O'Reilly ( ga, Ó Raghallaigh) is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

origin, who were historically the kings of

East Bréifne The Kingdom of East Breifne or Breifne O'Reilly ( sga, Muintir-Maelmordha; ga, Bréifne Uí Raghallaigh, ) was an historic kingdom of Ireland roughly corresponding to County Cavan that existed from 1256 to 1607. It took its present boundaries in ...

in what is today

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

. The clan were part of the

Connachta The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western province of Connacht (Irish ''Cúige Chonnacht'', province, literally "f ...

Uí Briúin The Uí Briúin were a royal dynasty of Connacht. Their eponymous apical ancestor was Brión, son of Eochaid Mugmedon and Mongfind, and an elder half brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages. They formed part of the Connachta, along with the U ...

Bréifne kindred and were closely related to the

Ó Ruairc O'Rourke ( ga, Ó Ruairc) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Leitrim. The family were the historic rulers of Breifne and later West Breifne until the 17th century. The O'Rourke Clan Chieftain is at odds with t ...

(O'Rourkes) of

West Bréifne The Kingdom of West Breifne (Irish ''Breifne Ua Ruairc'') or Breifne O'Rourke was a historic kingdom of Ireland that existed from 1256 to 1605, located in the area that is now County Leitrim. It took its present boundaries in 1583 when West Breifn ...

. O'Reilly is ranked tenth in the top twenty list of most common Irish surnames. It is also the

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

form of the Irish name Reilly (

Irish Gaelic Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...

: ''Uí Raghaile''). The name is commonly found throughout Ireland, with the greatest concentration of the surname found in County Cavan followed by Longford, Meath, Westmeath, Fermanagh and Monaghan, and the

Province of Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ire ...

Naming conventions

Overview

It is usually anglicised as Reilly, Riley, and O'Reilly. The original form of the name, Ó Raghallaigh, denotes "from/of Raghallach", the name Raghallach thought to be derived from the compounds ''ragh'' (meaning "race") and ''ceallach'' (meaning "sociable"). The Ó Raghallaigh family were part of the

, with the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

Raghallach said to have died at the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chluain Tarbh) took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse-Irish alliance comprising the forc ...

in 1014. The family became

the kings The Kings are a Canadian rock band formed in 1977 in Oakville, Ontario. They are best known for their 1980 song "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide", which was a hit in the United States and Canada. Recording history The Kings were formed in ...

East Breifne The Kingdom of East Breifne or Breifne O'Reilly ( sga, Muintir-Maelmordha; ga, Bréifne Uí Raghallaigh, ) was an historic kingdom of Ireland roughly corresponding to County Cavan that existed from 1256 to 1607. It took its present boundaries in 1 ...

, modern-day

and

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

. The name is common and widespread throughout Ireland, ranked 11th most common in 1890 and in 1997. A self-proclaimed and disputed O'Reilly Clan Chieftain to this day is at odds with the O'Rourke Clan Chieftain because he contests the recognised O'Rourke claim on the title Prince of Breifne. This was settled in 1994 when the Chief Herald of Ireland made the O'Rourke Chief the Prince of Breifne, but the Office of the Chief Herald stopped granting courtesy titles to Gaelic Chiefs in 2003 (see

O'Rourke O'Rourke ( ga, Ó Ruairc) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Leitrim. The family were the historic rulers of Breifne and later West Breifne until the 17th century. The O'Rourke Clan Chieftain is at odds with ...

). In 2014, with the election of the new O'Reilly Chief, the rivalry has been rekindled.

People

O'Reilly

People with the surname O'Reilly include: *

Alejandro O'Reilly Alejandro O'Reilly, 1st Count of O'Reilly, KOA (; October 24, 1723 in Baltrasna, Co. Meath, Ireland – March 23, 1794 in Bonete, Spain), English: Alexander, Count of O'Reilly, Irish: ''Alastar Ó Raghallaigh, ''was an Irish-born military reform ...

(1722–1794), second Spanish governor of colonial Louisiana * Andreas O'Reilly (1742–1832), Irish-born Austrian general * Bernard O'Reilly (1903–1975), Australian author, found the wreck of a Stinson aircraft in the McPherson Range, 1937 *

Bernard O'Reilly (bishop of Hartford) Bernard O'Reilly (1 March 1803 – after 23 January 1856) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Known for his service during the 1832 cholera outbreak in New York, he later served as Bishop of Hartford from 1850 until his death ...

(1803–1856), Irish Roman Catholic bishop *

Bernard O'Reilly (bishop of Liverpool) Bernard O’Reilly (1824–1894) was an Irish-born prelate who served as the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Liverpool from 1873 until his death in 1894. Early life and ministry Born in County Meath on 10 January 1824, Bernard O’Reilly was e ...

