Myles William Patrick O'Reilly (13 March 1825 in

Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , IPA: �bˠalʲəˈbʲɾʲɪɟiːnʲ is a coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland, approximately 34 km from Dublin City. The 2016 census population was 21,722 for Balbriggan and its environs. ...

, Ireland – 6 February 1880 in Dublin, Ireland) was a Catholic soldier, MP and publicist. He was the only son of William O'Reilly of Thomastown (Knock Abbey) Castle, County Louth and was educated at Ushaw College in County Durham and at London University. He entered the Middle Temple in 1848. He succeeded his father to Knock Abbey Castle in 1844 and was selected High Sheriff of Louth for 1848–49.

Career

He was commissioned a captain in the Louth Rifles in 1854, a British militia unit. When the Roman crisis arose he offered his services to Pope Pius IX against

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

who had launched the " Expedition of the Thousand". Raising and leading an Irish battalion of 900 men, known as "The Battalion of St Patrick", he fought in the 18-day war until the surrender of Spoleto in September 1860. On the losing side at the Battle of Castelfidardo, the Papal States were soon reduced to the province of Lazio around Rome."History Ireland" Sept 2010, vol 18. Some of his men joined the " Papal Zouaves" after the war. Subsequently, he was elected a Member of Parliament for the Longford division from 1862 to 1879, when he was appointed the Assistant Commissioner of Intermediate Education, and was one of the founders of the Irish Home Rule League (1873–82). In addition to his historical ''Sufferings for the Faith in Ireland'' (1868), his pen was ever active in defence of the Holy See and Catholic interests. On his death in 1880 he was buried in the family burial-ground at Philipstown, near Knock Abbey. He had married in 1859 Ida Jerningham and had 4 sons and 2 daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son William Joseph O'Reilly.

Notes

References

*191
New Catholic Dictionary
*
Major O'Reilly article (MS Word doc)
Louth County Council
Genealogy of O'Reilly family

External links

* 1825 births 1880 deaths People from Balbriggan Alumni of the University of London Members of the Middle Temple Irish soldiers in Italy Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Longford constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 High Sheriffs of County Louth People of the Italian unification Alumni of Ushaw College Irish Liberal Party MPs {{Ireland-UK-MP-stub

Career

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