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, an ...

origin, who were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifn ...

. 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 ...

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'Rourkes) of West Bréifne. 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 th ...

: ''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 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 for ...

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 ...

, 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 46,634 ...

. 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) (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, Australian rugby league footballer * Caitriona O'Reilly, Irish poet and critic * Cal O'Reilly, 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. He ...

, Irish singer-songwriter * Charles O'Reilly (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, Canadian photographer * Gary O'Reilly, English footballer * Genevieve O'Reilly, 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) (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 ...

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 (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, Assistant Director of the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1924 to 1938 * Matthew O'Reilly, 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) (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 (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 *

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) (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), 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 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, 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" ...

(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 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 ...

(born 1956), American classical pianist and public radio show host * Don O'Riley (1945–1997), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Jon Riley (1824–1879), US army deserter also known as John O'Riley * Matt O'Riley (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 ...

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. T ...

'' 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 ...

(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