Joachim Kelly (born 2 December 1955) is an Irish hurling manager, former hurling player and a former

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

of the

Offaly senior hurling team The Offaly county hurling team represents Offaly in hurling and is governed by Offaly GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team plays in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, part of the top tier of the All-Ireland S ...

. Kelly played for club side

Lusmagh Lusmagh () is a civil parish in County Offaly, Ireland, bounded by three rivers: the Shannon, Lusmagh and Little Brosna to the west, east and south respectively. The town of Banagher is northeast across the River Lusmagh. Lusmagh was considere ...

and was a member of the

for 19 seasons, during which time he usually lined out at midfield. Kelly began his

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

career at club level with

. He broke onto the club's top adult team as a 15-year-old in 1971 and enjoyed his first success in 1973 when his club won the Offaly Junior Championship. Kelly later won an Offaly Senior Championship medal in 1989 when

won their title. He ended his club career with the

junior B in 2003. At inter-county level, Kelly began his career at minor level in

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

before progressing onto the Offaly under-21 team. He joined the Offaly senior team in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

. From his debut, Kelly lined out in a variety of positions, including midfield, half-forward, corner-forward and centre-back, and made a record 171

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

and Championship appearances in a career that ended with his last game in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

. During that time he was part of two All-Ireland Championship-winning teams – in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

. Kelly also secured seven Leinster Championship medals and a

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

medal. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 15 September 1993. Kelly won his first

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, before claiming a further

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. At inter-provincial level, Kelly was selected to play in several championship campaigns with

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

, with his sole

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medal being won in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. As a manager, selector, coach and trainer, Kelly has previously worked with club sides:

, Loughmore–Castleiney, Kilcormac–Killoughey,

Portumna Portumna (- meaning 'the landing place of the oak') is a market town in the south-east of County Galway, Ireland, on the border with and linked by a Portumna bridge, bridge to County Tipperary. The town is located to the west of the point where ...

Shinrone Shinrone () is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is in the southernmost part of the county, situated very close to the border with County Tipperary. It lies at the junction of the R491 regional road between Nenagh and Roscrea with the R4 ...

and

Coolderry Coolderry () is a small roadside village in southern County Offaly, Ireland. It is located 8 kilometres north of Roscrea and 11 kilometres south of Birr. The village lies close to the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Places of note include Gloster Hou ...

, and inter-county teams

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 ...

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

and

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

Playing career

Lusmagh

Kelly joined the Lusmagh club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. He was still eligible for the minor grade when he joined the club's top adult team during the 1971 Offaly Junior Championship. On 26 November 1973, Kelly was at wing-forward when

faced Ballinamere in the final of the Offaly Junior Championship. He top-scored with 3–01 in the 6–03 to 3–05 victory. On 10 October 1982, lined out at centre-forward when Lusmagh faced St. Rynagh's in their very first Offaly Senior Championship final. He scored a point from play but ended on the losing side following a 2–09 to 0–11 defeat. When

qualified for their next final on 22 October 1989, Kelly was switched from the forwards to midfield as well as being

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. He remained scoreless throughout the game but collected a winners' medal following a 1–11 to 1–10 defeat of Seir Kieran. On 1 November 1992, Kelly lined out in a third and final Offaly Senior Championship final. He scored 0-02 but ended on the losing side following a 0–10 to 0–09 defeat by St. Rynagh's.

Offaly

Senior

Kelly joined the Offaly senior team prior to the start of the 1974-75 National League. He made his first appearance for the team when he lined out at left wing-forward in a 5–03 to 3–08 defeat of Antrim on 13 October 1974. Kelly made his first appearance in the Leinster Championship on 22 June when he was selected at right corner-forward for the 6–06 to 4–12 draw with

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

. On 13 July 1980, Kelly lined out at midfield when Offaly faced

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

in what was only their second Leinster final appearance in 50 years. He scored a point from play in the 3–17 to 5–10 victory in what was Offaly's first ever provincial title. Kelly ended the season by claiming a first

award. On 12 July 1981, Kelly won a second successive Leinster Championship following Offaly's 3–12 to 2–13 defeat of

in the final. This victory gave Offaly a straight passage to the All-Ireland final against reigning champions

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

on 6 September. Kelly lined out at midfield and collected an

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

winners' medal following the 2–12 to 0–15 victory. Kelly lined out in his by now customary position of midfield when

Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...

qualified for a third successive Leinster final on 25 July 1982.

suffered their first provincial defeat in three seasons following a 1–11 to 0–12 defeat by

