John Boyle O'Reilly
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John Boyle O'Reilly (; 28 June 1844 – 10 August 1890) was an Irish poet, journalist, author and activist. As a youth in Ireland, he was a member of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...
, or
Fenians The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood. They were secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centurie ...
, for which he was
transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she ...
to
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. After escaping to the United States, he became a prominent spokesperson for the Irish diaspora community and culture through his editorship of the
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
newspaper '' The Pilot'', in addition to his personal writings and lecture tours. Born in Dowth, County Meath, O'Reilly moved to his aunt's residence in England as a teenager and became involved in journalism before enlisting in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
shortly thereafter. In 1863, he left the army after becoming discontented with
British rule in Ireland British colonial rule in Ireland built upon the 12th-century Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland on behalf of the English king and eventually spanned several centuries that involved British control of parts, or the entirety, of the island of Irel ...
. In 1864, after returning to Ireland, O'Reilly joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood under an assumed name and was part of the group for two years until he and many others were arrested by the British authorities in early 1866. After a trial that same year, he was sentenced to death, but this sentence was subsequently commuted to twenty years of penal servitude. In 1867, O'Reilly was involuntarily transported to
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
and moved to the town of Bunbury, where he escaped two years later. He was assisted in escaping by a Fr. Patrick McCabe from Arnaghan, Gowna, County Cavan. After the escape, O'Reilly moved to
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and embarked on a successful writing and journalism career, producing works such as ''
Moondyne ''Moondyne'' is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly. It is loosely based on the life of the Western Australian Convict era of Western Australia, convict escapee and bushranger Moondyne Joe. It is believed to be the first ever fictional novel s ...
'' (1879) and ''Songs from the Southern Seas'' (1873), writing poems such as ''The Cry of the Dreamer'' and ''The White Rose'' and ''In Bohemia''. He married Mary Murphy in 1872 and had four daughters. In his final years of life, O'Reilly suffered from various health issues before eventually dying of an overdose in 1890 at his summer home in
Hull, Massachusetts Hull is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, located on a peninsula at the southern edge of Boston Harbor. Its population was 10,072 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in P ...
. His memorial service held at Tremont Temple was a major public event. O'Reilly's literature and work with
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
have been celebrated throughout the years.


Early life

O'Reilly was born on 28 June 1844 at Dowth Castle to William David O'Reilly (1808–1871) and Eliza O'Reilly (née Boyle) (1815–1868) near
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
. His father was a
headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...
. He was the third child out of six. Ireland was at that time a part of the United Kingdom and many Irish people opposed
British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...
, and there was a strong nationalist movement in Ireland. O'Reilly's relatively wealthy family was fiercely patriotic; his mother was closely related to nationalist John Allen, who had played an important role in
Robert Emmet Robert Emmet (4 March 177820 September 1803) was an Irish Republican, orator and rebel leader. Following the suppression of the United Irish uprising in 1798, he sought to organise a renewed attempt to overthrow the British Crown and Prote ...
's rising in 1803. A year after O'Reilly's birth, the Great Famine began, an event that would shape O'Reilly's life and beliefs. Most of O'Reilly's closest family managed to survive the famine, however many of O'Reilly's classmates lost their lives because of it. The son of a schoolmaster, O'Reilly received a good early education. When he was about thirteen his older brother contracted
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and O'Reilly took his place as apprentice at a local newspaper.


England

In 1859, at the age of fifteen, O'Reilly moved to
Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...
to live with his aunt Christina and uncle James Watkinson, a sea master, after being convinced by his uncle to travel back with him to England to visit. He took up work on local newspaper the ''Preston'' ''Guardian''. In June 1861, O'Reilly enlisted in the
Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...
's 11th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers Corps, with whom he received military training. On returning to Ireland in March 1863, he enlisted in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
's
10th Royal Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the World War I, First World War and World War II, Sec ...
regiment 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 ...
. While O'Reilly was in the army, he grew disillusioned with British rule after witnessing first-hand government policies which he perceived as negatively affecting
Irish Catholics Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
. He left the army shortly thereafter.


