Paul is making many proud moments
Paul Kehoe is a Senior Doorkeeper.
It was in 1979 that I left my first job as a Store Foreman in an electrical warehouse, and started a new career here at Parliament.
I joined as an Attendant in the Service Centre, and worked in a wide variety of posts and buildings over the next few years – from Hall Keepers Lodge to the Press Gallery/Central Lobby, and from St Stephens House to 6/7 Old Palace Yard. In 1992, I was promoted to Assistant Office Keeper and in 1996, I became an Office Keeper.
I have managed Attendant teams here in The Palace, and pretty much every other building on the Parliamentary Estate! I’m the go-to guy, my colleagues always say. But I always had my heart set on becoming a Senior Doorkeeper. And in 2012, I finally joined the Senior Doorkeeper Team. It was nice because many of the Doorkeepers had previously been Attendants too, so I had worked with and managed a fair few of them.
As a Senior Doorkeeper, I have carried out ceremonial duties during The State Opening of Parliament, and escorting duties for Members and Lords on a visit to Runnymede to mark 800 years of the sealing of Magna Carta. I have worked on numerous high-profile visits by various heads of State, and taken two high-profile US Committee Senators on a tour around Parliament.
On such a sad occasion, it was my honour and privilege to play a small part in Her Majesty The Queen’s Lying-in-State period at Westminster Hall, and guide the public past her Majesty’s coffin. It was also an honour to be there for first State Opening of our new monarch, King Charles III, and when the King and Queen Royal addressed both Houses of Parliament.
In addition, I have achieved my yellow badge qualification to become a tour guide at The Palace of Westminster. I very much enjoy engaging with the public, and showing the many visitors around this wonderful building. I am also an Event Co-ordinator for third-party events held in Parliament during evenings, weekends, and recesses. And I help organise visitors who have booked for afternoon tea at the Terrace Pavilion or Members Dining Room.
My advice is this: never give up on your dreams. As you can see from my story, persistence pays off. You will not find a prouder Senior Doorkeeper than I.
Paul is making Parliament happen, and so could you.