O'Reilly explained

O'Reilly (Irish: '''Ó Raghallaigh''')^[1] is a common Irish surname. The O'Reillys were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin 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 form of the Irish name Reilly (Irish: Raghallach).^[2] 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

See main article: Irish personal naming system.

width=20%	Male	width=20%	Daughter	width=20%	Wife (Long)	width=20%	Wife (Short)
Ó Raghallaigh^[3]	Ní Raghallaigh	Bean Uí Raghallaigh	Uí Raghallaigh

Overview

Usually anglicised as Reilly, O'Reilly or Riley, the original form of the name, Ó Raghallaigh, denotes "descendant of Raghallach".

The Ó Raghallaigh family were part of the Connachta, with the eponymous Raghallach said to have died at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. The family became the kings of East Breifne, modern-day County Cavan and County Longford.

The name is common and widespread throughout Ireland, ranked 11th most common in 1890^[4] and in 1997.^[5]

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.^[6] 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).

People

O'Reilly

People with the surname O'Reilly include:^[7] ^[8]

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 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, 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 (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
Emily O'Reilly, Irish journalist
Emma O'Reilly, Irish physiotherapist and cycling soigneur who worked for Lance Armstrong
Eugenia O'Reilly-Regueiro, Mexican mathematician
Finbarr O'Reilly, Canadian photographer
Gary O'Reilly, English footballer
Genevieve O'Reilly, 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 (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
Joe O'Reilly, 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 (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 (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
Sam O'Reilly (born 2006), Canadian ice hockey player
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
Tim O'Reilly (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 (1936–2024), Irish businessman
Valli O'Reilly, 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 (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 (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

See main article: Riley (surname).

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 on their 2014 album Urge for Offal
Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, in the M*A*S*H media franchise

Other uses

O'Reilly Auto Parts, an American chain of automotive supply stores
O'Reilly Media (formerly O'Reilly & Associates), an American media company
Baba O'Riley, a song by The Who

External links

Notes and References

Web site: Raghallach — Database of Irish-language Surnames . 2022-12-26 . Gaois.
Web site: Ó Raghailligh - Irish Names and Surnames . 2022-12-26 . www.libraryireland.com.
News: Ó Raghallaigh . Sloinne. 5 December 2015.
Matheson, Robert E. (1894), Special report on surnames in Ireland, with notes as to numerical strength, derivation, ethnology, and distribution; based on information extracted from the indexes of the General register office. Appendix to the Twenty-Ninth Detailed Annual Report of the Registrar-General of Marriages, Births, and Deaths in Ireland, Dublin: For Her Majesty's Stationery Office by Alexander Thom & Co. (Limited), p. 9 (accessible online)
Murphy, Sean J. (2014), A Survey of Irish Surnames 1992–97. In: Studies in Irish Genealogy and Heraldry, Windgates, County Wicklow, pp. 14–29 (first published 2008, last revision 2014), here p. 27 (accessible online)
[Stefan Michael Newerkla|Newerkla, Stefan Michael]
[Stefan Michael Newerkla|Newerkla, Stefan Michael]
Web site: O'Reilly coat of arms, family crest and O'Reilly family history . irishsurnames.com . 1 January 2008.