[1][2] He was dismissed as a Justice of the Peace in 1899 for expressing support for the Boers in the South African War.
[3] In 1900, he was elected Member of Parliament for North Mayo as candidate for the United Irish League, receiving more than twice as many votes as his opponent, industrialist William Martin Murphy, a supporter of the Healyite party.
[5] Having held his seat unopposed in 1906, he was re-elected in the local government elections in 1908 despite attacks on him by supporters of the clerical faction.
[6] In the January 1910 general election, he ran in South Mayo against the sitting MP, John O'Donnell, of the All-for-Ireland League, and lost by 441 votes.
[7] In the December election that year, O'Kelly was reported to have been considered again as a candidate but rejected because of his differences with the local clergy.