A gift of a camera changed everything for award-winning Tipperary photographer

For somebody whose life is very much part of the town, John arrived in Clonmel through a circuitous route.
A son of Dr John A Kelly, from Dillon Street, and Rena (Purcell), John was born in Singapore in 1959. 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, sister Patricia was born in Malaysia, and his sister Ursula was born in Edinburgh.

John and his siblings are fortunate to have snapshots from their upbringing in such exotic locations. Dr Kelly used an 8mm cine film to take idyllic family scenes as well as using negative stills to document family life, but John was probably too young for that to influence his move into photography later in life.
When Dr Kelly was serving in Osnabruck in Germany his parents decided to send John to be educated at Kilashee primary boarding school.

After serving one tour of duty when posted to Belfast, Dr Kelly retired and he and the family came back to Fethard where Dr Kelly established a private practice .A home was built on John’s mother’s family land in the mid-seventies.
John was 16-years-old when he moved back to Fethard where he did the last two years of his secondary school education.

At 18-years-old John finally arrived in Clonmel when the family moved into accommodation on Anne Street.
He had no idea what direction his life was going to take, there was no career plan. John applied to join An Garda Síochána but failed for medical reasons.

John worked as a barman in Donie Magniers,(where Tivoli Cards is now), worked in the Ormonde lounge where he met his wife-to-be Breda, worked with Willie O’Donnell grading and packing wool, and worked on roof repair work with Noel Stapleton at Sealall.
“I was going nowhere really. Even though I was scared of heights I spent two years working on the roofs. It was around that time that Breda gave me a gift of a camera and that changed everything for me,” said John.