Gingyed

When Roy Keane visited a hospital in Cork in April 2025, he was there to see a 78-year-old man called Pat O’Sullivan who had been suffering from dementia. Pat had been a Manchester United supporter for most of his life and had always regarded Keane as one of his heroes. But unlike most supporters, Pat believed he had a personal friendship with the former United captain. It went back to around 1994, shortly after Keane had joined Manchester United from Nottingham Forest. Pat had been having a drink in his local pub, the Temple Acre in Cork, when Keane walked in. Roy spent time chatting with people in the pub, signing autographs and even bought Pat a pint. For years afterwards, he would tell his family that Roy Keane was his friend. “My dad sees Roy as a real gent and a real straight talker who says it as it is.” But by early 2025, Pat’s health had deteriorated badly. He was suffering from dementia and had been admitted to the Mercy Hospital in Cork. His family had been told he wouldn’t be coming home. Despite everything he was going through, there was one person who could still bring a smile to his face whenever his name was mentioned. Roy Keane. So Pat’s son Rob decided to contact Cork’s RedFM radio station to see if they could help arrange something for his dad. All he wanted was a short video message that he could play for Pat at his bedside. “My thing was I would just love for Roy to hear how my dad feels about him. That’s really honestly it.” Rob got in touch with the station’s Breakfast with KC programme, and producer Victoria Nichols helped get the request to Keane. Rather than record a message, Keane decided to visit Pat himself. Rob was there with his family when the former Manchester United captain walked into his father’s room. “Roy Keane walked into my dad’s room, face to face, and shook his hand.” “When I looked at him face to face, I was in awe. I cannot believe he is right in front of me and about to make my dad’s dream come true.” Pat was sitting in his hospital bed looking at the man he had been talking about for more than thirty years. “My dad looked at him, he was staring at him, and he just couldn’t believe his friend was sitting next to him.” Keane pulled up beside the bed and started chatting with him. They talked about football, life in Cork and Keane’s younger days growing up in Mayfield. It wasn’t just a quick handshake and a photograph. “He stayed for a full 30 mins or so chatting to my dad, it was incredible.” And while they sat together talking, Pat became so emotional that he started crying. Rob was especially grateful because his father’s dementia had been getting worse. But Keane had arrived while Pat could still recognise him and talk to him. “For him to come and visit, take time out of his schedule or his personal time to see my dad, sit with him, go back and forward with stories. You have no idea, it still feels like a dream.” The family had only asked for a video message. Instead, the man Pat had called his friend since sharing a pint with him in the 1990s had come to sit beside his hospital bed. “Dad’s been through so much, and to see his idol walk through that door was unbelievable.” “It’s a moment we’ll never forget.” #football