Ryan John Kelly (born 6 November 1978) is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter from The Moy, County Tyrone. Trained academically in accounting at Queen’s University Belfast, he rose to fame as a member of the internationally successful musical ensemble Celtic Thunder. Since its formation in 2007, the group has toured extensively, and Kelly distinguished himself with his theatrical performances and tenor vocals. In addition to his work with Celtic Thunder, Kelly has released two solo albums ''In Time'' (2010) and ''Life'' (2013) and collaborates with fellow band member Neil Byrne on several duet projects. Known for blending Irish traditional music, acoustic rock, and musical theatre, he continues to record and tour internationally, maintaining a dedicated fanbase.

Early life and education

Born on 6 November 1978, Ryan John Kelly is from a village called The Moy,

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. He is the youngest of three children (two boys and a girl). Kelly earned two degrees from the

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

, being a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Graduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting.

Career

When he was seven, Kelly started to sing publicly. He has always had a deep passion for music and theater. Kelly is a current member of the Irish band

Celtic Thunder Celtic Thunder is an Irish singing group and stage show known for its eclectic, theatrical style show. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic set pieces ( ...

, but he maintains his early musical background a solo singer. His first solo album, released in 2010 is called ''In Time''; his second, "Life", was released in 2013. With fellow Celtic Thunder singer and band member Neil Byrne, the duo have released three albums - ''Acoustically Irish'', in 2013, and ''Byrne and Kelly: Live in Australia'', in 2014; and ''Echoes'' in 2016

Discography

;Solo *''In Time'' (2010) *''Life'' (2013) ;With Neil Byrne *''Acoustically Irish'' (2013) *''Byrne and Kelly: Live in Australia'' (2014) *''Echoes'' (2016) *''The Ballads Collection'' (2020)

References

External links

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Ryan Kelly FAQ
(Celtic Thunder) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Ryan 1978 births Living people People from Moy, County Tyrone Male folk singers from Northern Ireland Musicians from County Tyrone Alumni of Queen's University Belfast 21st-century male singers from Northern Ireland 21st-century folk musicians from Northern Ireland