Kiely made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he joined the Limerick minor hurling team. After little success in this grade he later joined the under-21 team but also enjoyed an unsuccessful tenure. Kiely was a member of the extended Limerick panel in 1994 before later winning a Munster medal as a non-playing substitute in 1996. He later captained the Limerick senior football team.
Management and coaching career
Limerick intermediate manager
After Limerick's 6-19 to 2-07 All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Tipperary in 2009, Kiely was prompted to become involved in inter-county team management with Limerick. "I rang Liam Lenihan the next day to tell him I wanted to get involved and help out at any level." Kiely was later named as the new manager of the Limerick intermediate hurling team. In his first season with the team, Limerick were beaten by eventual Munster Championship winners Cork after extra-time in the semi-final. The following year, Kiely's side lost out by two points to eventual All-Ireland champions Clare in the Munster final.
Limerick under-21 selector
In 2011, Kiely combined his role as intermediate manager with that of a selector with Leo O'Connor's Limerick under-21 team. On 3 August 2011, he was part of the management team that guided Limerick to a 4-20 to 1-27 extra-time defeat of Cork in the final of the Munster Championship.
Limerick senior selector
After John Allen's appointment as manager of the Limerick senior team in October 2012, Kiely was chosen to be part of the new management team as a selector. His first season as a selector ended with Limerick failing to secure promotion from Division 1B of the National Hurling League before exiting the championship after a quarter-final defeat by Kilkenny. Limerick once again failed to secure promotion from Division 1B in Kiely's second season as a selector. On 14 July 2013, he was a selector when Limerick defeated Cork by 0-24 to 0-15 to win the Munster Championship. The management team stepped down at the end of the season.
Limerick under-21 manager
On 18 September 2014, Kiely was appointed manager of the Limerick under-21 team in succession to Ciarán Carey. He subsequently guided the team to the Munster Championship title after a 0-22 to 0-19 win over Clare in the final. On 12 September 2015, Kiely was in charge when Limerick defeated Wexford by 0-26 to 1-07 in the All-Ireland final. He ended the season by being named Manager of the Year by the Munster Council. Kiely's second season as manager of the Limerick under-21 team ended with a 2-12 to 1-13 Munster semi-final defeat by Tipperary.
Kiely was named as the new manager of the Limerick senior team after a meeting of the County Board on 14 September 2016. In his first season in charge, Limerick reached the semi-finals of the National League, losing by 1-11 to 1-21 to eventual champions Galway. Kiely's side were later beaten by Clare in the Munster Championship, before exiting the All-Ireland Championship following a three-point defeat by Kilkenny. In his second season in charge, Kiely's side secured promotion to Division 1A of the National League after securing maximum points in their five group stage games. Limerick later narrowly missed out on a place in the Munster final, however, their third-place finish in the new Munster Championship group stage allowed Limerick to qualify for the All-Ireland Championship. Subsequent defeats of Carlow, Kilkenny and Cork secured a place in the All-Ireland final. On 19 August2018, Kiely guided Limerick to their first All-Ireland title in 45 years after a 3-16 to 2-18 defeat of Galway in the final. On 31 March 2019, Kiely guided Limerick to a first National League final appearance since 2005. A 1-24 to 0-19 defeat of Waterford secured a first league title for Limerick since 1997.
