A camera gift changed everything for the award-winning Tipperary photographer

Although his life is largely determined by the city, John had to make a detour to Clonmel.
John was born in Singapore in 1959 to Dr John A. Kelly of Dillon Street and Rena (Purcell). His father was stationed there as a doctor with the Royal Army Medical Corp. His siblings were all born in different parts of the world depending on where Dr Kelly was stationed at the time. His brother Paul was born in Aldershot, his sister Patricia in Malaysia and his sister Ursula in Edinburgh.

John and his siblings are fortunate to have snapshots of their childhood in such exotic locations. Dr. Kelly used 8mm motion picture film to capture idyllic family scenes and documented family life with negative photographs, but John was probably too young for this to influence his later move to photography.
When Dr. Kelly was serving in Osnabrück, Germany, his parents decided to send John to Kilashee Elementary School for his education.

After serving a term in Belfast, Dr Kelly retired and returned with his family to Fethard where Dr Kelly opened a private practice. In the mid-1970s a house was built on John’s mother’s family property.
John was 16 years old when he returned to Fethard where he completed the last two years of his secondary school education.

At the age of 18, John finally arrived in Clonmel when the family moved into a flat in Anne Street.
He had no idea what direction his life would take, no career plan. John applied to join An Garda Síochána, but was rejected on health grounds.

John worked as a bartender at Donie Magniers (where Tivoli Cards is now located), at the Ormonde Lounge where he met his future wife Breda, sorting and packing wool with Willie O’Donnell and working on roof repairs with Noel Stapleton at Sealall.
“I really wasn’t making any progress. Even though I was afraid of heights, I worked on roofs for two years. It was around that time that Breda gave me a camera and that changed everything for me,” said John.