(1824–1894), Irish Roman Catholic bishop * Bill O'Reilly (born 1949), American commentator and television show host of

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

on the Fox News Channel * Bill O'Reilly, Australian cricketer *

Bob O'Reilly Robert Edward O'Reilly (born 16 February 1949) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative prop forward, he pl ...

, Australian rugby league footballer *

Caitriona O'Reilly Caitríona O'Reilly (born 1973) is an Irish poet and critic. Life She earned BA and PhD degrees in Archaeology and English at Trinity College, Dublin, where she was awarded a PhD on American poetry, and was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish L ...

, Irish poet and critic *

Cal O'Reilly Calahan O'Reilly (born September 30, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently under contract to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). O'Reilly's younger brother Ryan is captain of the St. Louis ...

, Canadian ice hockey player *

Cameron O'Reilly Anthony Cameron O'Reilly, generally known as Cameron O'Reilly, (born 28 April 1964) is a Dublin-born businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the son of an Irish father, media magnate Tony O'Reilly and an Australian mother, Susan Camer ...

, Irish and Australian businessman *

Cassia O'Reilly Cassia O'Reilly (known professionally as Cosha and formerly known as Bonzai) is an Irish singer-songwriter and music producer. Background O'Reilly was born in Indiana, United States, and raised in Ireland, between County Wicklow and Dublin. He ...

, Irish singer-songwriter * Charles O'Reilly (died 1800), Roman Catholic Bishop of Kilmore from 1798 to 1800 * Danny O'Reilly, lead singer of Irish band, The Coronas * David O'Reilly, several people *

Dermot O'Reilly Dermot Anthony O'Reilly (1942 – 17 February 2007) was an Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter. Life He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Inchicore, County Dublin.''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'' () ...

(1942–2007), Irish-born Canadian singer and songwriter in band Ryan's Fancy, working in Newfoundland and Labrador *

Des O'Reilly Des O'Reilly (19 November 1954 – 7 March 2016) was an Australian rugby league footballer who made 127 appearances for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters from 1975 to 1982, and then 13 appearances for Cronulla Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in ...

(1954–2016), Australian rugby league player *

Eugenia O'Reilly-Regueiro Eugenia O'Reilly-Regueiro is a Mexican mathematician specializing in algebraic combinatorics and particular in the symmetries of combinatorial designs, circulant graphs, and abstract polytopes. She is a researcher in the Institute of Mathemati ...

, Mexican mathematician *

Emily O'Reilly Emily O'Reilly is an author and former journalist and broadcaster who became Ireland's first female Ombudsman in 2003, succeeding Kevin Murphy. On 3 July 2013, she was voted European Ombudsman by the European Parliament. She was re-elected ...

, Irish journalist *

Emma O'Reilly For much of the second phase of his career, American cyclist Lance Armstrong faced constant allegations of doping, including doping at the Tour de France and in the Lance Armstrong doping case. Armstrong vehemently denied allegations of using ...

, Irish physiotherapist and cycling soigneur who worked for Lance Armstrong * Finbarr O'Reilly, Canadian photographer *

Gary O'Reilly Gary Mills O'Reilly (born 21 March 1961) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City as a central defender. Life and career O ...

, English footballer *

Genevieve O'Reilly Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish actress. She is known for her work in the ''Star Wars'' franchise as Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in ''Revenge of the Sith'', ''Rogue One'', and the Disney+ series '' Andor'', ...

, Irish actress *

Heather O'Reilly Heather Ann O'Reilly (born January 2, 1985) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Irish club Shelbourne of the Women's National League. She played for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT), w ...

(born 1985), American soccer player *

Hugh Reily Hugh Reily, also known as Hugh Reilly or Hugh O'Reilly (c.1630 – 1695) was M.P. for Cavan Borough in the Patriot Parliament of 1689 and a famous political author. His Irish name was Aodh O'Raghallaigh and his ancestors were the Lords of East ...

(1630–1695), Irish M.P. and political author *

James Reilly (Canadian politician) James Reilly (March 28, 1835 – July 9, 1909) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was the sixth Mayor of Calgary, Alberta. Early life Reilly was born in 1835 in Napierville, Quebec to immigrant parents from Ireland. In Quebec he ...

