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Manus Kelly

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Manus Kelly
NationalityRepublic of Ireland Irish
Born(1978-02-09)9 February 1978
Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland
Died23 June 2019(2019-06-23) (aged 41)
Fanad Head, County Donegal, Ireland
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship career
Co-driverDonall Barrett
Championship titles
2016, 2017, 2018Donegal International Rally

Manus "Mandy" Kelly (9 February 1978[1] – 23 June 2019) was an Irish rally driver, businessman, and Fianna Fáil politician from Glenswilly in County Donegal. He won the Donegal International Rally on three consecutive occasions, in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Elected in the 2019 local elections to serve on Donegal County Council, he died less than a month later while competing in the 2019 Donegal International Rally.

Background and personal life[edit]

A native of Glenswilly,[2] Manus Kelly was the son of Donal and Jacqueline Kelly; he had four brothers, Donal, Caolan, Teigharan and Leon, and four sisters, Breigeen, Kelda, Ciara and Shannagh.[3][4] He was educated at Glenswilly National School and St Eunan's College.[5] With his wife Bernie, he had five children, three sons and two daughters.[3]

Career[edit]

A driver in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, Kelly won the Donegal International Rally on three consecutive occasions, in 2016, 2017, and 2018.[6][7][8] He was also involved in coaching Gaelic football and led his local team Glenswilly to a Senior C Championship win in 2016.[9]

Once employed as a porter at Letterkenny University Hospital, Kelly subsequently drove the "cancer bus" that took patients from Donegal to Dublin for cancer treatment.[4] He later became a well-known local businessman, known as the proprietor of Uptown Café in Letterkenny and the founder and managing director of Tailored Facility Solutions, a Letterkenny-based company employing 60 people.[4][10] He was also known as a road safety advocate in local schools and a volunteer with Donegal Down Syndrome.[4]

In the 2019 Donegal County Council election, Kelly stood as a Fianna Fáil candidate in the Letterkenny local electoral area. Endorsed by outgoing Fianna Fáil councillor and fellow sportsman James Pat McDaid, he received 906 first-preference votes and was elected to Donegal County Council on the 9th count.[11][12][2] Following his death, his brother Donal Kelly was co-opted onto Donegal County Council to replace him. Donal Kelly subsequently ran in the 2024 Donegal County Council election.[13]

Death[edit]

In the 2019 Donegal International Rally, Kelly drove a Hyundai i20 R5. On Sunday, 23 June, during Super Stage 15 on the Fanad Head loop,[10] Kelly's car crashed through a hedge and into a field. Gardaí later confirmed that Kelly had died at the scene. His co-driver, Donall Barrett, was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital after suffering a broken shoulder. Barrett later called Kelly's death "an absolute freak", saying that the pair had been involved in many worse accidents.[14] The remaining stages of that year's Donegal International Rally were cancelled.[11] Kelly was survived by his wife, five children, his parents, and his eight siblings.[4]

Following Kelly's death, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar called him a "phenomenal motorsportsman".[15][16] Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin called his death "an immeasurable loss to us all", while Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin called him "a great ambassador for Irish motor sport".[11] Motorsport Ireland and the Donegal Motor Club also paid tribute.[11][17]

Funeral[edit]

Around 700 mourners attended Kelly's funeral at St Columba's Church, Glenswilly on 27 June.[3] The funeral cortège was led by the Subaru Impreza S12B WRC in which he had won the Donegal International Rally three times, driven by rally champion Declan Boyle, with Kelly's son Charlie in the passenger seat. Micheál Martin attended the funeral, as did Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh, while the Taoiseach was represented by his aide-de-camp. Following the funeral mass, Kelly's four brothers carried his coffin across the Donegal International Rally ramp. He was buried in Conwal Cemetery.[18][19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Big Donegal interest in Galway International Rally - could there be a belated birthday present for one Donegal driver?". Donegal Now. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b McNulty, Chris (11 March 2019). "Manus Kelly to steer into politics as FF go for three-pronged Letterkenny strategy". Archived from the original on 7 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Rally car leads cortege at Manus 'Mandy' Kelly's funeral". Irish Times. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hutton, Brian (June 2019). "Fatal rally crash 'freak accident', say organisers: Tributes paid to 'leading light' in Irish motorsport". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ According to Kelly's own account in his election literature of May 2019.
  6. ^ "Results for Donegal International Rally". 2016.
  7. ^ "Results for Donegal International Rally". 2017.
  8. ^ "Results for Donegal International Rally". 2018.
  9. ^ McNulty, Chris (24 June 2019). "Declan Bonner pays tribute to Manus Kelly on day of 'mixed emotions'". Retrieved 24 June 2019. Kelly was deeply immersed in Glenswilly GAA club and was managed[sic] them to a Senior C Championship win in 2016. Kelly was a club-mate of Donegal captain Michael Murphy... Murphy did not attend the homecomin[sic] with vice-captain Hugh McFadden carrying the Anglo-Celt Cup into Donegal Town and addressing the crowd.
  10. ^ a b Haugh, Ben (24 June 2019). "Donegal rally champion Manus Kelly killed in crash". The Times. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d McNulty, Chris (23 June 2019). "County councillor Manus Kelly killed in crash at Donegal rally". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Manus Kelly to accelerate his election bid tonight". 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Election 2024 Update: Letterkenny LEA". Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  14. ^ McNulty, Chris (21 June 2020). "The local man who became the King of his Hills - Manus Kelly, one year on". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Taoiseach pays tribute to Manus Kelly". Highland Radio. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019.
  16. ^ McKinney, Seamus (26 June 2019). "Taoiseach pays tribute to 'phenomenal motorsportsman' Manus Kelly". The Irish News. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019.
  17. ^ "Man dies in collision at Donegal International rally". RTE News. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  18. ^ "Manus Kelly touched so many people's hearts, mourners told". RTE News. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  19. ^ "'I don't think he realised how he touched people's hearts' - funeral of Manus Kelly in Donegal". Irish Independent. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
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