Home is where the heart is for Kelly

When news came to Paul Kelly of Kiltimagh’s relegation to Junior in 2024, he was in the midst of preparations for a Dublin Senior 2 final in Dublin with Whitehall Colmcilles.

He was in his second year with the Northsiders who include Dublin attacker Cormac Costello in their ranks, but despite that final looming, Kiltimagh’s relegation final loss to Islandeady lit a fuse in Kelly.

He had been on the Kiltimagh teams that lost three intermediate finals in 2016, ’17 and ’20 and now they had fallen through the trap door to junior.

“When the (Kiltimagh) result went the way it did … It is a bit like the Wizard of Oz, there’s no place like home … When I went to tog for that final, I kinda knew in my heart and soul next year I was going to be togging out in the blue and white and trying to get Kiltimagh back up to intermediate,” he recalls.

He wasn’t the only prodigal son. Kevin Mulderrig and Stephen McDonnell both returned from Dublin while two former Mayo minors, Eoghan Lavin and Seán Moran, returned home from abroad.

It was a most timely infusion of experience of veterans of those intermediate campaigns with Kilti’ having lost so many of that group for different reasons.

But in the short-term it became apparent how Mick Regan and his management had an entirely new team with a handful of teenagers playing who had never lined out with the returning quintet.

They arguably had not gelled by the group stages with shock defeats to Tourmakeady and Northern Gaels left them relying on a late Tourmakeady goal against Kilmovee to send them through on two points and scoring difference.

They had three weeks to their quarter-final with Shrule/Glencorrib.

“I would say the three weeks leading up to the Shrule game was the turning point (in the season) … Had the quarter-final been a week turnaround or two weeks turnaround, who knows because we weren’t in a great place after the group but we had three weeks to really ask hard questions and the training was where we needed it to be.” They went up to ‘restore pride’ in the jersey and in themselves and came up trumps.

A semi-final win over Ardagh propelled them back to MacHale Park, against neighbours Eastern Gaels. On the day they clicked and won comfortably. After the heartbreak of the three intermediate losses, Paul Kelly had come out on top in a county final and footage of his joyous celebrations for a late two-pointer has done the rounds on social media, including Ashford College in Dundrum, where he teaches, sharing it. The relief and joy was readily apparent.

“It is very special for myself to do that, to come back with a lot of lads that were in my position, either playing in Dublin or have come home from abroad, that are around my age, that had lost those intermediate finals, to come back and help in some way to get the club back up to intermediate, it is extremely rewarding,” he said.

Kelly was rewarded for his efforts by being selected as the Mayo Football Podcast Junior Player of the Year at the Club Star awards, where he spoke afterwards about his season and what still lies ahead.

Connacht championship wins over St Croan’s of Roscommon in a penalty shoot-out and Aughavas of Leitrim in the final have Kilti’ one game from Croker. It is not an unfamiliar journey for them – and their midfield totem – in more ways than one.

Kelly lives in Drumcondra, just a 15-minute stroll from Croke Park. He took a walk down there last January to watch Crossmolina claim their All-Ireland intermediate and now he is just one game away from playing there with his native Kiltimagh.

The club were there when they last won a Mayo JFC title, reaching the All-Ireland final in 2010 only to lose, agonisingly, after extra-time to Castlegregory of Kerry.

“I was there in Croke Park, I think it was Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2010. I remember the day … To have the opportunity to win a match to give us the opportunity to tog out in the Mecca of Gaelic games would be incredible.”