(1835–1909), Canadian businessman and politician from Alberta * James O'Reilly, American Roman Catholic priest * Jennifer O'Reilly (1943–2016), medieval historian of Britain and Ireland * Jenny Quinn O'Reilly (1762–1802), in baptism Evgenia Ivanovna Vyazemskaya, Irish-born lady and second wife of Prince Andrey Vyazemsky, mother of the Russian Imperial poet

Pyotr Vyazemsky Prince Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky ( rus, Пëтр Андре́евич Вя́земский, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐnˈdrʲejɪvʲɪt͡ɕ ˈvʲæzʲɪmskʲɪj; 23 July 1792 – 22 November 1878) was a Russian Imperial poet, a leading personality of t ...

Joe O'Reilly Joe O'Reilly (born 1 April 1955) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann since August 2020. He has served as a Senator for the Labour Panel since April 2016, and previously from 2007 to 2011 for ...

, Irish politician *

John Reyly Colonel John Reyly (sometimes spelt John Reilly) (164617 February 1717) was elected Knight of the Shire or MP for the County Cavan, in the Patriot Parliament. Biography He was the eldest son of Maelmora (Myles) O'Reilly and Catherine O'Reilly, ...

(recte O'Reilly) (c. 1646–1717), M.P. for Cavan County in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689 * John O'Reilly (born 1940), Canadian politician from Ontario *

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2009 to 20 ...

(born 1987), ring name of Canadian professional wrestler Kyle Greenwood * Leonora O'Reilly, American feminist * Luke O'Reilly (disambiguation), several people *

Mary Margaret O'Reilly Mary Margaret O'Reilly (October 14, 1865 – December 6, 1949) was an American civil servant who served as the assistant director of the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1924 until 1938. One of the United States government's highest- ...

, Assistant Director of the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1924 to 1938 *

Matthew O'Reilly Matthew O'Reilly (1 March 1880 – 13 November 1962) was an Irish politician. A farmer, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath constituency at the June 1927 general election. He was re-electe ...

, Irish politician and farmer * O'Reilly, Lords of Bréifne (c. 1161 – 1607), Irish rulers *

Patrick Thomas O'Reilly Patrick Thomas O'Reilly (December 24, 1833 – May 28, 1892) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1870 to 1892. Biography Early life P ...

(1833–1892), U.S. Catholic bishop, born in Ireland *

Peter O'Reilly (civil servant) Peter O'Reilly (27 March 1827 – 3 September 1905) was a prominent settler and official in the Colony of British Columbia, now a province of Canada who held a variety of positions, most notably as the head of a commission struck to revise an ...

(1827–1905), Irish-born settler and official in the Colony of British Columbia *

Peter O'Reilly (hurler) Peter O'Reilly (29 September 1902 – 25 February 1940) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-back for the Kilkenny senior team. Born in Kilkenny, O'Reilly arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-three when he first linked ...

(1902–1940), Irish hurler *

Philip O'Reilly (Cavan County MP) Colonel Philip O'Reilly (Irish: ''Pilib MacAodh Ó Raghallaigh'') (born 1599 - died 1655) was a member of parliament for County Cavan (Parliament of Ireland constituency), County Cavan, Ireland in the Parliament of Ireland, Irish Parliament from ...

(c. 1600–1655), M.P. for County Cavan *

Philip Og O'Reilly Philip Og O'Reilly (–1703) was an MP for Cavan in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689. Early life His name in Gaelic was Pilib Óg O'Raghallaigh. He was probably called Pilib Óg (Young Philip) to distinguish him from Philip Reyley who repres ...

(c. 1640 – 1703), M.P. for Cavan Borough in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689 * Philip Reyley (recte O'Reilly) (c. 1630 – after 1689), M.P. for Cavan County in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689 * Randall C. O'Reilly (born 1967), American professor of psychology, developer of

Leabra Leabra stands for local, error-driven and associative, biologically realistic algorithm. It is a model of learning which is a balance between Hebbian and error-driven learning with other network-derived characteristics. This model is used to mathem ...

Robert O'Reilly Robert O'Reilly (born March 25, 1950) is an American film, stage, and television actor who has appeared in a variety of roles. He appeared in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for over ten years, primarily in his recurring role on '' Star Trek: The Nex ...

(born 1950), American actor * Ruth O'Reilly (born 1981), Irish rugby union player * Ryan O'Reilly (ice hockey) (born 1991), Canadian ice hockey player *

Ryan O'Reilly (wrestler) Ryan Parmeter (born February 6, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, currently appearing for Impact Wrestling as a member of the Violent By Design under the ring name Kon. He is best known for his work in WWE, where he wrestled under the ...

(born 1980), American professional wrestler *

Samuel O'Reilly Samuel F. O’Reilly (May 1854 - 29 April 1909) was an American tattoo artist from New York, who patented the first electric tattoo machine on December 8, 1891. Biography O’Reilly was born in Waterbury, New Haven County, Connecticut to Iri ...

