Hermann Kelly, born on December 25, 1968, is originally from the Bogside area in Derry, Northern Ireland. His family has maintained a small farm in Donegal since his youth.
He attended St Columb’s College in Derry and later studied marine biology in Edinburgh. Additionally, Kelly pursued theology as a lay student at St.
Patrick’s College, Maynooth.
Initially, Kelly worked as a secondary school teacher before transitioning to journalism. He wrote for various national newspapers, including the Irish Mail on Sunday and the Irish Examiner.
He also briefly served as acting editor and later deputy editor of The Irish Catholic. In 2007, Kelly authored a book titled "Kathy's Real Story," which disputed claims made by Kathy O'Beirne in her book about childhood abuse in a Magdalene asylum.
Kelly has held significant roles in the European Parliament, including serving as director of communications for the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group. He later worked with The European Conservatives and Reformists Group.
Kelly is a founding member and the current president of the Irish Freedom Party, a position he has held since the party's foundation in September 2018. He has also been a press officer for Nigel Farage and currently serves as an assistant to Romanian MEP Cristian Terheș.
As a candidate for the European Parliament in the 2024 elections, Kelly has outlined several pledges, including Ending mass migration, Protecting rural and coastal Ireland, Opposing zero-carbon policies, Reasserting Ireland's military neutrality. Defending parental rights in education and opposing transgender ideology, Promoting small businesses and an enterprise economy, Nurturing freedom of speech against state censorship.
Kelly criticizes current MEPs for supporting measures like the Nature Restoration Law, the Energy Performance in Building Directive, and the Carbon Tax, which he argues increase living costs. The Irish Freedom Party, under his leadership, aims to protect rural and coastal Ireland, support Irish farming and fishing, and oppose uncontrolled immigration and climate alarmism.
The party advocates for Irish sovereignty over its money, laws, and borders, and seeks to create opportunities for young people and the Irish diaspora.
Kelly contested the 2019 European Parliament election in the Dublin constituency, receiving 2,441 first preference votes and being eliminated on the fourth count. He is now contesting the Midlands–North-West constituency in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
The Irish Freedom Party, formerly known as the Irexit Freedom to Prosper Party, is a far-right, hard Eurosceptic political party in Ireland. Founded on September 8, 2018, the party advocates for Ireland's withdrawal from the European Union, aiming to restore full national sovereignty and democracy.
The party is led by Hermann Kelly, a former communications director for the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group, and chaired by architect Michael Leahy. Currently, the party does not hold any seats at local or national levels.
The Irish Freedom Party's central mission is to re-establish Ireland's independence from the European Union. The party believes that leaving the EU will allow Ireland to regain control over its laws, trade, borders, immigration, and fiscal policies.
This move is seen as essential for protecting Ireland's marine resources, human rights under Irish law, and maintaining military neutrality.
The party supports efforts towards the reunification of Ireland and advocates for the consent of Northern Irish voters to join an independent Ireland free from the control of both London and Brussels. The party views an EU exit as critical to preventing a second partition of Ireland due to EU regulations potentially creating new barriers between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The Irish Freedom Party promotes controlled immigration to ensure that it benefits the interests of Irish citizens. The party opposes the EU's free movement policies, which allow EU citizens and their families unrestricted access to Ireland.
By leaving the EU, the party believes Ireland can better plan for sustainable housing and protect Irish cultural and historical traditions.
Post-EU exit, the party envisions Ireland embracing global opportunities to fulfill its economic and democratic potential. This includes leveraging the Irish diaspora, which the party argues should be given preference in immigration policies over EU citizens and others due to their inherent connection and loyalty to Ireland.
The party acknowledges the need for significant reforms in Ireland's healthcare system, citing long waiting lists and insufficient staff as major issues. They propose improving pay for medical professionals to retain talent and expanding national health awareness and home care services to reduce hospital demand.
The Irish Freedom Party rejects carbon taxes and other climate-related charges that they believe unfairly penalize ordinary people. The party calls for more practical, education-based approaches to environmental conservation.
It also advocates for a fairer tax system that reduces the burden on middle-income earners by adjusting tax thresholds and cutting rates. The Irish Freedom Party positions itself as a nationalist, anti-EU party focused on restoring Ireland's sovereignty and enhancing the well-being of its citizens through controlled immigration, economic independence, and cultural preservation.
While it currently lacks representation in government, the party continues to promote its agenda through public engagement and participation in elections.