Mark Kelly (born 2 September 1988) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

hurler/Athlete who played as a 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 2012–16. Born in

, Kelly first played competitive hurling with his club O'Loughlin Gaels and holds Roinn A championship medals at u14, u16, minor and senior in recent years. During his schooling at Kilkenny CBS, Kelly won Leinster championship medals and starred in his school's run to the All-Ireland Colleges final in 2007 narrowly losing to Waterford's De La Salle. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Kilkenny minor team before later joining the under-21 side. Kelly scored 3 points from play while hurling midfield in the u21 All-Ireland final in 2009 against Clare. He joined the senior panel during the 2012 championship after excelling with his club O'Loughlin Gaels. Kelly scored two goals on his first championship start against Offaly and became a more regular member of the team since then. He has won 3 All Ireland senior medals (2012, 2014, 2015) two

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 ...

medals, one

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

medal, one u21 All Ireland medal, two u21 Leinster Championship medals and one Leinster minor medal during his county career.

Playing career

Inter-county

Kelly first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kilkenny minor team in 2006. He won a

medal that year following a heavy 4–22 to 1–5 defeat of

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

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

medal that year as a brace of

Jonjo Farrell Jonjo Farrell (born 28 September 1988) is an Irish people, Irish Hurling, hurler who played as a full-forward for the Kilkenny GAA, Kilkenny senior team. Born in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Farrell first played competitive hurling during his s ...

goals helped Kilkenny to a 2–20 to 1–19 defeat 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 ...

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 ...

later faced Kilkenny in their first ever All-Ireland clash. A late point from midfielder Cormac O'Donovan gave Clare a narrow 0–15 to 0–14 victory. Kelly was added to the senior team in 2012, however, he played no part in Kilkenny's successful

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

campaign. In 2014 Kelly won his first

medal as Kilkenny secured a narrow one-point 2–25 to 1–27 extra-time victory over

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

. He later scored two goals on his championship debut on 7 June 2014 in a 5–32 to 1-18 Leinster quarter-final defeat of

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

. Kelly was later confined to the substitutes' bench for Kilkenny's subsequent

and All-Ireland victories. Kelly won his first Leinster medal on the field of play in 2015 following a 1–25 to 2–15 defeat of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

in the provincial decider.

Honours

Player

;Kilkenny *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...

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Leinster Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurl ...

(2):

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Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-20 Championship known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the high ...

(1):

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

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 ...

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2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Mark 1988 births Living people Irish schoolteachers O'Loughlin Gaels hurlers Kilkenny inter-county hurlers