Sean Kelly

Seán Kelly lives in Co. Down Northern Ireland. He is a member of The Kelly Family Folk Group Rostrevor and has been singing and playing music for almost 50 years. He started writing songs in 1999 and has released his first album 'Slainte' on October 22nd 2011 in his home town of Rostrevor Co Down with 13 original songs all written by him. 

The first song he wrote is entitled Beggarman which tells the story of a Beggarman whom he kept passing at a bridge in Dublin when he and his wife were there for a weekend break just before Christmas 1999. When he came back home he felt the urge to write down his feelings and this turned in to his first song. 

Influences: 

Seáns mother’s love of Irish music, Irish Folklore and being a poet of three books has influenced him greatly. When he was growing up from a very early age he can remember music would be played and songs sung every single day in the Kelly house . His brothers and sisters are all musical, it was just something they all took for granted. As he would say himself, it was just a great place to grow up. 

The idea behind the song Sláinte all came about  when a very good friend had just left her family home in Ireland to go back to America where she now lives, after her departure as Seán gazed across at her family home the word Sláinte came in to his head and a song developed telling  the story of an Irish man who emigrated to the United States and had just come home on holiday to  Ireland to visit his friends and family. He also wrote the song AN IRISH VOICE on the back of this which tells you that  no matter where you go in this world you will hear an Irish voice, it relates to all those who left Ireland to go abroad in search of work when times were tough. 

The song TAKE ME HOME which tells the story of a man who when he was young dreamed of going abroad and working in a big city but now as a person who emigrated many years ago  he now dreams of returning to Ireland but cannot afford to. 

He also released a single in April 2012, entitled 'The Celtic Roar' a song written for the Irish soccer team participating in the European Championships in June 2012. 

Seán continues to write and hopes to release more songs this year which includes the song Back To Rostrevor. This  relates to a young man from overseas coming back to Rostrevor having been there the previous year while on holiday. He had gone to The Fiddlers Green Festival in Rostrevor where he met a beautiful young girl but unfortunately he had to return back home. He is now coming back to meet the girl he has fallen in love with.