He was educated at the local national school and later attended St. Flannans College in Ennis, County Clare.
Here his hurling skills were fully developed and he won Harty Cup and All-Ireland colleges titles in 1944.
Kennedy capped off a memorable year with membership of the victorious Munster colleges inter-provincial team.
He moved to the firm's Goresbridge depot as manager in 1961 before transferring to the Guinness Maltings in Midleton in 1964 where he stayed for seven years.
Antrim fell heavily in the penultimate game of the championship, allowing Dublin to advance to an All-Ireland final meeting with Waterford.
Kennedy’s performances with Dublin brought him to the attention of the selectors of his own native-county who attempted to poach him back to Tipperary.
Johnnie Minehan and county secretary Phil Purcell traveled to Dublin and met Kennedy.
A short time after making his debut for Tipp Kennedy captured a National Hurling League medal.
It is estimated that up to 50,000 people packed into FitzGerald Stadium to witness the game as gates were broken down, walls were scaled and the playing field was frequently invaded.
Oranges, sods of earth and overcoats were thrown at Tipp goalkeeper Tony Reddin as he tried to do his duty.
The game failed to live up to expectations; however, Kennedy added a second All-Ireland medal to his collection following a 1-9 to 1-8 victory.
A few weeks later Kennedy was selected to play in the Oireachtas series of games, however, he declined and informed the authorities that he did not wish to be considered for inclusion any more.