- Nicky Kelly
-
Nicky Kelly Wicklow Council Councillor Incumbent Assumed office
1999Constituency Arklow Personal details Political party Independent Other political
affiliationsLabour Party(2001-2011),
Irish Republican Socialist Party (1974-1978),
Official Sinn Féin (1970-1974)Nicky Kelly is an Irish politician from Arklow in County Wicklow. In the 1980s he achieved fame throughout Ireland after he had been sentenced, in 1978, to 12 years in prison for his alleged part in the Sallins train robbery. The ensuing campaign to release him became a symbol of the 1980s with 'Free Nicky Kelly' graffiti posted throughout the country. The evidence of torture committed against him and his two co-accused, Osgur Breatnach and Brian McNally, galvanized a campaign for his release. There was a dedication to him in the 1983 Planxty album, Words and Music.
The future Workers' Party TD, Justice Pat McCartan acted as his solicitor at this time, despite being on opposite sides in the Official Sinn Féin/IRSP split.[1]
In 1984 Kelly was eventually released on "humanitarian grounds". He received a presidential pardon in 1992, along with over £1 million as compensation following campaigns by Amnesty and the ICCL.
He was born Edward Noel Kelly from Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny, he joined Official Sinn Féin leaving it to join the new Irish Republican Socialist Party in 1974. [2]
Kelly was elected to Arklow Town Council in 1991 and for Wicklow County Council in 1999.[3] in 2001 he joined the Labour party.[4]
In 2008 he was elected mayor of Arklow.[5]
He stood unsuccessfully as a Labour party candidate for the Wicklow constituency in the 2002 general election where he was beaten to the final seat by Mildred Fox by 19 votes, and in the 2007 general election, where his first preference vote declined from 12% in 2002 to 6%. [6]In early 2011, he left the Labour Party over a dispute about candidate selection at the party's convention.[7] Despite rumours that he was intending on joining Sinn Féin or the United Left Alliance he stood at the 2011 general election as an Independent candidate in the Wicklow constituency. He was not elected polling only 0.7% of the poll.
References
- ^ Adjournment Debate. - Nicky Kelly Case Tuesday, 22 October 1991
- ^ "Round Up the Usual Suspects - Nicky Kelly & The Cosgrave Coalition", by Dunne, Derek & Kerrigan, Gene, Magill, Dublin, 1984.
- ^ Nicky Kelly election history www.electionsireland.org
- ^ Nicky Kelly set to join Labour 'within weeks' by Gene McKenna, Irish Independent, Thursday, May 24th 2001
- ^ Mayor Nicky Kelly Profile Labour Party website
- ^ Irishnews.com Ex-IRSP man still in talks By Valerie Robinson 02/06/01
- ^ WicklowNews.net Election 2011: Nicky Kelly enters Dail race by Stephen Dunne on Feb 8th, 2011
Categories:- Living people
- Labour Party (Ireland) politicians
- Overturned convictions
- People from Arklow
- Recipients of Irish presidential pardons
- Labour Party (Ireland) politician stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
