A defaced O'Reilly crest adorns the coat of arms of County Cavan, their historic patrimony

O'Reilly (Irish: Ó Raghallaigh) 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.[citation needed] 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).

Naming conventions

MaleDaughterWife (Long)Wife (Short)
Ó RaghallaighNí RaghallaighBean Uí RaghallaighUí 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.[citation needed]

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).

People with the surname

O'Reilly

People with the surname O'Reilly include:

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 Brighton FC

Ní Raghallaigh

Riley

Fictional characters with the surname

See also

External links