Kevin began shearing with instruction from Bernie Nohilly, a relative of his father's, in the village of Kilskeagh, during a month's visit to Galway, Ireland, in 1975. In 1991 he spent two months shearing in the blade sheds of the South Island of New Zealand following a week's instructional course at which he received blade shearer certification from the New Zealand Wool board.

He now annually shears more than 4000 sheep and goats, many of them in small Massachusetts flocks. He has given talks on wool to spinners and sheep breeders organizations, given public demonstrations and workshops, instructed apprentices and written articles on blade shearing.