Kinsella first played hurling at juvenile and underage levels with the Bennettsbridge club, as well as with Kilkenny City Vocational School.
He enjoyed his first major success when, in 1963, he was part of the Kilkenny team that beat Cork City to win the All-Ireland Vocational Schools HC.
Kinsella won his first Leinster SHC medal on the field of play in 1969, however, he was dropped from the panel for the subsequent All-Ireland final defeat of Cork.
[4] After leaving the inter-county scene, Kinsella spent some time playing soccer with Evergreen and East End United.
Kinsella won a fourth Leinster SHC medal the following year and came on as a substitute for Jim Lynch in the 1973 All-Ireland final defeat by Limerick, in what was his last championship appearance for Kilkenny.