Alan Thomas Kelly (born 13 July 1975) is an Irish politician and author who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary North constituency since the 2024 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016.

Following the 2011 election, Kelly served as a minister in the Government of the 31st Dail, as part of the Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition.

[2][3] Educated at Nenagh CBS, he subsequently attended University College Cork (UCC), where he completed a BA in English and History in 1995.

In Kelly's final year of secondary school, he canvassed for the Labour Party during the 1992 general election.

He remained active in left-wing politics in university, establishing the Jim Kemmy Branch of the Labour Party in UCC.

He then became involved in a number of by-elections, local election campaigns in Cork and in the wider Munster area.

In 2001 and 2002 he was director of the Tom Johnson Summer School and was also a member of the General Election Planning Committee in the period 2001–2002.

At the 2009 European Parliament election, Kelly was for the South constituency, taking the last seat in a tight battle between him, Sinn Féin's Toireasa Ferris and the Independent Kathy Sinnott.

[10] Though he had promised he would see out his five-year term in the European Parliament, Kelly contested the 2011 general election.

He ran in the Tipperary North constituency and was successful, receiving 9,559 first preference votes (19.8%) and securing the third and final seat at the expense of Fianna Fáil's sitting TD, Máire Hoctor.

[14] On 11 July 2014, he was appointed Minister of the Environment, Community and Local Government, succeeding Phil Hogan, who had been nominated as EU Commissioner.

The cabinet had previously been told by the ERSI that the cost-benefit analysis on water metering was "robust" and based on "realistic and achievable assumptions regarding the benefits".

[25] In December 2014 it was reported that a staff member who answered a call was told "a bullet will be put in his head before the end of the day.

"[30] In 2015, the Sunday Business Post claimed that Kelly "ignored expert advice by giving €1.5 million in grants to towns in his new constituency", stating that was responsible for the active travel towns scheme, which provides funding for walking and cycling routes to get people to switch from their cars.

He gave €1 million to Clonmel and more than €500,000 to Thurles under the scheme, even though projects from other towns “got significantly higher marks” in assessments.

[31] In December 2015 Kelly became emotional as he strongly denied claims that he had leaked information about the Labour Party to the media.

[39] However, he failed to attract a nomination from his parliamentary colleagues, resulting in the unopposed appointment of Brendan Howlin as the new leader.

Kelly was adamant that Howlin "blocked" his leadership ambitions by warning colleagues that he would not stand if there was a contest.

Later, Kelly tweeted an image of seven pints of Guinness lined up, ranging from full to half empty, with the cryptic message: "The seven stages of leadership".

[45] Sarah McInerney of The Times wrote an opinion piece supporting Kelly titled "The man we love to hate should be leading Labour".

[49] In November 2017, Kelly was criticised by his Labour colleagues after he warned leader Brendan Howlin that he had less than six months to turn the party's fortunes around.

[55] At the 2020 general election, Kelly was re-elected to represent the Tipperary constituency, obtaining 13,222 first preference votes (9.6%) and securing the fourth of five seats.

Kelly was nominated in the leadership election by two of the party's six TDs, Seán Sherlock and Duncan Smith.

[63] Kelly is married to Regina O'Connor, a primary school teacher who was raised in Waterville, County Kerry.

[64] He is the author of A Political History of County Tipperary 1916–1997 and has won numerous rugby and hurling medals according to his Labour Party summary.