Kennedy first came to inter-county prominence as a member of the Tipperray under-21 team. He won a Munster title in 2004 as a member of the panel and took over as the goalkeeper in 2006. He won a second Munster title that year, however, Kilkenny defeated Tipp in the replay of the All-Ireland final. Kennedy made his senior debut for Tipperary in the 2007National Hurling League game against Antrim. He made his championship debut in the first replay against Limerick in the 2007 Munster Senior Hurling semi-final, following Brendan Cummins's surprise demotion as the first-choice goalkeeper.