(1854–1909), American tattoo artist and inventor * Stephen O'Reilly (born 1964) (better known as Stephen Egerton), American musician * Stephen O'Reilly, American actor * Stephen O'Reilly, Australian footballer *

Terry O'Reilly Terence Joseph James O'Reilly (born June 7, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger, who played for the NHL's Boston Bruins, and one of the most effective enforcers in NHL history. O'Reilly was born in Niagara Falls, Ontar ...

, Canadian hockey player * Tom O'Reilly (1915–1995), Irish Fianna Fáil politician *

Tim O'Reilly Tim O'Reilly (born 6 June 1954) is the founder of O'Reilly Media (formerly O'Reilly & Associates). He popularised the terms open source and Web 2.0. Education and early life Born in County Cork, Ireland, Tim O'Reilly moved to San Francisco, C ...

(born 1954), Irish-American founder of O'Reilly Media * Tom O'Reilly (1915–1995), Irish Gaelic footballer and politician * Tom O'Reilly, Irish Sinn Féin politician * Tom O'Reilly, Papua New Guinea international *

Tony O'Reilly Sir Anthony Joseph Francis O'Reilly (born 7 May 1936) is an Irish former businessman and international rugby union player. He is known for his involvement in the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from 1973 to 2009,Dublin, Ireland, ...

(born 1936), Irish businessman *

Valli O'Reilly Valli O'Reilly is a make-up artist. She won at the 77th Academy Awards for her work on the film ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' in the category of Best Makeup. She shared her win with Bill Corso. In addition to her Oscar, s ...

, American makeup artist * Walter Cresswell O'Reilly (1877–1954), Australian Commonwealth Film Censor and founding President of the National Trust of Australia

O'Riley

Bunny Wailer Neville O'Riley Livingston (10 April 1947 – 2 March 2021), known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. ...

(1947–2021), Jamaican reggae musician sometimes known as Bunny O'Riley *

Christopher O'Riley Christopher O'Riley is an American classical pianist and public radio show host. He was the host of the weekly National Public Radio program ''From the Top''. O'Riley is also known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative. Early life O ...

(born 1956), American classical pianist and public radio show host * Don O'Riley (1945–1997), American Major League Baseball pitcher *

Jon Riley John Patrick Riley (also known as John Patrick O'Riley) (Irish: ''Seán Pádraig Ó Raghallaigh'') (8 February 1817 – 10 October 1850) was an Irish soldier in the British Army who emigrated to the United States and subsequently enlisted in t ...

(1824–1879), US army deserter also known as John O'Riley *

Matt O'Riley Matthew Sean O'Riley (born 21 November 2000) is a Danish-English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Born in England, he is an under-21 international for Denmark. Club career Fulham O ...

(born 2000), English footballer at Celtic F.C.

Riley

Fictional character

* Mr. O'Reilly, portrayed by the Irish actor David Kelly in the ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Television ...

'' episode "

The Builders ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" * Aloysius Umbongo N'Danga O'Reilly, in the song "Baguette Dilemma for the Booker Prize Guy" by the band

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Man Half Biscuit are an English rock band, formed in 1984 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Cr ...

on their 2014 album ''

Urge for Offal ''Urge for Offal'' is the thirteenth album by UK Wirral-based rock band Half Man Half Biscuit, released 20 October 2014 on Probe Plus Records. The album reached #68 on the UK album chart. Nigel Blackwell of Half Man Half Biscuit has discussed ...

'' *Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, in the ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...

'' media franchise

Other uses

O'Reilly Auto Parts O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is an American auto parts retailer that provides automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories to professional service providers and do-it-yourself customers. Founded in 1957 by the O’Reil ...

, an American chain of automotive supply stores *

O'Reilly Media O'Reilly Media (formerly O'Reilly & Associates) is an American learning company established by Tim O'Reilly that publishes books, produces tech conferences, and provides an online learning platform. Its distinctive brand features a woodcut of an ...

(formerly O'Reilly & Associates), an American media company *

Baba O'Riley "Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band the Who, and the opening track to their fifth album ''Who's Next'' (1971). It was issued in Europe as a single on 23 October 1971, coupled with "My Wife". Roger Daltrey sings most of the song ...

, a song by The Who

References

External links

The O'Reilly ClanO'Reilly family pedigree
at Library Ireland
O'Reilly, Reilly, Riley. History of familyIrish Times surname entry for "Riley"The Irish O'Reilly family and their connections to Austria and Russia
by Stefan M. Newerkla {{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly Irish families Surnames of Irish origin Anglicised Irish-language surnames English-language surnames Patronymic surnames