Pte Patrick Kelly (10 May 1948 – 16 December 1983) was an Irish Army

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the

Defence Forces The phrase Defence Force(s) (or Defense Force(s) in US English - see spelling differences) is in the title of the armed forces of certain countries and territories. Defence forces * Ambazonia Defence Forces *Artsakh Defence Army * Australian Defen ...

killed during the rescue of kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey. He was posthumously awarded the

Military Star The Military Star ( ga, An Réalt Míleata) is a military decoration awarded to those members of the Irish Defence Forces or Chaplaincy Service who were killed or mortally wounded in the line of duty as a result of hostile action by an armed enemy ...

decoration.

Family life

Patrick Kelly was a native of Moate,

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

. He was married and a father of four sons, ranging in ages from nine years to eleven weeks at the time of his death.

Death

In December 1983,

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Kelly was killed in the line of duty along with trainee Garda Gary Sheehan while both were involved in the rescue of Don Tidey, at Derrada Wood,

Ballinamore Ballinamore (, meaning "mouth of the big ford") is a small town in County Leitrim, Ireland. Etymology , corrupted ''Bellanamore'', means "town at the mouth of the big ford", so named because it was a main crossing (ford) of the Yellow River. T ...

, County Leitrim.

Justice campaign

A 2008 trial of

Brendan McFarlane Brendan McFarlane (born 1951) is an Irish republican activist. Born into a Roman Catholic family, he was brought up in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, Northern Ireland. At 16, he left Belfast to train as a priest in a north Wales seminary. He ...

, related to the abduction of Tidey, collapsed after incriminating statements McFarlane allegedly made following his arrest were ruled inadmissible. No-one was ever convicted of the soldier's killing. During the

2011 Irish presidential election The 2011 Irish presidential election was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary ...

Kelly's eldest son, David, confronted Sinn Féin candidate and former IRA commander, Martin McGuinness. McGuinness denied knowing the killers or that he was a member of the IRA Army Council at the time. Kelly called him a liar, saying that before there could be any reconciliation, there had to be truth, and "I want truth today. Murder is murder. I want justice for my father." He later described McGuinness' presidential bid as an "obscenity, because his organisation killed members of the security forces... I feel sympathy for all people who were killed by the Provisional IRA over the years - Detective Garda

Jerry McCabe Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

in Limerick and all the other people." McGuinness later responded, stating that "As a republican leader I have never and would never stand over attacks on the Garda Síochána or the Defence Forces." However, he refused to condemn the killings of Kelly and Sheehan.

Legacy

In 2008, on the 25th anniversary of his death, a plaque was unveiled in his honour in his home town of Moate. Kelly's family including his widow Catriona attended, as did Don Tidey. On 16 July 2012, Kelly was posthumously awarded the Military Star by Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence

Alan Shatter Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Sou ...

, almost 30 years after his killing.

References

External links