A fitting, final farewell to Dessie Kelly, Donegal’s ‘Mr Football’

Football figures from near and far converged in Letterkenny to say a final farewell to Donegal’s ‘Mr Football’, Dessie Kelly.

Late of Knocknamona Park in Letterkenny, he passed away on Thursday at the age of 79.

Club rivalries were set aside to pay tribute to a man who gave a lifetime of service to football in his hometown and beyond.

Flanked by clubmates from his beloved Letterkenny Rovers, who formed a guard of honour, Mr Kelly’s remains were taken to St Eunan’s Cathedral, the centrepiece of the town he loved so well.

Chief concelebrant Monsignor Kevin Gillespie told a large crowd of mourners of “a man who was deeply respected and made a huge contribution across the community”.

Fr Willie McMenamin, an FAI Junior Cup winner with Swilly Rovers in 1962, concelebrated the funeral Mass alongside Mgr Gillespie and Fr Damien Nezad, while Fr Kieran McAteer, a good friend, was unable to attend due to Mass in his own parish in Stranorlar.

His own parents died when he was a young age and he later worked for 35 years in the Posts and Telegraphs (P&T), first as a night telephonist and later as a supervisor.

A founder member of Letterkenny Rovers in 1962, he filled every role at the Leckview Park club.

His contribution not just to Rovers, but to football in Donegal, was immeasurable. Jim McConnell, a former board member of the Football Association of Ireland’s, and senior FAI official Pat Duffy attended the funeral.

Mr Kelly was the chairperson of the club until their most recent annual general meeting in May, ending a period of 24 years in the role.

As a manager, he guided Rovers to back-to-back Donegal League titles in the 1979/80 and 1980/81 seasons.

“His contribution to the Rovers was never about himself,” Mgr Gillespie said. “From a young age, he decided to be generous with himself, not so much in the cause of football, but of the young who could find fun and achievement.

“It was simple encouragement of the young if they were lagging or were thinking of dropping out.”

He served as a long-time secretary of the Donegal Junior League and Ulster Senior League, while he has also been involved in the Donegal Youth League, Donegal Schoolboys League and the Donegal Women’s League as well as the Ulster FA.

In 2022, he was presented with an honorary life membership by the Football Association of Ireland.

Previously, he was awarded the John Sherlock Services to Football award for his years of service to the game when the FAI AGM was held in Donegal in 2012.

A cartoon, drawn by Letterkenny cartoonist Jarlath Duffy, that hangs in the Kelly home at Knocknamona Park, depicted him as ‘the man of many blazers’; it was, Mr Gillespie said, “a roll call of real commitment that made a real difference in the lives of others.

“Dessie was generous to recognise many clubmen and women were rightly focussed on their own clubs and didn’t realise that there is organisation at another level to make things happen.

“Dessie had a basic instinct of helping and providing something for our young.”

He was deeply involved in the Letterkenny Reunion and took a keen interest in many aspects of life in the Cathedral Town.

Mgr Gillespie recalled a ‘deep sense and bond of friendship’ that many people had with Mr Kelly.

“He inspired incredible loyalty, but he was committed to the last himself,” Mgr Gillespie said. “He had a special ability to form deep bonds of friendship.”

Mgr Gillespie referenced the large group of local football aficionados, including Mr Kelly, who were dubbed at one point in time the ‘lunch bunch’ and who met daily in the Brewery and other eateries in the town.

He was a a member of the FAI’s senior and junior councils and served on several sub-committees at national level.

The last game he attended was the Brian McCormick Cup final last month when he had the honour of presenting the cup to Letterkenny Rovers captain Chris Malseed at The Diamond Park; a fitting backdrop in so many ways.

In the 1980s, Mr Kelly was instrumental in the purchase of and subsequent development of The Diamond Park in Ballyare – the Donegal League’s headquarters.

Following his death on Thursday afternoon, Rovers called off all club activities as a mark of respect and the Donegal Underage League suspended all club matches for the weekend.

Letterkenny Rovers said in a tribute: “Dessie led the club with distinction over a long period of time. He worked exceptionally hard to always drive the club forward and he was a great football man respected by all.

“He spent many long hours at Leckview Park, working tirelessly on maintaining pitches and improving facilities and was instrumental in the development of the new astro turf pitch.

“He was committed and loyal to the club in so many ways and overseeing the weekly lotto draw and bingo on a Thursday night in the Station House Hotel was two of his favourite jobs.

“Of course, Dessie’s association with the game extended far beyond our club. To many in the county, he was simply known as ‘Mr Football’.”