Originally from County Cork, he studied economics at Trinity College in Dublin and Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

He joined Raidió Teilifís Éireann as a broadcaster in the late 1970s, and produced and contributed to several shows with a current affairs and documentary focus.

[15] In 1977, Keane joined the Irish national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, where he initially worked as a television journalist.

[16] He co-presented the weekly investigative series Public Account with Pat Kenny,[17][18] and he worked as a reporter on the current affairs programme Today Tonight.

[23] As a radio producer, Keane compiled and presented documentaries based on interviews with musical figures including Burt Bacharach, Cat Stevens, Davy Jones of the Monkees, Dave Davies of the Kinks, Chubby Checker, Engelbert Humperdinck, Pete Seeger, Val Doonican, Glen Campbell, Neil Sedaka and more than 140 other performers and musicians.

[25][26] He also produced and presented A Belfast Game, profiling the Troubles in Northern Ireland through the experiences of the Ardoyne Kickhams Under-16 football team.

[27] Keane's radio presentation work included Studio 10, which he co-presented with Mary McAleese, later the president of Ireland.

1 best-seller, co-authored with his wife Una O'Hagan, entitled The Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux: The Irish Connection.