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 ...

's Uí Briúin 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 wit ...

(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 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.

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 Raghallach said to have died at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. The family became the kings of

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). 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 (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) (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 ed ...

(1824–1894), Irish Roman Catholic bishop * Bill O'Reilly (born 1949), American commentator and television show host of The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel * Bill O'Reilly, Australian cricketer * Bob O'Reilly, 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, 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. Her ...

, Irish singer-songwriter *

Charles O'Reilly Charles O'Reilly (died 1800) was an Irish people, Irish Catholic Church, Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Kilmore from 1798 to 1800. He was appointed the Coadjutor Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore, Kilmore and Ti ...

(died 1800), Roman Catholic Bishop of Kilmore from 1798 to 1800 *

Danny O'Reilly The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, '' Heroes or Ghosts'' ...

, lead singer of Irish band, The Coronas * David O'Reilly, several people * Dermot O'Reilly (1942–2007), Irish-born Canadian singer and songwriter in band Ryan's Fancy, working in Newfoundland and Labrador * Des O'Reilly (1954–2016), Australian rugby league player * Eugenia O'Reilly-Regueiro, Mexican mathematician * Emily O'Reilly, Irish journalist * Emma O'Reilly, Irish physiotherapist and cycling soigneur who worked for Lance Armstrong *

Finbarr O'Reilly Finbarr O'Reilly (born 1971) is a Welsh-born Irish/CanadianFinbarr O’Reilly
Reportage Atri Festival ...

, Canadian photographer * Gary O'Reilly, 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'', a ...

, Irish actress * Heather O'Reilly (born 1985), American soccer player * Hugh Reily (1630–1695), Irish M.P. and political author * James Reilly (Canadian politician) (1835–1909), Canadian businessman and politician from Alberta * James O'Reilly, American Roman Catholic priest *

Jennifer O'Reilly Jennifer O'Reilly FRSA MRIA (1943–2016) was a medieval historian of Britain and Ireland known for her work on text and image, the writings of Bede, and medieval iconography. Career Jennifer O’Reilly received her B.A. Honours degree in Hi ...

(1943–2016), medieval historian of Britain and Ireland *

Jenny Quinn O'Reilly Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of ...

(1762–1802), in baptism

Evgenia Ivanovna Vyazemskaya Evgenia, Evgeniya, Yevgenia or Yevgeniya is a feminine given name which may refer to: Evgenia or Evgeniya * Evgeniya Augustinas (born 1988), Russian racing cyclist * Evgeniya Belyakova (born 1986), Russian basketball player in the Women's National ...

, Irish-born lady and second wife of Prince

Andrey Vyazemsky Andrey, Andrej or Andrei (in Cyrillic script: Андрей, Андреј or Андрэй) is a form of Andreas/Ἀνδρέας in Slavic languages and Romanian. People with the name include: *Andrei of Polotsk ( – 1399), Lithuanian nobleman *An ...

, mother of the Russian Imperial poet Pyotr Vyazemsky * Joe O'Reilly, 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 (born 1987), ring name of Canadian professional wrestler Kyle Greenwood *

Leonora O'Reilly Leonora O’Reilly (February 16, 1870 – April 3, 1927) was an American feminist, suffragist, and trade union organizer. O'Reilly was born in New York state, raised in the Lower East Side of New York City. She was born into a working-class famil ...

, American feminist *

Luke O'Reilly (disambiguation) Luke O'Reilly may refer to: * Luke O'Reilly (alpine skier), British former alpine skier * Luke O'Reilly (Bel's Boys), Northern Irish actor and musician *Luke O'Reilly (cricketer) Luke O'Reilly (born 9 July 1977) is an English cricketer. He was a ...

, several people * Mary Margaret O'Reilly, 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 (1833–1892), U.S. Catholic bishop, born in Ireland * Peter O'Reilly (civil servant) (1827–1905), Irish-born settler and official in the Colony of British Columbia * Peter O'Reilly (hurler) (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 (c. 1640 – 1703), M.P. for Cavan Borough in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689 *

Philip Reyley Philip Reyley (recte O’Reilly) (c. 1630 – after 1689) was an M.P. for County Cavan in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689, known as the Patriot Parliament. He was known as Philip Reilly senior to distinguish him from Philip Og O'Reilly the cont ...

(recte O'Reilly) (c. 1630 – after 1689), M.P. for Cavan County in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689 *

Randall C. O'Reilly Randall Charles O'Reilly (born March 1, 1967) is a professor of psychology and computer science at the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis. His lab moved to UC Davis from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2019. E ...

(born 1967), American professor of psychology, developer of Leabra * Robert O'Reilly (born 1950), American actor *

Ruth O'Reilly Ruth O'Reilly (born 12 August 1981) is a retired women's rugby union player from Tralee, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. She played as a prop for Galwegians RFC, Connacht Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. Career O' ...

(born 1981), Irish rugby union player *

Ryan O'Reilly (ice hockey) Ryan O'Reilly (born February 7, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres. O'Reilly was dra ...

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

Stephen Egerton Stephen Egerton may refer to: * Stephen Egerton (priest) (1555?–1621?), English clergyman * Stephen Egerton (diplomat) (1932–2006), British Ambassador to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Italy *Stephen Egerton (guitarist) Stephen Patrick O'Reilly (bor ...

), American musician * Stephen O'Reilly, American actor * Stephen O'Reilly, Australian footballer * Terry O'Reilly, 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 (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 alterCresswell O'Reilly (6 June 1877 – 20 December 1954) was an Australian public servant who became Chief Commonwealth Film Censor. He "dominated and shaped Australian film censorship" and was able to "define appropriate mass entertainment" f ...

(1877–1954), Australian Commonwealth Film Censor and founding President of the National Trust of Australia

O'Riley

* Bunny Wailer (1947–2021), Jamaican reggae musician sometimes known as Bunny O'Riley * Christopher O'Riley (born 1956), American classical pianist and public radio show host *

Don O'Riley Donald Lee O'Riley (March 12, 1945 – May 2, 1997) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons. He pitched in 18 games for the Kansas City Royals during the inaugural 1969 season and nine games during the 1970 season. He wa ...

(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'' episode " The Builders" * 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'' *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, 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, 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