Educated at
Ampleforth College and
Trinity College Dublin, Kelly served in the
First World War as a
Lieutenant with the
Royal Flying Corps and
Royal Air Force (originally as an
observer, but later as a
pilot) and was awarded the
Military Cross, before returning to Dublin University to complete his degree in 1919, eventually becoming a
barrister. He made his debut for Ireland the year after leaving university, playing against
Scotland in a first-class match in July. Matches against the Irish Military and Scotland followed in 1921, and he began to become a more regular member of the Irish side in 1923. He still played the occasional match for the university, playing against the
West Indies in 1923 and a first-class match against
Essex in 1922. He played matches for Ireland against Scotland and
Wales in 1923, and against Scotland and the
MCC in 1924. He continued as a regular in the Irish team over the next six years, playing internationals against Scotland, Wales and the West Indies in addition to several matches against the MCC. His last first-class match was in June 1930 against Scotland and his last match for Ireland was in August 1930 against the MCC. ==Statistics==