Luke O'Reilly (Bel's Boys)
Encyclopedia
Luke O'Reilly is a Northern Irish
actor and musician, perhaps best known for his work in the CITV
series Bel's Boys
, and as part of the band of the same name
.
, Northern Ireland
and was brought up in a working class neighbourhood. His parents, both keen tap-dancing performers in their youth, sent him at the age of three to a speech and drama academy for juniors. He played the lead role of Stanley Kowalski
in his nursery school's production of A Streetcar Named Desire
, prompting Roger Ebert
(of the Chicago Sun-Times
) to say "he [O'Reilly] is one of the great four year old Kowalskis." After getting the "A" in the Eleven plus he attended the grammar school
St. Columb's College
, alma mater
to Seamus Heaney
and Feargal Sharkey
.
. It was at this time he picked up his first guitar, beginning his foray into popular music. Other commercial opportunities presented themselves in the form of British Telecom (alongside James Nesbitt
) and as "Johnny" for Coleraine Cheddar
. He and bandmate Graham McKee first met on the set of sitcom Give My Head Peace
. In his hometown of Derry he was enjoying success as one half of musical-satirist duo The B Specials.
were so inspired by the band's "rags to riches" story that the events were dramatised for a CITV
serial, also titled Bel's Boys
. Due to filming commitments O'Reilly had to drop out of full-time education, but he still achieved three "B" grades at A level. On the back of the television success the band embarked on a headline tour of UK
primary schools, culminating in a main-stage performance at the 21st World Scout Jamboree
. This was the height of the band's success and they went their separate ways in 2007.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
actor and musician, perhaps best known for his work in the CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
series Bel's Boys
Bel's Boys (TV series)
Bel's Boys is a 2006 TV series based on the band of the same name. It consists of 26 15-minute episodes first broadcast on CITV and is repeated on the CITV channel....
, and as part of the band of the same name
Bel's Boys
Bel's Boys refers to a pop/rock band based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and also to a children's television program which the band feature in.-The band:...
.
Early life
O'Reilly was born in DerryDerry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and was brought up in a working class neighbourhood. His parents, both keen tap-dancing performers in their youth, sent him at the age of three to a speech and drama academy for juniors. He played the lead role of Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire.-In the play:Stanley lives in the working class Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans with his wife, Stella , and is employed as a factory parts salesman. He was an Army engineer in WWII, having...
in his nursery school's production of A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
, prompting Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
(of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
) to say "he [O'Reilly] is one of the great four year old Kowalskis." After getting the "A" in the Eleven plus he attended the grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
St. Columb's College
St. Columb's College
St. Columb's College is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland and, since 2008, a specialist school in Mathematics and Computing...
, alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
to Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer. He lives in Dublin. Heaney has received the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Golden Wreath of Poetry , T. S. Eliot Prize and two Whitbread prizes...
and Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones...
.
Early fame
O'Reilly, at the age of eleven, first gained national attention as the face of Bus ÉireannBus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...
. It was at this time he picked up his first guitar, beginning his foray into popular music. Other commercial opportunities presented themselves in the form of British Telecom (alongside James Nesbitt
James Nesbitt
James Nesbitt is a Northern Irish actor. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. He wanted to become a teacher like his father, so he began a degree in French at the University of Ulster...
) and as "Johnny" for Coleraine Cheddar
Coleraine cheddar
Coleraine Cheddar is a cheese made in Northern Ireland and Canada, and was distributed by Castlewood Farm Products Ltd until it ceased trading recently...
. He and bandmate Graham McKee first met on the set of sitcom Give My Head Peace
Give My Head Peace
Give My Head Peace was a satirical television comedy series on BBC Northern Ireland that pokes fun at political parties, paramilitary groups and the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland...
. In his hometown of Derry he was enjoying success as one half of musical-satirist duo The B Specials.
Bel's Boys
He and McKee soon began exchanging musical ideas. They held open auditions for a drummer and after a three month long search they found Eoin Logan. Without a record deal the band struggled to survive but their demo tape was found by Bel Barter, the daughter of a talent agent. She fell in love with their ill-contrived sound and, in a record industry first, a band were signed to a major deal by a nine year old girl. Endemol productionsEndemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
were so inspired by the band's "rags to riches" story that the events were dramatised for a CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
serial, also titled Bel's Boys
Bel's Boys (TV series)
Bel's Boys is a 2006 TV series based on the band of the same name. It consists of 26 15-minute episodes first broadcast on CITV and is repeated on the CITV channel....
. Due to filming commitments O'Reilly had to drop out of full-time education, but he still achieved three "B" grades at A level. On the back of the television success the band embarked on a headline tour of UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
primary schools, culminating in a main-stage performance at the 21st World Scout Jamboree
21st World Scout Jamboree
The 21st World Scout Jamboree was held in July and August 2007, and formed a part of the Scouting 2007 Centenary celebrations of the world Scout Movement. The event was hosted by the United Kingdom, as 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Scouting on Brownsea Island.The event was...
. This was the height of the band's success and they went their separate ways in 2007.