Irish Republican Brotherhood


Irish Republican Brotherhood and arrest

In 1864, O'Reilly joined the
Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...
, then commonly known as the "
Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood. They were secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...
s", a secret society of rebels dedicated to an armed uprising against British rule. He turned his energies to recruiting more Fenians within his regiment, bringing in up to 80 new members. He presented himself to conspirators in
Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
under the false name of Kelly. He assisted in recruiting Irish young men and soldiers to the Brotherhood. In February 1866 O'Reilly along with many other Fenians were arrested and sent to Arbour Hill military prison. On 27 June 1866 (the eve of his 22nd birthday) O'Reilly's trial by court martial began; he was charged with
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
. He was found guilty and sentenced to death, but due to his age the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and later 20 years' penal servitude. From that point on he spent around 15 months in some of England's most notorious prisons such as
Millbank Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. Millbank is known as the location of major government offices, Burberry headquarters, the Mill ...
, Pentonville and
Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...
. During this time O'Reilly attempted to escape twice but was quickly recaptured and placed in solitary confinement.


Transportation and life in Australia

On 10 October 1867 O'Reilly was placed in chains and marched off to the convict ship , along with 61 other Fenian prisoners and 218 common criminals, for
transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
to the British colony of Western Australia. Midway through the voyage, O'Reilly and another prisoner John Flood, established a handwritten newspaper called '' The Wild Goose'' which contained poetry, stories and anecdotes from members of the ship's convict fraternity. Seven editions were produced, and the single copy of the original set survives and is held in the
State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...
collection. The ''Hougoumont''s passage was the last convict ship transport to Western Australia. After arriving in
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
on 9 January 1868, O'Reilly was admitted to the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison), but after a month he was transferred to Bunbury. He was assigned to a party of convicts tasked with building the Bunbury–
Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...
road. One day while clearing the bush in Bunbury to make way for a new road, O'Reilly refused to be a member of a party of a convict road gang ordered to cut down a huge tuart tree standing in the way of the new road. O'Reilly's action to save the tree soon came to the attention of the warder's wife Selina. And it wasn't too long before the word had spread throughout the district that a convict had disobeyed orders. Eventually, the tree was saved and the new road given a slight curve around the tree. O'Reilly quickly developed a good relationship with his warder Henry Woodman, and was appointed probationary convict constable. As assistant to the warder, he did record and account keeping, ordering of stores, and other minor administrative duties. He was frequently used as a messenger, which required him to travel regularly between the work camp and the district convict prison in Bunbury. The warder apparently used O'Reilly to maintain contact with his family, for the prisoner became a regular visitor to the Woodman family home, and at some point he began a romantic liaison with Woodman's daughter Jessie. This ended badly, at least for O'Reilly; he wrote poetry expressing his agony of mind, and hints at romantic causes. On 27 December 1868 O'Reilly attempted suicide by cutting the veins of his left arm. After falling into a faint from loss of blood, he was discovered by another convict, and his life was saved. According to a letter discovered in 2015, Jessie Woodman became pregnant with O'Reilly's child (this has been said to be a factor in O'Reilly's suicide attempt). Most accounts say that Woodman had the child after O'Reilly escaped and it died shortly after. Woodman's father Henry eventually found out about the relationship and married Jessie off to local 22-year-old George Pickersgill in March 1869. (O'Reilly was either still hiding from authorities or on his way to America during this time.)


