Metro

Irish coach’s big heart

When Notre Dame’s football coach, Brian Kelly, paid a visit to Breezy Point, Queens, in the days before St. Patrick’s Day, the ravages of Hurricane Sandy got his “Fightin’ Irish” up.

And now he’s fighting to get the largely Irish working-class neighborhood back on its feet.

The coach pledged money from his own Indiana-based charity, the Kelly Cares Foundation, toward the $250,000 needed to rebuild the Catholic Club, a popular community center devastated by flood and fire.

“We’re committed to assisting the Catholic Club,” Coach Kelly said after the Wednesday tour. “From our standpoint, we want to be able to get that project completed

Residents said the gift was fitting.

“There are probably more Notre Dame fans in Breezy Point than in South Bend,” said John Kelly, who is the freshman football coach of Xavier HS in Manhattan.