Tony Kelly (born 15 December 1993) is an Irish
hurler who plays for
Clare Senior Championship club
Ballyea and at inter-county level with the
Clare county hurling team
The Clare county hurling team represents Clare in hurling and is governed by Clare GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions - the All-Ireland Senior Hurl ...
.
Early life
Kelly attended
St Flannan's College
Saint Flannan's College is an Irish co-educational secondary school located in Ennis, County Clare, which takes its name from the 7th century patron saint of the Dál gCais. Formerly an all-boys boarding school, the first girls class was entere ...
in Ennis for his secondary education and as of 2021 works in the school as a teacher as well as coaching the senior hurling team.
Playing career
Clare
Minor and under-21
Kelly first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Clare minor team in 2010. He won his first
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medal that year following a 1-16 to 1-11 defeat of
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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, pushpin_relief = 1
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. Clare subsequently qualified for the All-Ireland decider against
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 ...
, however, Kelly's side faced a narrow 2-10 to 0-14 defeat.
In 2011 Kelly was appointed captain of the Clare minor team. He won a second consecutive Munster medal that year following a 1-20 to 3-9 defeat of Waterford once again. The subsequent All-Ireland semi final saw Clare defeated by Galway after extra time.
Kelly also became a member of the Clare under-21 team in 2011, however they were defeated in the Munster Semi-final by Limerick on a scoreline of 2-19 to 1-15 despite a contribution of 3 points from play from Tony Kelly. This remains Kelly's only defeat in the Munster Minor and Under-21 Championships. Kelly won his first
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medal in that grade as Clare defeated
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 ...
by 1-16 to 1-14 in the 2012 Munster Final in Cusack Park in Ennis. After trailing at half-time, Clare outscored Kilkenny by 1-10 to 0-4 in the second period of play to secure a 2-17 to 2-11 victory in the All-Ireland final of the same year. It was Kelly's first
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 ...
medal in the grade.
Clare dominated the under-21 series once again in 2013. A 1-17 to 2-10 defeat of Tipperary in the provincial decider gave Kelly a second Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland saw Clare face first-time finalists
Antrim. In a complete mismatch, Clare powered to a 2-28 to 0-12 victory, with Kelly collecting a second consecutive All-Ireland medal.
Senior
Kelly made his senior championship debut at left wing-forward and scoring 1-2 in a 1-16 to 0-16 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 ...
on 7 July 2012.
On 8 September 2013 Kelly lined out against
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
in his first All-Ireland final. Three second-half goals through
Conor Lehane
Conor Lehane (born 30 July 1992) is an Irish hurler who currently plays as a centre-forward for the Cork senior team.
Born in Midleton, County Cork, Lehane first played competitive hurling at Midleton CBS Secondary School. Here he won Rice Cu ...
,
Anthony Nash and
Pa Cronin
Patrick Cronin (born 20 May 1987) is an Irish hurler who plays for Premier Senior Championship club Bishopstown. He played for the Cork senior hurling team for 10 years, during which time he usually lined out at midfield or as a centre-forward ...
, and a tenth point of the game from
Patrick Horgan
Patrick Horgan (born 5 May 1988) is an Irish hurler who plays for Cork Senior Championship club Glen Rovers and at inter-county level with the Cork senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a forward.
Playing career Glen Rovers Minor and ...
gave Cork a one-point lead as injury time came to an end. A last-gasp point from corner-back
Domhnall O'Donovan
Domhnall O'Donovan (born 29 April 1988) is an Irish hurler who plays as a right corner-back for the Clare senior team.
Born in Clonlara, County Clare, O'Donovan first played competitive hurling whilst at school in St. Munchin's College. He ...
earned Clare a 0-25 to 3-16 draw. The replay on 28 September was regarded as one of the best in recent years. Clare's
Shane O'Donnell
Shane O'Donnell (born 15 June 1994) is an Irish hurler who played as a forward for the Clare senior team.
