"Dessy worked in Kennys his whole life and was an outstanding bookseller. He was usually found behind the front counter, or sitting at his desk covered in books and papers, or walking the shop floor selecting and looking at books. He had a particular aversion to 'bloody technology' which gave us all lots of laughs, and there was always a big mug of black coffee nearby."
"He had a unique gift of matching an individual with their perfect book, often one they'd never heard of. Des started and ran Kennys Book Club for decades, and sent regular 'surprise' parcels of Irish books overseas to customers, mostly the US, based on their personal preferences. He never got a return."
"For several years, he read poetry to residents in St. Mary's Nursing Home in Galway. He was a beautiful writer, and wrote a weekly 'Biblio' column for the Galway Advertiser for many years. The Galway Echo was a monthly cassette tape he created for the blind with UCG, where he interviewed authors and musicians. His own book, 'Kenny's Choice: 101 Irish Books You Must Read' was published in 2008 - a celebration of his life in bookselling and a tribute to his parents."
Des (Dessy) Kenny was born in Salthill as the son of Maureen and Des Kenny, who opened Kennys Bookshop in 1940. He worked at Kennys his whole life and became an outstanding bookseller and storyteller. He married Anne in 1976 and had four children—Deirdre, Dessy, Aisling and Eimear—and eight grandchildren. He ran Kennys Book Club for decades and sent personalized parcels of Irish books overseas. He read poetry at St. Mary's Nursing Home, wrote a weekly 'Biblio' column for the Galway Advertiser, produced the Galway Echo cassette for the blind, and published Kenny's Choice in 2008. He died December 2 in St Mary's Nursing Home, surrounded by family.
Read at Irish Independent
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