Gerry Kelly
Encyclopedia
Gerard "Gerry" Kelly is an Irish republican
politician
and former Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) volunteer
who played a leading role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998. He is currently a member of Sinn Féin
's Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) and an MLA
for North Belfast.
in 1953 into a family of 11 siblings. He was educated at primary school level by the De La Salle
Christian Brothers
at St. Finian's Roman Catholic Primary School, located in the Falls Road area of west Belfast which was also Gerry Adams
' primary school. Kelly was educated to a secondary level at St Peter’s Secondary School in Britton’s Parade, Belfast.
Kelly became involved in physical force republicanism in 1972.
on 8 March 1973. Two of the car bombs were defused but the other two exploded, one near the Old Bailey
and the other at Scotland Yard
. As a result of the explosions one person was killed and almost 200 people were injured.
Kelly, then aged 19, and eight others, including Hugh Feeney
and sisters Marian
and Dolours Price
, were found guilty of various charges relating to the bombings on 14 November 1973. Kelly was convicted of causing explosions and conspiracy to cause explosions and received two life sentences plus twenty years.
demanding political prisoner status and to be transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland. After 205 days on hunger strike, during which he was force fed 170 times by prison officers, Kelly was transferred to Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland in April 1975.
Whilst imprisoned in the Maze, Kelly again went on protest and made a number of escape attempts in 1977, 1982 and 1983. On 25 September 1983, Kelly was involved in the Maze Prison escape
, the largest break-out of prisoners in Europe since World War II
and in British prison history. Kelly, along with 37 other republican prisoners, armed with six hand-guns, hijacked a prison meals lorry and smashed their way out of HMP Maze past 40 prison wardens and 28 alarm systems. During the escape Kelly shot and injured a prison warden in the head as the officer attempted to foil the escape.
After the mass break-out Kelly was on the run for three years and again became involved in an active service unit
in Europe. Whilst on the run Kelly claimed that he was aided in his escape by "all kinds of people," including prominent Fianna Fáil
and Fine Gael
supporters in the Republic of Ireland
.
On 16 January 1986, Kelly was recaptured in the Netherlands
along with Brendan "Bik" McFarlane
at their flat in Amsterdam
. At the time of their arrest, cash in several currencies, maps and fake passports and the keys to a storage container holding 14 rifles, 100,000 rounds of ammunition and nitrobenzene
were recovered by the Dutch Police. On 4 December 1986, the pair were extradited from the Netherlands to the UK by RAF helicopter
and returned to the Maze prison. On 2 June 1989 Kelly was released in line with the extradition
conditions agreed with the Dutch authorities.
as a communication link between the IRA and Sinn Féin. Kelly, and fellow Sinn Féin member, Martin McGuinness
both engaged in protracted secret negotiations with representatives of the British Government from 1990 until 1993. All of these meetings are documented in the Sinn Féin booklet Setting the Record Straight. Kelly also published a collection of poetry entitled Words from a Cell in March 1989.
Kelly later became a leading member of Sinn Féin and played a role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998. In promoting the peace process
he had talks with Nelson Mandela
, former South African President Thabo Mbeki
, Bill Clinton
, Tony Blair
and Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
.
On 27 June 1998 Kelly was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly
. He was Deputy Chair of the Social Development Committee in the 1998-2003 Assembly, and is currently Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Policing and Justice.
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and former Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) volunteer
Volunteer (Irish republican)
Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
who played a leading role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998. He is currently a member of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) and an MLA
Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly elected in November 2003, never met as such, since Northern Ireland's devolved government and representative institutions were suspended following the re-introduction of direct rule by the United Kingdom government on 14 October 2002....
for North Belfast.
Early life
Kelly was born in the lower Falls Road, BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in 1953 into a family of 11 siblings. He was educated at primary school level by the De La Salle
De La Salle
De La Salle is the name of several educational institutions affiliated with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the Lasallian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by French priest Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle:* Lasallian educational...
Christian Brothers
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
at St. Finian's Roman Catholic Primary School, located in the Falls Road area of west Belfast which was also Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
' primary school. Kelly was educated to a secondary level at St Peter’s Secondary School in Britton’s Parade, Belfast.
Kelly became involved in physical force republicanism in 1972.