Escape

While in Bunbury, O'Reilly formed a strong friendship with the local
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest, Father Patrick McCabe. Late in 1868, McCabe offered to arrange for O'Reilly to escape the colony. By February McCabe's plan was ready for execution. On 18 February 1869 O'Reilly absconded from his work party and met up with James Maguire, a local settler from the town of Dardanup. Together they rode to
Geographe Bay Geographe Bay is in the south-west of Western Australia, around southwest of Perth. The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin, after his ship, ''Géographe''. It is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Natur ...
where a rowboat was waiting for them. O'Reilly hid in the dunes, awaiting the departure from Bunbury of the American whaling ship ''Vigilant'' which Father McCabe had arranged would take him on board. The ship was sighted the next day, and the party rowed out to it, but the captain reneged on the agreement, and the ''Vigilant'' sailed off without acknowledging the people in the rowboat. O'Reilly had to return to the shore and hide again while his friends tried to make arrangements with another ship. After two weeks, they succeeded in making a deal with the captain of the American whaler . O'Reilly and his friends met the ''Gazelle'' out to sea on 2 March, and he was taken on board. With him was a
ticket of leave A ticket of leave was a document of parole issued to convicts who had shown they could now be trusted with some freedoms. Originally the ticket was issued in United Kingdom, Britain and later adapted by the United States, Canada, and Ireland. ...
convict named Martin Bowman (alias for Thomas Henderson), who had heard of the intended escape. He had blackmailed the conspirators into allowing him to join O'Reilly. While on the ''Gazelle'', O'Reilly became friends with the first mate of the ship Henry Hathaway, and they remained good friends until O'Reilly's death. Hathaway saved O'Reilly's life when, while whaling on a lifeboat near the ''Gazelle'', a wave hit the boat and O'Reilly was knocked unconscious. Hathaway saved his life by performing
cardiopulmonary resuscitation Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during Cardiac arrest, cardiac or Respiratory arrest, respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function ...
. McCabe had arranged for the ''Gazelle'' to take O'Reilly only as far as
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
, but adverse weather prevented the ship's finding safe passage through the
Sunda Strait The Sunda Strait () is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java island, Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean. Etymology The strait takes its name from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled the western portion of Ja ...
. The captain decided to sail for
Rodrigues Rodrigues ( ; Mauritian Creole, Creole: ) is a Autonomous administrative division, autonomous Outer islands of Mauritius, outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Isl ...
,
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
, at that time a British colony. As soon as the ''Gazelle'' arrived at Rodrigues, it was boarded by a magistrate and a contingent of police, who claimed to have information that the ''Gazelle'' carried an escaped convict from Western Australia, and demanded that he be given up. The crew gave up Bowman, but denied having O'Reilly on board. The ''Gazelle''s next port of call was to be
Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
, another British colony. The captain recommended that O'Reilly transfer to another ship before then. On 29 July the ''Gazelle'' met the American cargo vessel on the high seas and O'Reilly changed ships. The ''Sapphire'' arrived at
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
on 13 October and O'Reilly transferred to another American ship, the . The ''Bombay'' docked in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
on 23 November 1869 where O'Reilly was enthusiastically welcomed by Irish compatriots. Shortly after O'Reilly arrived in Philadelphia he went to New York where he was invited to deliver a lecture in the Cooper Institute which he delivered on 16 December 1869. While there he recounted details of the escape. O'Reilly quickly realised that New York did not offer any field for his ambitions and he was advised to move to Boston, which he did, arriving there on 2 January 1870.


1870–1890: Writing and journalism career


1870–1874: Early years, Fenian invasion of Canada and ''Songs From the Southern Seas''

O'Reilly settled in Charlestown, a neighbourhood in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, which had a large Irish community. He gave his first lecture in the United States on 31 January 1870 on "England's Political Prisoners". The lecture was a success and O'Reilly was invited to repeat it in Salem, Providence and other areas. A bit later that year he was given the position as a reporter with '' The Pilot.'' In June 1870 O'Reilly travelled to Canada, to cover the Fenian Invasion of Canada, where he met General John O'Neill. O'Reilly was on the front line at every event during the failed invasion including O'Neill's arrest. The coverage was O'Reilly's first major work on ''The Pilot''.


Marriage and family

On August 15, 1872, O'Reilly married Mary Murphy (1850–1897), a journalist who wrote for the ''Young Crusader'' under the name of Agnes Smiley. They had four daughters: Mary, Eliza, Agnes and Blanid. Their eldest daughter, Mary Boyle O'Reilly, was a journalist and war correspondent before and during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The third daughter, Agnes O'Reilly, went on to marry the philosopher William Ernest Hocking soon after he earned his
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he would later teach. A decade later when they returned to Cambridge, Agnes started an open-air school that developed into Shady Hill School. It continues today near Harvard Square. Their three children were Richard, Joan, and Hester.


