James Kelly was the eldest of ten children, born in 1929 into a staunchly Irish republican family from Bailieboro, County Cavan.

His father, also named James Kelly, had stood for Sinn Féin in local Elections in 1918, topping the poll.

It emerged later that Neil Blaney had ordered him to do so, but before the weapons arrived the Garda Special Branch had heard of the plan and informed the Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, aborting the importation and resulting in criminal charges for the plotters.

A typical version of the events is found in a 1993 hostile biography of Charles Haughey, claiming: "As early as October 1969, to the certain knowledge of Charles Haughey, James Gibbons, the Department of Justice, the Special Branch and Army Intelligence, there were meetings with leading members of the IRA, when they were promised money and arms.

Following the Arms Trial, Kelly joint-founded Aontacht Éireann, a political party directly born out of the scandal.

Present on the platform party at the launch of the document were, Fianna Fáil Councillor Macarten McCormack, Mr Ernest Cowan, Chairman of Kentstown Fianna Fáil who had served with Captain Kelly on the Fianna Fáil National Executive, Robert C Linnon, National President, Irish American Unity Conference, Kate Lavery, representing John J Finucane, National President, American Irish Political Education Committee and Father Des Wilson of Belfast.