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Kelly’s experience of growing up in the suburbs of south Dublin, specifically Rathmines and Ranelagh is considered a driving motivator in her stance on the heritage of Dublin architecture. With economic development occurring in huge strides in 1960’s Ireland, Kelly observed and opposed the use of Dublin’s urban cultural landscape being used for high rise office buildings by what were later dubbed “long haired intellectuals”

Kelly’s notoriety as a controversial figure in the world of architecture heritage came about in what would later be called “the battle for Hume street (1969-1970) ”. This was considered the tipping point of student’s protests of poor planning and disregard of heritage and infrastructure in 1960’s/1970’s Dublin. In the buildup to this demonstration, two Georgian houses on Kildare Place next to the National Museum had been knocked down. Frank McDonald, one of Kelly’s longtime collaborators, quoted a prominent Dublin politician at the time saying, “[those Georgian houses] stood for everything I hate”. With this outcome setting the tone for the Battle for Hume Street, everything played out differently. 

Hume Street took its form originally as a peaceful sit in to protest the demolition of Victorian and Georgian architecture buildings. After the Georgian architecture buildings were acquired by the Electricity Supply Board in 1966, there were plans for demolition. The architect for the ESB building plans, Sam Stephenson, described the protestors grievances as “bleating on about the Georgian architecture of Dublin being preserved for posterity – posterity might not want it.” The demonstration lasted for several months, upheld by visits given to members of the general public hosted by the student protestors. They were famously sent gifts, including a Christmas hamper by Charlie Haughey.

The protest took a violent turn when agents of private company K Security guards and demolition men broke into the Hume Street buildings after an occupation lasting for several months, mostly upheld by students. Gardai were reported to have stood by as the protest became violent, described as “strong armed methods of a private army employed by property speculators.” This brought on massive protest leading to intervention from the Fianna Fail Minister for Finance at the time, George Colley.