Catalpa rescue

In 1875
John Devoy John Devoy (, ; 3 September 1842 – 29 September 1928) was an Irish republican Rebellion, rebel and journalist who owned and edited ''The Gaelic American'', a New York weekly newspaper, from 1903 to 1928. Devoy dedicated over 60 year ...
sought O'Reilly's advice on how the '' Clan na Gael'' might rescue the six military Fenians serving time in Western Australia. The first plan was to storm Fremantle Prison and rescue the Fenians by force of arms; O'Reilly rejected that. He suggested that a rescue party pick up the escapees according to a prearranged plan. He also recommended their buying a
whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...
ship for the purpose, as it could have an appearance of legitimate business in Fremantle. O'Reilly's plan was adopted, and ultimately led to the Catalpa rescue. The escape was successful and O'Reilly was given the news of the escape in June 1876.


Poetry

O'Reilly published his first book of poems, ''Songs from the Southern Seas'', in 1873. Over the next fifteen years, he published three collections of poetry, a novel, and a treatise on health and exercise. His poetry was extremely popular and he was often commissioned to write poems for important commemorative occasions. By the late twentieth century, most of his earlier work was dismissed as popular verse, but some of his later, more introspective poetry, such as his best-known poem, ''The Cry of the Dreamer'', is still highly regarded. At the dedication for the memorial to
Crispus Attucks Crispus Attucks ( – March 5, 1770) was an American whaler, sailor, and stevedore of African and Native American descent who is traditionally regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, and as a result the first American kil ...
on 14 November 1888, O'Reilly read his poem dedicated to Attucks aloud. In his later years O'Reilly became prone to illness and suffered from bouts of
insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
. He published his final poem, ''The Useless Ones'', in ''The Pilot'' on 1 February 1890.


Athletics

O'Reilly was an amateur boxer and also competed in
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
,
rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...
,
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
, and
hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
. In 1879, he helped found the Irish Athletic Club of Boston, which held annual hurling competitions. In 1888, his ''Ethics of Boxing and Manly Sport'' was published. O'Reilly advocated for the creating a social club similar to the New York Athletic Club in Boston. In January 1887, a meeting was held to discuss his proposal and O'Reilly and fifteen others were appointed to a committee to investigate the feasibility of such an organization. The committee reported favorably and the Boston Athletic Association was officially organized on March 15, 1887, with O'Reilly elected to its governing committee.


Death

On August 9, 1890, O'Reilly took an early boat to his residence in
Hull, Massachusetts Hull is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, located on a peninsula at the southern edge of Boston Harbor. Its population was 10,072 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in P ...
. He had been suffering from bouts of insomnia during this time. That evening he took a long walk with his brother-in-law John R. Murphy hoping that physical fatigue would induce the needed sleep. Later on that night he took some of his wife's sleeping medicine, which contained
chloral hydrate Chloral hydrate is a geminal diol with the formula . It was first used as a sedative and hypnotic in Germany in the 1870s. Over time it was replaced by safer and more effective alternatives but it remained in use in the United States until at ...
. On the morning of 10 August around 2 to 3 a.m. his wife woke up and found O'Reilly sitting in a chair, with one hand resting on the table near a book, and a cigar in the other. O'Reilly was found to be unconscious, His wife sent a servant for the family's physician Dr Litchfield, He spent nearly an hour trying to revive him, but O'Reilly died shortly before 5 a.m. Public announcements attributed O'Reilly's death to
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
, but the official death register claims "accidental poisoning". File:John Boyle O'Reilly Tombstone Holyhood Cemetery Brookline Massachusetts USA.jpg, John Boyle O'Reilly Tombstone Holyhood Cemetery Brookline Massachusetts USA File:John Boyle O'Reilly Tombstone Plaque Close-up Holyhood Cemetery Brookline Massachusetts USA.jpg, John Boyle O'Reilly Tombstone Plaque Close-up Holyhood Cemetery Brookline Massachusetts USA File:John Boyle O'Reilly Plaque Charlestown.jpg, The John Boyle O'Reilly Plaque is one of several honoring past prominent residents of Charlestown Massachusetts. It is located in City Square Park.