Old Bailey attack
The IRA planted four car bombs in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 8 March 1973. Two of the car bombs were defused but the other two exploded, one near the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
and the other at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
. As a result of the explosions one person was killed and almost 200 people were injured.
Kelly, then aged 19, and eight others, including Hugh Feeney
Hugh Feeney
Hugh Feeney was a volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who, together with Dolours Price and Marian Price, organised the car bombings of the Old Bailey and Scotland Yard on March 8, 1973...
and sisters Marian
Marian Price
Marian Price , also known by her married name as Marion McGlinchey, is an Irish republican militant, one of the so-called "Price sisters", who was jailed for her part in the IRA London bombing campaign of 1973. Price was part of a unit who placed four car bombs in London on 8 March 1973...
and Dolours Price
Dolours Price
Dolours Price is a former volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army . She is also a politicial activist and critic of Gerry Adams and the current leadership of Sinn Féin.-Early life:...
, were found guilty of various charges relating to the bombings on 14 November 1973. Kelly was convicted of causing explosions and conspiracy to cause explosions and received two life sentences plus twenty years.
Imprisonment and hunger strike
Upon imprisonment in England, Kelly, and the other prisoners went on hunger strikeHunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
demanding political prisoner status and to be transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland. After 205 days on hunger strike, during which he was force fed 170 times by prison officers, Kelly was transferred to Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland in April 1975.
Whilst imprisoned in the Maze, Kelly again went on protest and made a number of escape attempts in 1977, 1982 and 1983. On 25 September 1983, Kelly was involved in the Maze Prison escape
Maze Prison escape
The Maze Prison escape took place on 25 September 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. HM Prison Maze was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe, and held prisoners convicted of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles...
, the largest break-out of prisoners in Europe since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in British prison history. Kelly, along with 37 other republican prisoners, armed with six hand-guns, hijacked a prison meals lorry and smashed their way out of HMP Maze past 40 prison wardens and 28 alarm systems. During the escape Kelly shot and injured a prison warden in the head as the officer attempted to foil the escape.
After the mass break-out Kelly was on the run for three years and again became involved in an active service unit
Active Service Unit
An active service unit was a Provisional Irish Republican Army cell of five to eight members, tasked with carrying out armed attacks. In 2002 the IRA had about 1,000 active members of which about 300 were in active service units....
in Europe. Whilst on the run Kelly claimed that he was aided in his escape by "all kinds of people," including prominent Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
and Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
supporters in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
On 16 January 1986, Kelly was recaptured in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
along with Brendan "Bik" McFarlane
Brendan McFarlane
Brendan "Bik" McFarlane is an Irish republican activist. Born into a Roman Catholic family, he was brought up in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, Northern Ireland. At 16, he left Belfast to train as a priest in a north Wales seminary...
at their flat in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. At the time of their arrest, cash in several currencies, maps and fake passports and the keys to a storage container holding 14 rifles, 100,000 rounds of ammunition and nitrobenzene
Nitrobenzene
Nitrobenzene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5NO2. It is a water-insoluble pale yellow oil with an almond-like odor. It freezes to give greenish-yellow crystals. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to aniline. Although occasionally used as a flavoring or perfume...
were recovered by the Dutch Police. On 4 December 1986, the pair were extradited from the Netherlands to the UK by RAF helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
and returned to the Maze prison. On 2 June 1989 Kelly was released in line with the extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
conditions agreed with the Dutch authorities.
Political career
Upon leaving prison Kelly became actively involved in politics and was seen by unionistsUnionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
as a communication link between the IRA and Sinn Féin. Kelly, and fellow Sinn Féin member, Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
both engaged in protracted secret negotiations with representatives of the British Government from 1990 until 1993. All of these meetings are documented in the Sinn Féin booklet Setting the Record Straight. Kelly also published a collection of poetry entitled Words from a Cell in March 1989.
Kelly later became a leading member of Sinn Féin and played a role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998. In promoting the peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
he had talks with Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, former South African President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
.
On 27 June 1998 Kelly was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
. He was Deputy Chair of the Social Development Committee in the 1998-2003 Assembly, and is currently Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Policing and Justice.
External links
- On This Day - 1973: IRA gang convicted of London bombings from BBC News
- Biography - Gerry Kelly Northern Ireland Assembly
- Gerry Kelly's "They work for you" page