Mr Community Games in Donegal - the late John Kelly

With Community Games celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, it is only fitting that we pay tribute to someone who was known as Mr. Community Games in the county - the late John Kelly of Falcarragh.

John was one of the founding fathers of Community Games in Donegal when it was set up on an official footing in the county in 1972.

Patsy McGonagle had entered in a number of athletes on an ad hoc basis for a number of years before the founding of Donegal Community Games.

But John Kelly, whose background was in handball and Gaelic football, along with Patsy McGonagle and Fr Con Cunningham, who was based in Fanad at the time, set up the first Donegal Community Games County board.

John Kelly was elected the county’s first chairman and thus began his 43 year association with Community Games.

The first meeting of the Donegal Community Games was in the Letterkenny Regional Technical College, now the Letterkenny IT.

Speaking to the Donegal Democrat about John Kelly’s involvement, his son Joe gives an insight into his father’s passion for Community Games.

“We had a very successful handball club and produced many All-Ireland champions; my sister Aine, who sadly passed away a few years ago was the county’s first All-Ireland Handball champion,” said Joe.

Aine Kelly was married to well known Letterkenny gardener Tommy Ronaghan.

“The attraction of Community Games for my father was that it offered such a variety of sports because at the time all you had around the area and in most parts of Donegal was football, Gaelic, soccer and handball.

“He had an interest in all sports and saw Community Games as the way to go to provide young people with a variety of sports.

“The Community Games really took off in the county and 39 areas were registered and took part in the games in the county in 1973,” said Joe.

While still Donegal chairman, John Kelly, was also elected chairman of the Ulster Council of Community Games in 1981, a position he held well into the 1990s.

During his four decades of involvement in Community Games, he also represented Donegal on the National Executive of the Community Games.

And for years right up the time of his death in January 2014 John was co-ordinator of the National Cycling finals; in the early years in Mosney and in more recent times in Athlone.

PJ Buggy from Ballyshannon, who also dedicated many years to Community Games both at local and national level, worked closely with John.

“John Kelly was an absolute gentleman,” said Buggy of his former colleague.

“John Kelly had no parallel; his only interest was in the kids and progressing the games.

“He was involved in all my time in Community Games and he was still involved years later when Donal, my son, was the Chief Executive of Community Games.

“He was Donegal chairman for years and was the Donegal team manager at numerous National finals and he was also a leading light in Ulster Community Games and was a highly respected figure in Ulster and National level.

“I always found him to be a very fair man and was really seen as Mr Community Games in Donegal. He didn’t miss a National final for years and he was always accompanied by his wife, Kathleen, who was always a great support to him.”

John stepped down as Donegal chairman in 1998 after 27 years leading the Community Games, though he remained involved in the Games right up to the time of his death.

He was succeeded in the chair by Gerry Davenport, who is now National President of Community Games.

“When I got involved in Community Games, John Kelly was Mr Community Games in Donegal,” Gerry Davenport told the Democrat.

“I remember when I was nominated for the chairman’s position, I spoke to John and I told him that I had no intention of running against him.

“He took one look at me, young fella you go for it because it is time I moved on and made way for a younger man.

“He was a big wheel in Community Games during years at local, provincial and National level and was highly respected.

“He was a big help to me when I took over from him in the chair and really guided me in the right direction in the early years.

“He did a lot of good work during his time involved. He had great vision and was instrumental in setting up a FAS scheme for training of officers in the county.

“He had his own quiet way of getting things done and he was one of those people for whom nothing was a problem.

“He was the Donegal delegate to annual general meetings at national level for years. He would have spoken on numerous motions down the years. And when John Kelly spoke people listened.”

John Kelly died suddenly at the age of 87 in early January, 2014 after a lifetime dedicated to his family and to his other passion sport, handball and the Community Games. His legacy is a rich one and lives on to this day.

John and Kathleen had 11 children made up of eight girls - Aine, Maire, Síle, Noreen, Majella, Christine, Caitríona and Olivia, and three sons Joe. Manus and Johnny, who all competed in Community Games.