Grief and tributes

O'Reilly's sudden death received an outpouring of grief and tributes from the Boston community and also globally, ''The Pilot'' published a full biography of his life in their 16 August edition. Cardinal James Gibbons said upon hearing the news,
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
wrote,
George Frisbie Hoar George Frisbie Hoar (August 29, 1826 – September 30, 1904) was an American attorney and politician, represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1877 until his death in 1904. He belonged to an extended family that became politic ...
sent a telegram to O'Reilly's wife saying, His parish priest Reverend McMahon of St. Mary's Church, Charlestown said,
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...
wrote, Boston mayor Thomas N. Hart along with many other identities in Boston and Ireland also paid tribute.


Funeral and memorial service

His funeral on 13 August held at St Mary's Church in Charlestown was attended by thousands. The streets near the church were lined with mourners. The bearers were O'Donovan Rossa, Jeremiah O'Donovan, Michael Fitzgerald, James A. Wrenn, Capt. Lawrence O'Brien, and Denis Cashman. His wife did not attend the funeral due to grief and was "unable to leave her bed." On 2 September a public memorial service was held at Tremont Temple in Boston, attended by dozens. The speakers included Mayor Thomas Hart, Charles Levi Woodbury (son of Levi Woodbury), Rev William Byrne. Charles H. Taylor,
Benjamin Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general (United States), major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, ...
,
Thomas Wentworth Higginson Thomas Wentworth Higginson (December 22, 1823May 9, 1911), who went by the name Wentworth, was an American Unitarianism, Unitarian minister, author, Abolitionism, abolitionist, politician, and soldier. He was active in abolitionism in the United ...
, Edwin Walker and Patrick Collins. O'Reilly was originally buried at Calvary Cemetery in Roxbury, but in November 1890 his remains were exhumed and moved to Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline. His grave is near that of Patrick Collins.


Legacy and honours

In 1891, James Jeffrey Roche, O'Reilly's assistant editor of the Boston Pilot, published a biography of O'Reilly's life titled ''Life of John Boyle O'Reilly.'' O'Reilly became one of the most famous and respected journalists and writers in the United States. His civil rights activism garnered a lot of attention at the time; in 1945 '' The Crisis'' described O'Reilly thus: On 20 June 1896 (nearly a week before what would have been his 52nd birthday), a multi-figure bronze sculpture of O'Reilly was unveiled, then-
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
gave a speech at the event. O'Reilly's admirers included poets and politicians such as
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
,
James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...
,
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
, John F. Kennedy, Grover Cleveland and
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...
The John Boyle O'Reilly Club opened in 1880 in
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
. They celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2005. In the early 1900s, Boyle O'Reilly Terrace, an estate built on the north side of Drogheda, was named after him. In 1903, a memorial was erected to him at Dowth Abbey, near his birthplace, Dowth Castle. Author and historian Francis Russell included an essay about O'Reilly in his 1987 book "The Knave of Boston & Other Ambiguous Massachusetts Characters". Russell described how O'Reilly had gone from being perhaps the most famous Irishman in American in the late 1800s to a largely "forgotten poet" a century later. Around the mid-1980s, Irish researcher Liam Barry (based in Bunbury) discovered the story of O'Reilly's escape and began to research more into it and promote the story. Before his death in 2015 he published multiple books on O'Reilly and the Fenians. Around 1987 The John Boyle O'Reilly Association of Bunbury, Western Australia was founded, Barry was one of the founding members. In 2002 an interpretative display was opened for John Boyle O'Reilly, in Western Australia on the Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park, from where he escaped to the United States. In April 2011 The John Boyle O'Reilly Association was established in Netterville his ancestral home, near Drogheda, Ireland. J.B. O'Reilly's pub in West Leederville, Western Australia is named after O'Reilly. In 2019, a festival was held in Fremantle to commemorate the 150th anniversary of O'Reilly's escape titled the ''Moondyne Walk'', where a series of different readers would read out a chapter of his 1879 novel ''
Moondyne ''Moondyne'' is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly. It is loosely based on the life of the Western Australian Convict era of Western Australia, convict escapee and bushranger Moondyne Joe. It is believed to be the first ever fictional novel s ...
.'' The list of readers included former Western Australian premier Peter Dowding, epidemiologist Fiona Stanley, author and journalist Peter FitzSimons and actor Peter Rowsthorn.


