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Colin Kelly (Gaelic footballer)

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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
2002–2009
O'Raghallaighs
Newtown Blues
Dreadnots
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1989–2002
Louth

Colin Kelly (born 1971) is a Gaelic football manager and former player from Drogheda, County Louth. He made 33 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.

Playing career

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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

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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

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As player

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Louth

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Newtown Blues

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Dreadnots

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As manager

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Louth

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Dreadnots

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O'Raghallaighs

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References

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  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. ^ a b c "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.
  12. ^ "Colin Kelly rolls back the years to win another club championship". The GAA. 8 October 2019.
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