Best known as the third youngest member of the eccentric, award-winning, traditional German/Irish band the Kelly Family (also known as "the Kellys"), Michael Patrick Kelly, who also goes by the name Paddy Kelly, was born in Dublin, Ireland on December, 5, 1977 to American teacher Daniel Jerome Kelly and American dancer Barbara Ann Kelly. Kelly spent his formative years busking and performing with his multi-generational family troupe throughout Europe and the United States. By the time the mid-'90s rolled around, the Kelly Family had become an international tour de force, and the multi-talented "Paddy" had become a bit of a teen idol. Overwhelmed by the media attention and overall stresses of public life, Kelly quit the family business in 2004 (after issuing his debut solo album In Exile the year prior) and spent six years in a monastery in France, where he sought to gain some personal perspective after a largely nomadic early life. In 2010 he decided to return to writing and recording music, and in 2015 he issued his second solo outing, Human, via Sony Music. Ruah, Kelly's third album, appeared in September 2016, followed quickly in June 2017 by iD. ~ James Christopher Monger
