Kelly was born on 25 December 1968[7] and is originally from the Bogside in Derry.[8] His father was a headmaster of a primary school in Creggan, his mother was a nurse who emigrated from Australia and he has three siblings.[8]
In 2007, Kelly wrote a book titled Kathy's Real Story which disputed the claims made in a book by Kathy O'Beirne (Don't Ever Tell), in which O'Beirne described childhood abuse she had reputedly suffered in a Magdalene asylum.[11] Kelly claimed that initial doubts that he had while reading her book were confirmed by inconsistencies in different accounts which O'Beirne had given, and later confirmed by various witnesses and documentary evidence.[11][12] He also claimed that false allegations were being made by those appearing before the Residential Institutions Redress Board in order to receive compensation.[11]
A review by Gene Kerrigan (who worked alongside Michael Sheridan, O'Beirne's co-author) criticised Kelly's own criticism of O'Beirne's book.[13] Kelly and O'Beirne both appeared on Ireland AM to discuss their books in November 2007, and the encounter ended in an argument.[9]
Kelly also wrote to the proposed publishers of a sequel by O'Beirne, sending them a copy of Kathy's Real Story and asking them not to publish. A Sunday Times article of July 2009 indicated that the publisher had withdrawn their initial offer to publish her book because of an "unresolved legal issue".[14]
Kelly was a candidate for the Irish Freedom Party in the Louth constituency at the 2024 general election.[25] He was eliminated on the fourteenth count, having polled 2,546 first-preferences (4.0%).[26]
Political views
Kelly advocates for Ireland to leave the European Union and for a united Ireland.[1] Kelly is economically liberal,[27] and has questioned the financial cost of Ireland's EU contributions.[28]
His party, the Irish Freedom Party, is anti-abortion, pro-natalist and "supportive of stable families for procreation".[29] Kelly has described his views as representing "Irish Catholic nationalism".[30]
Some outlets have linked Kelly with alt-right ideologies, pointing to a YouTube interview in which Kelly appeared alongside far-right British Loyalist and former British National Party member Jim Dowson.[31] In the video Kelly stated that "[they want to] kill Irish kids and [..] replace them with every nationality who wants to come into our country",[32] a statement which several news outlets associated with the white nationalist "great replacement" conspiracy theory.[31][33] This followed a similar interview, in January 2019 with LifeSiteNews, in which Kelly denounced what he called the "great replacement of our children".[34] In a 2019 Twitter post, Kelly stated that "those talking about a Great Replacement in Ireland have a point".[35] Later in 2019, Kelly stated that, before an Irish government could make policy changes which result in "population increases [..] immigration or otherwise, it must first consult the people of Ireland".[36] He used the phrase "abort and import" to describe Sinn Féin immigration policy.[37] In interviews and Twitter posts, Kelly has stated that he does not support the idea of separate races or racial superiority,[27][38] while also advocating for a "mono cultural society".[39][40]
^Feeney, Peter (13 October 2021). "445/2020 – Mr Hermann Kelly and TheJournal.ie". presscouncil.ie. Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. The use of the epithet "far-right" [..] seems acceptable given the range of policies promoted by the party and by the causes party members have been associated with
^"Hermann Kelly Interview". channel4.com. Channel 4. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2020. I have worked as a teacher, then became a journalist, and then became Press Officer for Nigel Farage
^de la Baume, Maïa (26 June 2019). "Brexit Party misses first deadline to form political group in European Parliament". Politico Europe. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2019. Several Parliament officials said that Farage's former "Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy" group had not been added to the official list. "Farage and 5Star doesn't have a group," said one official, referring to Italy's 5Star movement which was also part of the EFDD.
^"YouTube source". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
^"How the far-right is exploiting immigration concerns in Oughterard". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2019. "The first thing they want to do is kill Irish kids and [they] want to replace them with every nationality who wants to come into our country," Irish Freedom Party leader Hermann Kelly [..said..] in an interview this year
^"Abortion is 'stain' that 'should be removed' – Hermann Kelly". irexitfreedom.ie. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019. Party media release referring earlier interview in which Kelly states "we must control the quality and number of economic migrants [..] we don't want the brutal demise or 'great replacement' of our children"
^"The far right rises: Its growth as a political force in Ireland". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 19 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020. Hermann Kelly has advocated for a "monocultural" Irish society and been a proponent of the "great replacement", a conspiracy theory stating western governments are intentionally replacing their native populations with immigrants
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