Paddy Kelly

Name: Patrick Joseph Kelly
Born: 7 September 1896, Drumena, Kilcoo (near Newry)

Died: 7 July 1979, Fairfield, Connecticut (USA)
Height: 5.08 ft
Weight: 11 st
Position: Outside-Right

Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1920); League of Ireland: 1 Cap (1925).
Club Honours: (with Belfast Celtic) Irish League Champion 1919/20; (with Fordsons) FAI Cup Winner 1925/26.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Belfast Celtic	-	-	-	-	-	-
Manchester City	20/1-21/2	Oct-20	-	25/ 1	4/2	-
West Ham United	23/4	Jul-23	-	0/ 0	-	-
Fordsons Connah's Quay	24/5-25/6 -	-24 Sep-26	- -	/21 -	/3 -	- -
TOTALS	-	-		-	-	-

Biography:

Pat Kelly joined Belfast Celtic during the First World War, and helped them to claim the first post-War Irish League title. With Celtic’s withdrawal from the Irish League in 1920 Kelly was free to sign for another club, and in October 1920 elected to join Manchester City.

Within a month of his arrival at Maine Road, Kelly was selected for Ireland. He won what was his only cap in a 2-0 defeat by England in Sunderland. After three seasons in which he made a limited impact at City, Kelly was allowed to move on. He signed with West Ham in July 1923, but never made a League appearance while at Upton Park.

Kelly then returned to Ireland to sign for Cork-based Fordsons then played in the Welsh National League North with Connah's Quay & Shotton.

Kelly married Christina (nee Murphy) [1897-1964], a Manchester lass, on 17th July 1923. In 1929 the couple and their children immigrated to the USA, leaving Liverpool on the S.S. Laurentic bound for New York. The family lived in the Bronx, New York before Kelly moved to Connecticut following Christina's death. He is buried in Hawthorne, Westchester, not far away from baseball legend, George "Babe" Ruth.

Newcastle Journal (06-Oct-1920)

Derby Daily Telegraph (08-Oct-1920)

Sports Special Green 'Un (09-Oct-1920)

North Wales Weekly News (02-Sep-1926)

Ireland Cap Details:

1. 23-10-1920 England. A L 0-2 BC

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

* picture courtesy of James Duff via the Belfast Celtic Society Facebook page.