Colin Kelly (Gaelic footballer)

Colin Kelly is a Gaelic football manager and former player from Drogheda, County Louth. He made 26 Championship appearances for the Louth senior football team between 1989 and 2002[1] and is one of the Wee County's leading scorers of all-time.

Colin Kelly
Personal information
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left Corner-Forward
Born Drogheda, County Louth
Nickname Super
Club(s)
Years Club
1983–1987
1988–2001
2002–
 O'Raghallaighs
Newtown Blues
Dreadnots
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1989–2002
 Louth

Playing career

Kelly played for his county as a 16 year-old in the 1987 Leinster Minor Football Championship. At the beginning of the 1988 season, he transferred from the O'Raghallaighs to another Drogheda club, Newtown Blues.[2] That same year he would win his first county senior championship medal, scoring four points for the Blues in a 0–7 to 1–03 defeat of Clan Na Gael at Castlebellingham.

In February 1989 against Mayo while still attending secondary school, he made his competitive debut for the county senior team aged 17, in a National League Division 2 match played at St. Brigid's Park, Dowdallshill.

He received the Man of the Match award for his performance in the 2000 Louth SFC Final, when Newtown Blues defeated Stabannon Parnells.[3]

Kelly won his third senior championship medal with the Blues in 2001 with victory over Mattock Rangers.[4] By then resident in Clogherhead, he transferred to the local club Dreadnots for the start of the 2002 season.[5]

Coaching career

After retiring from inter-county football in 2002, Kelly was joint manager of the Louth Under-21s with Colm Nally and Niall O'Donnell for three seasons from 2003 to 2005.

In 2012, he managed the Under-21s to a first Leinster championship final in sixteen years, losing to Dublin.[6]

He later managed the Louth senior team for three years.[7] He led Louth to successive promotions in the National Football League in 2016 and 2017, though Louth did not make any championship impact during his time in charge.[7]

He was appointed Westmeath senior manager on a two-year term in late 2017 but left in mid-2018, citing family commitments.[8][9]

He was appointed Wicklow senior manager in October 2021.[7] However, he left in March 2022, citing work commitments.[10]

At club level, Kelly was player-manager in 2008 when Dreadnots won the Louth Intermediate Championship.[11]

Honours

Louth

Newtown Blues

Dreadnots

Louth

Dreadnots

O'Raghallaighs

References
  1. "Kelly retires". The Argus. 13 June 2022.
  2. "GAA star Colin Kelly got big break as schoolboy". Drogheda Independent. 26 August 2009.
  3. "Kelly hero of Blues final win". Drogheda Independent. 3 November 2000.
  4. "Blues bonanza". Irish Independent. 17 September 2001.
  5. "Where are they now?". Irish Independent. 20 January 2013.
  6. "Louth's 2012 Leinster U21 final team – where are they now?". The Argus. April 2022.
  7. "Colin Kelly appointed as new Wicklow manager". RTÉ. 15 October 2021.
  8. "Westmeath appoint Kelly as new manager". Hogan Stand. 27 September 2017.
  9. "Colin Kelly quits as Westmeath football manager". RTÉ. 9 June 2018.
  10. "Wicklow boss Colin Kelly resigns due to work commitments". RTÉ. 2 March 2022.
  11. "Third light". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
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