Dermot Anthony O'Reilly (1942 – 17 February 2007) was an Irish-born

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

musician, producer and songwriter.

Life

He was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and educated at Inchicore, County Dublin.''

Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador ''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'' is an encyclopedia commissioned by Joey Smallwood to capture the people, places, events and history of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Smallwood's view on the purpose of the encyclopedia was ...

'' () In March 1968, O'Reilly emigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

where he met future bandmates Fergus O'Byrne and Denis Ryan. He was one of the founding members of ''The Sons of Erin'' and helped form the band ''Sullivan's Gypsies'' in 1970. In 1971, O'Reilly, O'Byrne and Ryan moved to St. John's and began performing as ''

Ryan's Fancy Ryan’s Fancy was an Irish folk music group active from 1971–1983. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Denis Ryan, Fergus O'Byrne, and Dermot O'Reilly, all of whom were Irish immigrants to Canada. History 1967–1970: Early ...

''. ''Ryan's Fancy'' became a popular Irish group that released 12 albums and hosted a successful television program for several seasons. O'Reilly wrote and produced many Irish songs as a member of ''Ryan's Fancy'', as a solo artist and later as a member of the group ''Brishney''. O'Reilly performed regularly with Fergus O'Byrne. In 2004, ''Ryan's Fancy'' was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the East Coast Music Association. After ''Ryan's Fancy'' disbanded, O'Reilly founded Piperstock Productions, a video production and marketing company based in

Torbay Torbay is a unitary authority with a borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. It is governed by Torbay Council, based in the town of Torquay, and also includes the towns of Paignton and Brixham. The borough consists of ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. O'Reilly died of a heart attack, aged 64, in St. John's and is survived by his wife, Ann, and their three daughters.CBC obituary

Works

Some of Piperstock's video productions are: * ''The Last Run'' * ''Rigs, Jigs and Songs from the Heart'' * ''Cain's Legacy''

References

External links

Bio at ''Ryans Fancy'' websiteDermot O'Reilly - Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, v. 4, p. 178
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Dermot 1942 births 2007 deaths Irish emigrants to Canada Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Musicians from County Dublin Musicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Musicians from Toronto 20th-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian folk musicians 20th-century Canadian folk musicians

Life

Works

See also

References

External links