Hermann Kelly

Hermann Patrick Kelly (born 1968) is an Irish journalist and political candidate who wrote for the Irish Mail on Sunday and is a former editor of The Irish Catholic.[1][2] He has also written for The Sunday Times, Sunday Independent, Sunday Mirror, The Sunday Business Post and Magill magazine. In September 2018 he took part in the launch of the Irexit Freedom To Prosper Party.[3]

Hermann Kelly
President of the Irish Freedom Party
Assumed office
8 September 2018
Director of Communications for Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy
In office
August 2009 – 2019
Personal details
Born1968 (age 51–52)
Derry, Northern Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyIrish Freedom Party
EducationSt Columb's College
Alma materSt Patrick's College, Maynooth
OccupationJournalist

Early life and education

Born in 1968, he was originally from the Bogside in Derry.[4] His father was a headmaster of a school in Creggan, his mother was a nurse and he has three siblings.[4]

He studied marine biology in Edinburgh before studying theology as a lay student at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.[4]

Book

Kathy O'Beirne criticism

In 2007, Kelly wrote a book (Kathy's Real Story) disputing 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.[5] He claimed that initial doubts that he had while reading her book were confirmed by inconsistencies in different accounts she had given, and later confirmed by various witnesses and documentary evidence.[5][6] He also claimed that false allegations were being made by those appearing before the Residential Institutions Redress Board in order to receive compensation.[5]

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.[7] Kelly and O'Beirne both appeared on Ireland AM to discuss their books in November 2007, and the encounter ended in an argument.[1]

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 A Sunday Times article (26 July 2009) indicated that the publisher had withdrawn their initial offer to publish her book because of an "unresolved legal issue".[8]

European Union politics

Kelly has worked with Nigel Farage, and was director of communications for Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD).[9] The EFDD later dissolved as various MEPs left the group and constituent parties, some in disputes over political extremism.[4]

Kelly, who is from Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, supports the Republic of Ireland leaving the European Union (an 'Irexit'), and is the President of the Irish Freedom Party, a party that advocates the same position.[4][10] He contested the 2019 European Parliament election in the Dublin constituency,[11] receiving 2,441 (0.67%) first preference votes and was eliminated on the fourth count.[12]

Political views

Some outlets have linked Kelly with alt-right ideologies, pointing to a video which Kelly recorded with far-right British Loyalist and former British National Party member Jim Dowson.[13] In the video Kelly endorsed the white nationalist "grand replacement" conspiracy theory.[13][14] This followed a similar interview, in January 2019 with LifeSiteNews, in which Kelly denounced what he called the "great replacement of our children".[15]

Kelly spoke at the Free Speech Rally, outside the Dail, on 16 November 2019.[16]

References
  1. Derry author in live TV dust-up Derry Journal, 9 November 2007, retrieved 19 May 2009
  2. Ireland's leading religious weekly appoints editor Archived 16 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Press Gazette, 26 November 2004, retrieved 19 May 2009
  3. "A party is being launched today that's calling for Ireland to leave the EU". thejournal.ie. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  4. McDowell, Lindy (8 October 2018). "Hermann Kelly: I believe Ireland, both North and South, is better off outside the European Union". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  5. Feud between warring authors to hot up Archived 22 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Irish Post, 20 February 2008; retrieved 18 May 2009
  6. West, Ed (5 March 2008). "Mis lit: Is this the end for the misery memoir?". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  7. Kerrigan, Gene (11 November 2007). "Both sides in the bad books after bust-up". Independent.ie. Independent News and Media. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  8. "Times Online". Times Newspapers. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  9. EDFgroup.eu Archived 3 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Ní Aodha, Gráinne (8 September 2018). "A party is being launched today that's calling for Ireland to leave the EU". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. "Home". dublincountyreturningofficer.com. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  12. "European Election: 24 May 2019, Dublin, European Parliament". electionsireland.org. Elections Ireland. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  13. "Ireland's Alt Right: The people building an empire online". The Business Post. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  14. "How the far-right is exploiting immigration concerns in Oughterard". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 16 October 2019. 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
  15. "Abortion is 'stain' that 'should be removed' – Hermann Kelly". irexitfreedom.ie. 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"
  16. Hundreds take part in free speech rally in Dublin by Mike Irish, 16 November 2019.
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