Tipperary chef murdered in Kansas City to be honored at annual Irish Fest

Organizers of the Kansas City Irish Fest have announced that its Irish breakfast will be back this year as 'The Brady Brunch,' to honor Tipperary chef Shaun Brady, who was a fixture at the annual event before his tragic murder last year.

"For years, chef Shaun Brady served hundreds of Kansas City Irish Fest visitors a traditional Irish breakfast," Kansas City Irish Fest organizers said on Wednesday, July 9.

"Shaun’s life was tragically cut short last year when he was killed outside his restaurant.

"This year, the festival will bring back the Irish breakfast with a new name to honor Shaun’s memory. 

"The Brady Brunch will feature an Irish breakfast prepared by Inspired Occasions and Graham Farris, formerly of Shaun’s restaurant, Brady & Fox.

"The breakfast will include Shaun's 100-year-old scone recipe along with unlimited beverages: beer, Bloody Marys, Irish coffee, coffee, soda, and water."

The Brady Brunch at Kansas City Irish Fest will be from 11 am to 1 pm on August 31. Tickets do not include admission to the festival, which promotes Irish music, dance, and culture, and runs from August 29 to August 31 at Kansas City’s Crown Center.

Tickets for both the 'Brady Brunch' Irish breakfast and the festival are available to purchase at KCIrishFest.com/Tickets.

Shaun Brady.

Last August, the Kansas City Police Department confirmed that Shaun Brady was the victim of a shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 28.

Police said that a preliminary investigation revealed Brady was taking out trash when he observed multiple subjects by a vehicle. An interaction between the victim and subjects occurred that led to the victim being shot.

KCPD said that within an hour of the incident, two juvenile male teen subjects were taken into custody pending further investigation in regard to the case.

The vehicle used in the crime was also recovered. The subjects were taken into custody, and the vehicle was found a short distance away in Midtown.

KCPD said that the incident was being investigated as a homicide.

Both of the juveniles were charged on August 30. In December, however, the charges against one of the teens were dropped.

The other teen, known only as 'K.H.' as he is a minor, is charged with counts of second-degree murder, attempted stealing of a vehicle, and armed criminal action. A judge ruled in May that he will be tried as a juvenile and that the trial is due to begin in September.

Chef Shaun Brady.

Brady, a native of Nenagh in Co Tipperary, opened his restaurant Brady's KC in the Brookside area of Kansas City in 2022. Ahead of his restaurant's opening, Brady spoke with IrishCentral, where he was emphatic that his restaurant was Irish American, not just Irish.

A popular figure within the local Irish American community, Brady was a fixture at the Kansas City Irish Fest. The 2024 event, which was hosted just days after his tragic death, featured a special Mass in his memory.

The Board of Directors of the Kansas City Irish Fest also launched a memorial GoFundMe to benefit Shaun's wife and their two young children. The fund, which is no longer taking donations, received more than $191k.

In January, Brady's family and friends gathered for a funeral Mass for the talented chef at St. Mary's of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

In an emotional eulogy, Shaun's brother Damien said: "Shaun Paul had built a wonderful life for himself and his family in Kansas [City] - a home for their kids.

“He worked tirelessly to establish and run his own restaurant and become a treasured part of the community, something we witnessed ourselves in Kansas [City] when the local community came together to grieve his death and again here today.

“Shaun was so proud to call Nenagh his home. When we visited his restaurant in Kansas [City], the walls were decorated with paintings of local landmarks - the castle, the church, an old painting taken from a book in mam’s house in Summerhill.

“He kept a map of Ireland that hung in our family home and mam had wanted him to have it in his house in Kansas [City]. 

“He never forgot where he came from.”