Kevin Kelly (born 1 October 1993) is an Irish hurler who plays as a full-forward for the

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

senior team. Born in Ballyragget,

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

, Kelly first played competitive hurling during his schooling at Heywood Community School. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Kilkenny minor team, before later joining the under-21 and intermediate sides. He joined the senior panel during the 2015 league. At club level, Kelly is a one-time All-Ireland medallist in the junior grade with St Patrick's Ballyragget. In addition to this, he has also won one

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

medal and one championship medal in the same grade.

Playing career

Minor and under-21

Kelly first played for Kilkenny in 2010 when he joined the minor side. He won his sole

medal on the field of play that year following a 1-20 to 0-10 trouncing of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. The subsequent All-Ireland decider pitted Kilkenny against

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. "The Cats" were made to work hard before securing a narrow 2-10 to 0-14 victory, giving Kelly an All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship medal. He was also named

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

. Two years later Kelly was a key member of the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won a

medal that year following a 4-24 to 1-13 trouncing of

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

. Kilkenny later faced

in the All-Ireland decider. A powerful second-half display, in which they outscored Kilkenny 1-10 to 0-4, saw Clare take their second-ever All-Ireland under-21 crown.

Career statistics

Honours

Team

;St Patrick's *

Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship The Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board ...

(1):

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All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship The All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship is an annual inter-county club hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) since 2002-03 for eligible hurling clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their per ...

(1):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship ''For the senior hurling equivalent see: Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship'' The Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Junior Club Championship) is an annual hurling comp ...

(1):

Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship The J. J. Kavanagh & Sons Premier Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1905 for the third-tier hurling teams in the county of Kilkenny in I ...

(1): 2011 ;Kilkenny *

Leinster Intermediate Hurling Championship The Leinster Intermediate Hurling Championship is an inter county competition between the Intermediate Hurling county teams in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council organizes the series of games. The winners of the championship each y ...

(1):

* Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship (1):

* All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship (1):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Ass ...

(1):

Individual

;Honours *All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final Man of the Match (1): 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Kevin 1993 births Living people Allied Irish Banks people Kilkenny inter-county hurlers St Patrick's (Kilkenny) hurlers