Pardon request

In 1999 then-Western Australian opposition leader,
Geoff Gallop Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government at ...
, made an unsuccessful request to British Prime Minister and friend
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
to grant O'Reilly a pardon.


Works


''Songs from the Southern Seas''
(1873) – a collection of poems
''Songs, Legends and Ballads''
(1878) – a collection of poems * ''
Moondyne ''Moondyne'' is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly. It is loosely based on the life of the Western Australian Convict era of Western Australia, convict escapee and bushranger Moondyne Joe. It is believed to be the first ever fictional novel s ...
'' (1879) – a novel based on his experiences as a convict in Western Australia
''The Statues in the Block''
(1881) – a collection of poems
''In Bohemia''
(1886) – a collection of poems
''The Ethics of Boxing and Manly Sport''
(1888) – a treatise on health and physical exercise, later republished as ''Athletics and Manly Sport'' * '' Watchwords'' (1891) – released posthumously and was edited by Katherine E. Conway.
''Selected poems of John Boyle O'Reilly''
(1904)


In popular culture

*O'Reilly is said to have been U.S. President John F. Kennedy's favourite poet. *In 1913
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
-based silent film company Lincoln-Cass Film Company produced ''Moondyne'', a silent film based on O'Reilly's novel. It was released in September 1913. *The song "Van Diemen's Land" on U2's ''
Rattle and Hum ''Rattle and Hum'' is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed by ...
'' (1988) album refers to and is dedicated to O'Reilly. * The
county Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
folk singer Sean Tyrrell has set a number of O'Reilly's poems to music. A trilogy was included on his 1994 album, ''Cry of a Dreamer''. * The musician and local historian Brendan Woods wrote ''The Catalpa'', a play about the 1876 escape from Fremantle Prison. It premiered on 15 November 2006 to a sell-out audience at
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
Town Hall and ran until 25 November. The play was based on the diaries of Denis Cashman, with the poetry of John Boyle O'Reilly set to music and dance, supported by a five-part musical ensemble. *Woods released a CD entitled: ''John Boyle O'Reilly & The Fenian Escape from Fremantle Gaol'' (2006). *In 2016, the John Boyle O'Reilly Association of Bunbury made a short film based on O'Reilly's time waiting for the ''Vigilant'' to arrive titled ''In Search of the Vigilant''. It was filmed in the Leschenault Peninsula and other parts of the Bunbury area. The 30-minute short film premiered in Bunbury on March 25, 2017. *In 2017 Western Australian musician Latehorse (Shane Thomas) released a song about O'Reilly's escape titled ''A Dreamer Forever'' * O'Reilly is featured as one of the main characters in the musical drama ''Toilers of the Sea: The Life of Joshua James''. *O'Reilly's mugshot is one of eight convicts featured on wine bottle labels for the Australian wine brand ''19 Crimes''.


See also

*
List of convicts transported to Australia Penal transportation to Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and ended in 1868. Overall, approximately 165,000 convicts in Australia, convicts were transported to Australia. Convicts A * Esther Abrahams (c. 1767–1846 ...


Notes


References


General references

* * *


Further reading

* *


External links


Works of John Boyle O'Reilly in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, John Boyle 1844 births 1890 deaths 10th Royal Hussars soldiers Convicts transported to Western Australia Escapees from British detention Irish escapees Irish soldiers in the British Army Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood People from Drogheda American male poets 19th-century American poets 19th-century Irish male writers Burials at Holyhood Cemetery (Brookline) Civil rights activists Convict escapees in Australia Writers from County Meath Military personnel from County Meath American writers Boston Athletic Association