‘He had a really soft heart’ - shock in Kansas City at murder of Irish chef Shaun Brady

Irish-American Pat O'Neill was a friend of the victim

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Shaun Brady in his Kansas restaurant.
Shaun Brady in his Kansas restaurant.

“Shaun could talk a hard line, you know, but he also had a terrific sense of humour and a really soft heart”, says Pat O’Neill, remembering his friend Shaun Brady on The Irish Times In the News podcast.

Mr Brady, originally from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was killed after being shot outside his restaurant in Kansas City on Wednesday, following an armed confrontation.

The well-known chef was heavily involved in the Irish-American community, particularly during the annual Kansas City Irish Fest which is due to begin on Friday. The festival promotes and celebrates Irish culture.

His popular restaurant, Brady’s KC, specialises in authentic Irish food.

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“One thing about Sean was that he was very accepting”, Mr O’Neill tells podcast host Bernice Harrison. “His staff was very diverse, his clientele was very diverse. And he just loved introducing people to the food he grew up with”.

After graduating from Technological University Dublin, then DIT, he met a Kansas woman while she was travelling in Ireland; they married in 2005.

Pat O’Neill tells In the News about Brady’s story and about the sorrow in the tight Irish community in Kansas.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison is an Irish Times journalist and cohost of In the News podcast