Seán Keenan

Seán Keenan (died 3 March 1993) was an Irish republican from Derry, Northern Ireland. His father James Keenan was a Quartermaster in the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

Keenan was interned without trial on three occasions: 1940–1945, 1957–1961, and 9 August 1971 – 27 April 1972. He spent a total of 15 years in jail despite never being convicted of an offence. Keenan was first arrested in 1935 for carrying an Irish flag. He was interned for the duration of World War II in several prisons including the hulk prison ship HMS Al Rawdah. He was again interned during the IRAs Border campaign and again during the period of violence known as The Troubles. In March 1972, a month before his final release, he was paroled for the funeral of his son Colm, a Provisional Irish Republican Army officer who had been shot by the British Army.

Keenan was chairman of the Derry Citizens Defence Association between July and October 1969 and played a prominent role in the events surrounding the creation and defence of Free Derry, including the Battle of the Bogside. In the late 1980s, he was made honorary vice president for life of Republican Sinn Féin until his death.

He is commemorated annually by Republican Sinn Féin in the month of March at the Seán Keenan Memorial (Celtic Cross) on Fahan Street in the Bogside area of Derry City.

His son, also named Sean, was a Sinn Féin councillor. He died after a long battle with cancer in August 2006.