Galway farmer turned filmmaker bares all for raunchy calendar
After his footage of basking sharks featured on BBC's Springwatch, Galway filmmaker Jack Kelly stepped in front of the camera himself stripping off for the Irish Farmer Calendar 2027.
Raised on a sheep and cattle farm in Aughrim, near Ballinasloe, Jack Kelly still lends a hand on the family farm while working as a wildlife filmmaker.
His calendar appearance came about after a friend saw a photograph of him working shirtless in the barn in 2021 and spent the next five years persuading him to get involved.
Eventually, he agreed. It was a chance to try something completely different and have a bit of craic.
“I wanted to represent Galway and do something I never thought I’d do. I’m a big believer in pushing your boundaries and doing something every day that scares you!” he said.
More accustomed to wearing a wetsuit or camouflage ghillie suit while filming wildlife, Jack found himself wearing considerably less for the calendar shoot.
His decision to take part also came as a surprise to friends and family, who were not expecting to see him appearing in the cheeky calendar.
Jack joins Jay O'Neill from Meath, Gavin Lively from Down, Ciaran Mahoney from Kerry and Conor Sheahan from Cork in the 2027 edition.
The calendar has also been attracting attention overseas, with Cork farmer Conor Sheahan recently appearing on NBC's Today show during its visit to Kerry, bringing the Irish farming tradition to an American television audience.
While the photographs are all about having a bit of fun, Jack believes there is a positive message behind the project.
“I love that the calendar represents modern Ireland in such a fun way. It features salt-of-the-earth people who keep Ireland running.”
There is a serious cause behind the light-hearted photographs too, with this year's calendar raising funds for Movember, the charity supporting men's mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
Calendar creator Shauna Byrne, from Wicklow, hopes the initiative will also encourage men to talk more openly about their health.
“Irish men are brilliant at having the craic, but when it comes to talking about their health, that can be a different story altogether,” she said.
“If these calendars can get a few lads laughing, start a few conversations and raise some much-needed awareness for men’s health at the same time, then that’s a win in my book.”
For Jack, the experience was also a chance to step outside his comfort zone, try something completely different and have a bit of craic along the way.
The Irish Farmer Calendar 2027 is available now – and you can follow Jack on Instagram at @mr_jackelly and click the link in his bio to get your copy.