Irish name Marc O Ceallaigh Years Club Height 1.88 m Sport Hurling All irelands 0 | Position Full-forward Name Mark Kelly All stars 0 Role Hurler Nhl 1 | |
Occupation Primary school teacher | ||
Mark Kelly (born 2 September 1988) is an Irish hurler who currently plays as a substitute centre-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.
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Born in Kilkenny, Kelly first played competitive hurling during his schooling at Castlecomer Community School. 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. He joined the senior panel during the 2012 championship. Kelly subsequently became a more regular member of the team and has won one Leinster medal and one National Hurling League medal.
At club level Kelly plays with O'Loughlin Gaels.
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 Leinster medal that year as a non-playing substitute following a heavy 4–22 to 1–5 defeat of Carlow.
Three years later and Kelly was a key member of the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won a Leinster medal that year as a brace of Jonjo Farrell goals helped Kilkenny to a 2–20 to 1–19 defeat of Dublin. Clare 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 extended panel of the senior team in 2012, however, he played no part in Kilkenny's successful All-Ireland campaign.
In 2014 Kelly won his first National Hurling League medal as Kilkenny secured a narrow one-point 2–25 to 1–27 extra-time victory over Tipperary. 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. Kelly was later confined to the substitutes' bench for Kilkenny's subsequent Leinster 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 in the provincial decider.