Paul Shelly was an Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 sportsperson. He played hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 with his local club Killenaule

Killenaule GAA

Killenaule GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club is located in south County Tipperary, Ireland. The club participates in hurling and Gaelic football competitions organized by Tipperary GAA.-Notable players:* Tom Ryan* Donie O'Connell* Paul Shelley...

 and with the Tipperary

Tipperary GAA

The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...

 senior inter-county team in the late 1990s.

Shelly played for Tipperary as a defender and also as a full forward later in his career. In 1997 he was named in the Hurling All Star team in the right corner back position.
He was a member of the Tipperary team the lost both the Munster Final

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....

 and All Ireland Final

1997 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final

The 1997 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final was held on the 14 September 1997 and contested between Clare and Tipperary. It was an historic occasion in the history of the championship as it was the first time that two counties from the same province were appearing in the championship decider. Both...

 to Clare

Clare GAA

The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....

 in 1997

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1997

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1997 was the 111th staging of Ireland's premier hurling competition...

.