Brendan O'Reilly (14 May 1929 – 1 April 2001) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
Selected Olympic high jumper, broadcaster, journalist, actor, singer and songwriter (best known for the 'Ballad of Michael Collins' and the Olympic song, 'Let the Nations Play'.
He is best known as presenter of the long-running ''
Sports Stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
''.
Between 1966 and 1968, O'Reilly had the honour of commentating for
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
at the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
, as well as presenting the National Song Contest (to select Ireland's Eurovision entry) from 1966 to 1970.
He was a High Jumper, studied in America at the University of Michigan, he set the Irish High Jump record and also set the Irish Javelin record.
He also acted in the 1971 film ''
Flight of the Doves
''Flight of the Doves'' is a 1971 British Eastmancolor children's film based on the novel by Irish writer Walter Macken. The film, based and filmed in Ireland, was written by Frank Gabrielson and Ralph Nelson, with Nelson also directing.
Plot
T ...
'' playing Police Inspector Michael Roark, and also played roles in ''After Midnight'' (1990) and the television series ''Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog''
He is survived by his wife Dr Johanna Lowry O'Reilly, eldest son, musician and filmmaker Myles O'Reilly, restaurant general manager and musician Kelan (Lowry) O'Reilly, Dublin publican Rossa (Lowry) O'Reilly and Hannah Lowry O'Reilly BL.
References
External links
*
1929 births
2001 deaths
RTÉ newsreaders and journalists
RTÉ television presenters
Sportspeople from County Longford
University of Michigan alumni
Rose of Tralee hosts
Eurovision commentators
People from Granard
Broadcasters from County Longford
{{Ireland-tv-bio-stub