Plaque for ‘stalwart’ of Dublin music scene John Kelly unveiled on Capel Street
A plaque commemorating the life of prominent Irish musician and folklorist John Kelly was unveiled by Dublin City Council (DCC) at 85 Capel Street in the north inner city.
Originally from west Clare, Mr Kelly moved to Dublin in 1945 at the age of 33, where he founded a hardware shop on Capel Street.
The shop, called The Horse Shoe, because a hub of Irish music and culture, regularly playing host to performances from Mr Kelly, along with musicians from around the country, right up until his death in 1989.
Today it is a vape shop, but the plaque will ensure that its spirit as a hub of Irish music will endure for years to come.
Sinn Féin councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha, who originally proposed the plaque for Mr Kelly, said The Horse Shoe became a “mecca for Irish traditional music in our city” in the mid-20th century.
Speaking at the unveiling of the plaque, attended by an energetic crowd of musicians, fans and family members of Mr Kelly, he said the Clare man was a “stalwart of our music”.
“Many of the years that John Kelly was here, [traditional] music wasn’t as widespread and widely heard as it is now, but it’s thanks to them, as we know, those staunch men and women who kept the music alive in fallow years,” he said.
“Our capital was then a seedbed for what was to follow, the great revival of our music that we see all around us. Our capital city is a cultural crossroads for the nation, and in John Kelly’s time, he stood tall at that crossroads,” he said.
Mr Mac Donncha was joined by his council colleagues Clodagh Ní Mhuiri, on behalf of the Lord Mayor, Donna Cooney, chair of the DCC naming and commemorations committee, and councillor Ciaran Ó Meachair.
John Kelly Junior, Mr Kelly’s son, also spoke at the event, and said his family was grateful to all who came to celebrate with them.
“My father, when he soldiered here over the years, particularly playing his fiddle in the back of the shop, little did he know this day would happen, that the city council would one day erect a plaque in his honour,” he said.
Ms Cooney said John Kelly was a “respected figure in the Dublin traditional music scene, not only for his musicianship, but also preserving a vibrant cultural space at The Horseshoe.”
“The shop was more than just a business. It was a living hall of Irish tradition, shaped by his welcoming spirit and his commitment to keeping authentic music and community alive at the heart of the city.”
She ended her speech calling on citizens to bring forward more names for the committee to consider, and especially the women of Dublin that have gone largely unrecognised in its statues and plaques so far.
DCC’s commemorative plaque scheme facilitates the formal commemoration of people, organisations and events that have made unique, significant contributions to Dublin.
Living people are not eligible for the commemoration. Nominees must have died at least 20 years earlier, or passed the centenary of their birth in order to be considered.