Nicky Kelly
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Nicky Kelly
| image =
| term_start = 1999
| term_end = 2014
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|1|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = Graiguenamanagh,
County Kilkenny, Ireland
| constituency = Arklow
| party = Independent
| otherparty = {{ubl|Official Sinn Féin (1970–1974)|Irish Republican Socialist Party (1974–1978)|Labour Party (2001–2011)}}
| office = Wicklow County Councillor
| spouse =
| website =
}}
Edward Noel Kelly (born 9 January 1951), known as Nicky Kelly, is an Irish politician from Arklow in County Wicklow. He was born in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny. A member of Official Sinn Féin, later on he left it to join the new Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) in 1974.Dunne, Derek & Kerrigan, Gene (1984), "Round Up the Usual Suspects – Nicky Kelly & The Cosgrave Coalition", Magill, Dublin.
Imprisonment and release
{{BLP sources|date=May 2022}}
In 1978, he was sentenced 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, galvanised a campaign for his release.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} There was a dedication to him in the 1983 Planxty album, Words & Music.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
Pat McCartan, who later became a TD for the Workers' Party, acted as his solicitor at this time, despite being on the opposing side in the SFWP–IRSP split.[http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/1991/10/22/00025.asp Adjournment Debate. – Nicky Kelly Case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721130341/http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/1991/10/22/00025.asp |date=21 July 2011 }}, 22 October 1991
In 1984, Kelly was released on humanitarian grounds. He received a presidential pardon in 1992, along with over IR£1 million as compensation following campaigns by Amnesty International and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
The events of Kelly's arrest and trial(s) were the subject of an edition of the RTÉ Television documentary series Scannal, broadcast on 22 September 2014.[https://presspack.rte.ie/2014/09/22/scannal-final/ "Scannal; Nicky Kelly, Press Release"], by RTÉ Press Centre, RTÉ, Dublin, 2014.
Political career
Kelly was elected to Arklow Town Council in 1991 and to Wicklow County Council in 1999.[http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=4215 Nicky Kelly election history] www.electionsireland.org In 2001 he joined the Labour Party.[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/nicky-kelly-set-to-join-labour-within-weeks-346293.html Nicky Kelly set to join Labour 'within weeks'] by Gene McKenna, Irish Independent, 24 May 2001.
In 2008, he was elected mayor of Arklow.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
He stood unsuccessfully as a Labour party candidate for the Wicklow constituency at 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%.[http://www.irishnews.com/pageacc.asp?tser1=ser&par=ben&sid=230708 Irishnews.com Ex-IRSP man still in talks]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Valerie Robinson, 2 June 2001. In early 2011, he left the Labour Party after a dispute about candidate selection at the party's convention.[http://www.wicklownews.net/index.php/2011/02/election-2011-nicky-kelly-enters-dail-race/ WicklowNews.net Election 2011: Nicky Kelly enters Dail race] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212142442/http://www.wicklownews.net/index.php/2011/02/election-2011-nicky-kelly-enters-dail-race |date=2011-02-12 }}, Stephen Dunne, 8 February 2011. Despite rumours that he intended to join 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, receiving only 0.7% of the first-preference vote.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
He lost his seat at the 2014 local elections.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}