Pte Patrick Kelly (10 May 1948 – 16 December 1983) was an
Irish Army
The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
in the
Defence Forces killed during the rescue of kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey. He was posthumously awarded the
Military Star
The Military Star () is a military decoration awarded to those members of the Irish Defence Forces or Chaplaincy Service who were killed or mortally wounded in the line of duty as a result of hostile action by an armed enemy. Initially only awarde ...
decoration.
Family life
Patrick Kelly was a native of
Moate
Moate (; ) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 3,013.
The town's Irish name, ''An Móta'', is derived from the term motte-and-bailey, as the Normans built an example of this type of fortificati ...
,
County Westmeath
County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...
. He was married and a father of four sons, ranging in ages from nine years to eleven weeks at the time of his death.
Death
In December 1983,
Private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
Kelly was killed in the line of duty along with trainee
Garda Gary Sheehan while both were involved in the
rescue of Don Tidey, at Derrada Wood,
Ballinamore
Ballinamore (, meaning "mouth of the big ford") is a small town in the south-east of County Leitrim in Ireland.
Etymology
, corrupted ''Bellanamore'', means "town at the mouth of the big ford", so named because it was a main crossing (ford) o ...
,
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...
.
Justice campaign
A 2008 trial of
Brendan McFarlane
Brendan McFarlane (1951 – 21 February 2025) was an Irish republican activist. Born into a Roman Catholic family, he was brought up in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, Northern Ireland. At 16, he left Belfast to train as a priest in a north Wa ...
, related to the abduction of Tidey, collapsed after incriminating statements McFarlane allegedly made following his arrest were ruled inadmissible.
No-one was ever convicted of the soldier's killing.
During the
2011 Irish presidential election
The 2011 Irish presidential election was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary ...
Kelly's eldest son, David, confronted
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
candidate and former IRA commander,
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness (; 23 May 1950 – 21 March 2017) was an Irish republican politician and statesman for Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during The Troubles. He was the deputy First Minist ...
. McGuinness denied knowing the killers or that he was a member of the
IRA Army Council
The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about independence to the whole island of Ireland and the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and Great ...
at the time. Kelly called him a liar, saying that before there could be any reconciliation, there had to be truth, and "I want truth today. Murder is murder. I want justice for my father." He later described McGuinness' presidential bid as an "obscenity, because his organisation killed members of the security forces... I feel sympathy for all people who were killed by the Provisional IRA over the years - Detective Garda
Jerry McCabe
Jerry may refer to:
Animals
* Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National
* Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Jerry (play), a 1914 American play
* ...
in Limerick and all the other people." McGuinness later responded, stating that "As a republican leader I have never and would never stand over attacks on the Garda Síochána or the Defence Forces." However, he refused to condemn the killings of Kelly and Sheehan.
Legacy
In 2008, on the 25th anniversary of his death, a plaque was unveiled in his honour in his home town of Moate. Kelly's family including his widow Catriona attended, as did Don Tidey.
On 16 July 2012, Kelly was posthumously awarded the Military Star by
Minister for Justice and Equality and
Defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
Alan Shatter
Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin S ...
, almost 30 years after his killing.
See also
*
Michael J. Reynolds
Michael John Reynolds (15 August 1939 – 22 March 2018) was a Canadian actor who had featured in over one hundred films.
Selected filmography
* ''The Reincarnate'' (1971) .... David
* ''The Discoverers'' (1972) .... Dr. Frederick Banting
* '' T ...
, killed by republicans, 1975
*
Deaths of Henry Byrne and John Morley
Henry Byrne and John Francis Morley, John Morley, two officers of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland, were murdered on 7 July 1980 by alleged members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). The off ...
, killed by the
INLA, 1980
*
Death of Jerry McCabe
Detective Garda Jerry McCabe (22 November 1943 – 7 June 1996) was a member of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. McCabe was killed in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the Provisional IRA, during the ...
, Garda killed by the IRA, 1996
References
External links
''The Independent'' reportInis.gov.ie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Patrick
1948 births
1983 deaths
December 1983 in Europe
History of County Leitrim
Irish Army soldiers
Military personnel from County Westmeath
People from County Westmeath