Career
Born in Puckane, County, Kelly first excelled at hurling in his youth. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the minor teams as a dual player, before later joining the under-21 hurling team He joined the junior team for the 1987 championship.
At club level Kelly played both hurling and Gaelic football with.
In retirement from playing, Kelly became involved in team management and coaching. He was an All-Ireland-winning manager with the intermediate hurling team in 2005, as well as serving as a manager and as a selector with the under-21 and intermediate hurling teams.
Kelly was appointed manager of the senior hurling team in January 2014. His side then lost a controversial play-off to Offaly, missing out on a pace in Division 1B. His side regrouped to make it to the final of the Christy Ring Cup for the fourth time in five seasons.
They faced Kildare but for the second year in a row lost out by a 2 points.
In July 2015, Kelly stepped down from the position as manager. In September 2015, Kelly was named as the new manager of the Offaly hurling team Team Manager Intermediate Hurling Championship (1): 2004.
