The decision to release a 75-year-old former member of the Brothers of Charity after serving 18 months of a 36-year sentence for sexual abuse offences has been greeted with shock, anger and disappointment.
"It is a very lenient sentence for the crimes involved," said Ms Fiona Neary, national co-ordinator of Rape Crisis Network, an umbrella body for 13 rape crisis centres. She expressed "concern and shock" at the decision.
"We would be concerned at the message this decision sends to sex offenders and to victims who may be considering reporting cases of abuse," she said.
One of Kelly's victims, Mr John Barrett, said on RTE Radio 1 yesterday he was "angry and disappointed" with the decision.
"I'm glad he did get the 36 years. But I am very disappointed at what happened today. I am very angry as well, because I think he got away very, very lightly - which is wrong," he said.
Mr Barrett is Leinster branch chairman of Right of Place, an organisation set up to help people who were abused in institutions. He said he was angered by the frequent use of age as a factor in the early release of child sex offenders.
"People forget the victims are in that age group as well. And that's the problem today. The age issue is being used constantly against us."
Ms Neary said it was "very difficult for victims of abuse to go to court and face their abuser", and this announcement would be "devastating" for them. She said the case "must highlight the need for training for judges".
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said it was inappropriate for it to comment on individual cases.
Fine Gael's spokesman on justice, Mr Alan Shatter, said he was "absolutely astonished" at the decision.
It would undermine the faith victims of child abuse had in the criminal justice system. "I think a great many people will regard what happened yesterday as scandalous and indefensible," he said.
"Perpetrators of multiple acts of sexual abuse deserve no leniency simply because substantial time has elapsed before they are brought to justice and as a consequence they are elderly when finally sentenced to terms of imprisonment," he said.