[3] Kelly became a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army at the beginning of the 1970s and became one of the most experienced IRA men in Tyrone.

He was arrested in February 1982 based on testimony from an informant named Patrick McGurk but was released in October 1983 due to lack of evidence, after a trial that lasted fifteen minutes.

[4] In 1985, Kelly became brigade commander in East Tyrone and began developing tactics for attacking isolated Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) bases in his area.

Gerry Adams and others argued that the abstentionist rule should be dropped and the Provisional movement should become involved in constitutional politics.

[6] Patrick Kelly was killed by the Special Air Service on 8 May 1987 whilst he was participating in an attack on Loughgall police station, in which seven other IRA men: Pádraig McKearney, Declan Arthurs, Seamus Donnelly, Tony Gormley, Eugene Kelly, Jim Lynagh, and Gerard O'Callaghan also died.