[2][3] Born in Exmouth, Devon, England,[4] Kane attended school in London and Gloucester[5] before moving to Ireland to study arts and engineering at Trinity College Dublin.
He married in 1862,[5] and lived at Drumreaske House in Monaghan until moving back to England in 1901.
[3][5] He was appointed Sheriff of Monaghan, the British monarch's representative in the county, for 1865.
[5] In 1901, after the death of his wife, Kane abruptly gave up entomology and moved back to England, leaving his collection to the National Museum of Ireland.
[1] His friend, British entomologist George Herbert Carpenter, said Kane possessed "vigour and energy to the very end of his long life", describing Kane as a "delightful companion in natural history field-work, knowing much about many subjects and ready to convey information to all who consulted him".