. On 10 July 1983, Kelly lined out at midfield in a fourth successive Leinster final. He scored a point from play in the 1–17 to 0–13 defeat by reigning champions

reached a sixth successive Leinster final on 8 July 1984, with Kelly once again lining out at midfield. He collected a third winners' medal following the 1–15 to 2–11 defeat of

. Offaly subsequently qualified for an All-Ireland final-meeting with

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

Semple Stadium FBD Semple Stadium is the home of hurling and Gaelic football for Tipperary GAA and for the province of Munster. Located in Thurles, County Tipperary, it is the second largest GAA stadium in Ireland (after Croke Park), with a capacity of 45,690 ...

on 2 September. Kelly was held scoreless from midfield in the 3–16 to 1–12 defeat. He ended the season with a second

award. On 21 July 1985, Kelly lined out at midfield in his sixth successive Leinster final. He claimed a fourth winners' medal following the 5–15 to 0–17 defeat of

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

. Kelly retained his position at midfield for the All-Ireland final against Galway on 1 September 1985. He remained scoreless throughout the game but collected a second

medal following a 2–11 to 1–12 victory. Offaly qualified for an eighth successive Leinster final on 13 July 1986. Kelly was again at midfield, however, he ended up on the losing side following a 4–10 to 1–11 defeat by

. For the ninth successive season,

qualified for the Leinster final on 2 August 1987 with Kelly lining out at midfield.

ended that game as champions following a 2–14 to 0–17 victory. Offaly continued their dominance of the Leinster Championship by qualifying for a tenth successive

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

on 10 July 1988. Kelly claimed a fifth winners' medal overall - his first in three seasons - following a 3–12 to 1–14 defeat of

. On 9 July 1989, Kelly lined out in his 11th Leinster final. He scored a point from midfield and collected a sixth winners' medal following the 3–15 to 4–09 defeat of

. For the 12th successive season,

qualified for the Leinster final on 1 July 1990 with Kelly lining out at midfield. He scored a point from play and collected a seventh winners' medal following the 1–19 to 2–11 defeat of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. 1991 began well as

captured their first National League title, however, Offaly surrendered their provincial crown to

. Kelly played his final championship game for

against

in the Leinster semi-final of 1993.

Leinster

Kelly also lined out with

in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He won one

title following a victory over

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

in 1979.

Managerial career

Early career

Four years before his retirement from inter-county hurling Kelly had already ventured into hurling management. He broke his leg in 1990 which ruled him out of playing for some time. To stay involved in the game he took charge of the Westmeath senior hurling team. In his first year in charge

won promotion to Division 2 of the National League. In Kelly's second year in charge his team won the All-Ireland 'B' title in

Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...

. After his two-year stint with the

, Kelly joined

Éamonn Cregan Éamonn Cregan (born 21 May 1945) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer, hurler and manager. He is best remembered for his success with Limerick, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager of various club and inter-county teams in the 1980s an ...

backroom team in 1995. He remained a selector for just over a year, having tendered his resignation after the Leinster final defeat to

in July 1996. At club level Kelly had a two-year spell as manager of Loughmore–Castleiney in Tipperary. In 1997 he devoted his time to the management of Kilcormac–Killoughey. In 1999, he managed the Wexford senior hurling team for one season, ending in a heavy championship defeat to

. In 2008, Joachim was announced as manager of the Offaly Junior Camogie Team which is their main team. In his first year they reached the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Final. They lost to Clare after a late late goal by Shonagh Enright. However, just one year later, in 2009, they did in fact capture the All-Ireland Camogie title. In December 2013, he was announced as trainer of the Roscommon senior county team for 2014, working with manager Justin Campbell, a former

hurler.

Coolderry

Kelly took over as manager of the

senior hurling team prior to the start of the 2018 Offaly Senior Championship. On 7 October, he guided the club to their 31st Offaly Senior Championship following a 2–17 to 0–17 defeat of Kilcormac/Killoughey in the final.

Offaly

Kelly was appointed interim manager of the

on 20 May 2019, following Kevin Martin's removal from the position. Michael Fennelly succeeded him as manager.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Joachim 1955 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners All Stars Awards winners (hurling) Camogie managers Garda Síochána officers Hurling managers Hurling player–managers Hurling selectors Leinster inter-provincial hurlers Lusmagh hurlers Offaly inter-county hurlers Police officers from County Offaly Roscommon county hurling team 20th-century Irish sportsmen Westmeath county hurling team Wexford county hurling team