Born in Ennis, County Clare, O'Donnell first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the C ...
was a late addition to the team, and went on to score a hat-trick of goals in the first nineteen minutes of the game. Horgan top scored for Cork, however, further goals from
Conor McGrath
Conor McGrath (born 29 May 1991) is an Irish hurler who plays as a left corner-forward for the Clare senior team.
Born in Ennis, County Clare, McGrath was introduced to hurling by his father, a Toomevara native who was heavily involved in hur ...
and
Darach Honan
Darach Honan (born 21 March 1990 in Clonlara, County Clare, Ireland) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Clonlara and was a member of the Clare senior inter-county team from 2010 until 2017.
Early life
Born in Cl ...
secured a 5-16 to 3-16 victory for Clare. It was Kelly's first
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 ...
medal. He rounded off the season by collecting his first
All-Star award, while also becoming the only player in the history of the scheme to have won the
Hurler and
Young Hurler of the Year awards in the same year.
In June 2014, Kelly featured in the
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
television advert to promote their new broadcasting deal with the
GAA.
On 8 May 2016, Clare won the
2016 National Hurling League
The 2016 National Hurling League was the 85th season of the National Hurling League for inter-county hurling teams since its establishment in 1925. The fixtures were announced on 16 November 2015. The season began on 13 February 2016, and finishe ...
, their first
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 ...
title since 1978 after a 1-23 to 2-19 win against
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
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, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
in a replay. Kelly scored 1-6 in the game, including two late points to win the game.
On 25 October 2020, Kelly scored 17 points in the first game of the delayed
Munster Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurlin ...
against
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
, in a game that Clare lost 1-23 to 0-36.
On 7 November 2020, he scored 0-13 against
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 ...
in round 1 of the qualifiers, and a week later scored 1-15 against
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
in round 2.
Career statistics
Honours
Team
University of Limerick
*
Fitzgibbon Cup
The Fitzgibbon Cup ( ga, Corn Mhic Giobúin) is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland.
The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered ...
(2) :
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
Clondegad
* Clare Under-21 A Football Championship (1) : 2012
* Clare Intermediate Football Championship (1) : 2011
* Clare Minor B Football Championship (1) : 2009
Ballyea
*
Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1964 f ...
(1) :
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
*
Clare Senior Hurling Championship
The Pat O'Donnell & Co. Senior Hurling Championship, more commonly known as the'' Clare Senior Hurling Championship ''or'' Clare SHC, ''is an annual hurling competition organised by the Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It ...
(4) : 2016, 2018 (c), 2021, 2022
* Clare Senior B Hurling Championship (1) : 2013
* Clare Under-21 A Hurling Championship (1): 2012
* Clare Under-21 B Hurling Championship (1): 2011
* Clare Minor B Hurling Championship (1) : 2009
Clare
*
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 ...
(1):
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
*
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 ...
(1):
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
(c)
*
Munster Senior Hurling League
The Munster Senior Hurling League (known in some years as the Munster Hurling Cup) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2016 for the top inter-county teams in the province of ...
(2):
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
(c)
*
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (G ...
(3):
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 ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
(c)
*
Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-co ...
(3):
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 ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
(c)
*
Munster Minor Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associ ...
(2):
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 ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
Individual
Awards
*
GAA-GPA Hurler of the Year (1): 2013
*
GAA-GPA Young Hurler of the Year (1): 2013
*
GAA-GPA All-Star Award (4): 2013, 2020, 2021, 2022
* ''
The Sunday Game
''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 197 ...
'' Player of the Year (1): 2013
* ''
The Sunday Game
''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 197 ...
'' Team of the Year (4): 2013, 2020, 2021, 2022
* Bord Gáis Under-21 All-Star (1) : 2013
* Munster Under-21 Hurler Of The Year (1) : 2012
* Munster Minor Player of the Year (1) : 2011
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Tony
1993 births
Living people
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners
Ballyea hurlers
Clare inter-county hurlers
Clondegad Gaelic footballers
Irish accountants
People educated at St Flannan's College
All Stars Awards winners (hurling)