatre, education, music and medicine that are out of all proportion to its tiny size and small population. And that's not having even mentioned what they have contributed to the political landscape of every country they went to. And so they should be encouraged to read the literature and see the plays and sing the songs and play the music and listen to the Irish authors when they visit here. And have some knowledge of the history of the Irish here. They just don't have to be immersed in it of course - after all this is a new generation deserving encouragement as they face the immense challenges of this fast changing world. A visit every year or two to Ireland Park and St. Paul's Basilica might be on the agenda. We just don't want them to forget their roots and how proud they must always be of that".

At 85 Derek is still sharp as a whip and declined an opinion on the future of the Canadian dollar - "One would want to be foolhardy to attempt an opinion on that - there are too many imponderables". The banker lives on.

This time last year Derek, who had lost the sight of one eye experienced a "miracle" when through the generosity of a donor, he received a new cornea which has restored his vision and he no longer experiences any pain. He is a deeply caring and kind man and our community is lucky to have him. "Sageing while Ageing" is the name of a recent book by actress and writer Shirley MacLaine. Derek is definitely one of the Sages of our community. TIN wishes Derek and Mary many years of happiness and health. Canada is indeed lucky that he landed on these shores 60 years ago and Derek has definitely no regrets about it either.

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