DERMOT Kelly, who died recently after a life well lived, was the star of the 1955 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final – the only previous decider involving Limerick and Clare to have been staged at the Gaelic Grounds.
In what was then a 60-minute final, Kelly (aged 23) scored a record 1-12 out of Limerick’s tally of 2-16 against ‘unbackable’ favourites (2-6)
“He was always far more interested in what I was doing and what was currently happening,” recalled Stephen Lucey, the former Limerick dual player and a nephew of Kelly’s, in a recent interview with 42.ie.
“My cousins told me that he was massively proud that I played for Limerick, he just loved that.”
Famous for what he achieved as a hurler with Limerick, Clare became home to Kelly for many, many decades.
“Lahinch is where we all would hang out,” recalled Lucey of lively singing sessions at which his uncle Dermot would hold court.
“He wrote these great songs about the likes of Muhammad Ali, Padraig Harrington, Katie Taylor, about Young Munster when they won the AIL in 1993.” (Not to mention The Ballad of Joseph McHugh, the famous Liscannor publican).
Golf was a big passion of Kelly’s, Lucey recounted a story surrounding Jean van de Velde and the infamous photograph of the Frenchman knee-deep in water as he came a cropper in the 1999 British Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie, Scotland.
“Dermot wrote a poem about that,” explained Lucey, and in the Dunraven Hotel in Adare after one of JP McManus’ first golf fundraisers Dermot recited it on stage.
“And, sure didn’t he walk off into the crowd then where Jean van de Velde was sitting and present him with the poem. Dermot gave him a hug and there was this big cheer for the pair of them.”
In later years, Lucey and Kelly spent more quality time together.
“He was exactly like all the rest of us really, a massive Limerick fan,” commented Lucey.
He was a fan but also a sportsman, singer, songwriter and so much more. In his working days, Kelly was known the country over as ‘The Singing Bank Manager.’
For the record, Liam Ryan of Cappamore captained Limerick’s 1955 Munster Senior Hurling Championship winning team. The attendance was a little over 23,000.
