Philip O'Reilly
Encyclopedia
Colonel Philip O’Reilly was a Member of Parliament for County Cavan
, Ireland
in the Irish Parliament from 1639 to 1641.
in 1629. He was elected as M.P. for Cavan County in 1639.
During the Parliamentary session of 1640 he was enlisted by Rory (Roger) O'Moore
in the plot to start a rebellion against English rule in Ireland. O'Moore was a distant relation as his sister Cecilia O'Moore was married to O'Reilly's first cousin, Tirlagh O'Neill. On the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion in October 1641 he was elected chief of the O’Reillys. As a result the Irish Parliament expelled him on the 16th November 1641. On the 6th November 1641 he ordered a general gathering of his clansmen from 16 to 60 years of age, to be held at Virginia, and on the 11th of December 1641 he had possession of the whole county, except the Killeshandra
castles of Keelagh and Croghan which were defended by Sir Francis Hamilton and Sir James Craig. He raised a brigade of twelve hundred men, composed chiefly of his name and family, and served with distinction as lieutenant-general in the service of the Confederate Catholics of Ireland. The Assembly of Kilkenny appointed him Lord President of Ulster. His second cousin Myles O’Reilly was High Sheriff of Cavan
in 1641 at the outbreak of the Rebellion.
Philip O'Reilly was attainted for treason by the English government in 1642 and was further denounced by Cromwell's Act of 1652 at the end of the Rebellion. Being then obliged to leave Ireland, he retired with his brigade into Spain and thence to the Netherlands, where he served in the Spanish army for about three years and died in 1655. He was buried in the Irish monastery of St. Dominick in the city of Louvain
, Belgium
.
, the military leader of the Irish in Ulster during the Confederate Wars
of the 1640s. His children by her were 1. Aodh Ruadh, his only legitimate son, who was killed by the Cromwellians; 2. Eibhlin, who married Colla Dubh Mac Mahon, and whose son was Most Reverend Hugh MacMahon
, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh; 3. Maire, who married firstly Aodh Maguire and secondly Ruaidhri Og Maguire, the 5th Lord Enniskillen.
Phillip also had an illegitimate son, Sean O’Reilly.
Poem XXVIII in James Carney's 'Poems on the O'Reillys' is dedicated to Philip O’Reilly. John Colgan
, the eminent Donegal hagiographer, dedicated his treatise on Duns Scotus, published at Antwerp in 1655, to Philip O’Reilly.
County Cavan
County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Cavan. Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the Irish Parliament from 1639 to 1641.
Ancestry
His Gaelic name was Phillip mac Aodh mac Sean mac Aodh Conallach O’Raghallaigh and by the English he was named Philip McHugh McShane O'Rely. His father, grandfather and several other ancestors were chiefs of the O’Reilly clan and Lords of Breifne O’Reilly. His mother was Catherine MacMahon. He resided at Bellanacargy Castle in the barony of Tullygarvey, (near to present day village of Drung). Bellanacargy castle, anciently referred to as Ballynacarraig because it was built on a carraig (rock island) situated in the middle of the Annalee river, was destroyed in May 1689 by Williamite forces led by Thomas Lloyd.Career
When a young man he served for some time in the Spanish army but returned to Ireland. He was appointed Commissioner of the Peace in 1625 and High Sheriff of CavanHigh Sheriff of Cavan
The High Sheriff of Cavan was the British Crown’s judicial representative in County Cavan, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Cavan County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and...
in 1629. He was elected as M.P. for Cavan County in 1639.
During the Parliamentary session of 1640 he was enlisted by Rory (Roger) O'Moore
Rory (Roger) O'Moore
Rory O'Moore or Roger O'Moore , was an Irish noble and principal organizer of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.-Life:He belonged to an ancient Irish noble family claiming descent from the mythical Conall Cernach...
in the plot to start a rebellion against English rule in Ireland. O'Moore was a distant relation as his sister Cecilia O'Moore was married to O'Reilly's first cousin, Tirlagh O'Neill. On the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion in October 1641 he was elected chief of the O’Reillys. As a result the Irish Parliament expelled him on the 16th November 1641. On the 6th November 1641 he ordered a general gathering of his clansmen from 16 to 60 years of age, to be held at Virginia, and on the 11th of December 1641 he had possession of the whole county, except the Killeshandra
Killeshandra
Killeshandra or Killashandra is a village in County Cavan, Ireland, located 20 km northwest of Cavan town and is central to County Cavan's lakeland and geopark region, set in the unique Erne catchment environment of rivers, lakes, wetlands and woodland...
castles of Keelagh and Croghan which were defended by Sir Francis Hamilton and Sir James Craig. He raised a brigade of twelve hundred men, composed chiefly of his name and family, and served with distinction as lieutenant-general in the service of the Confederate Catholics of Ireland. The Assembly of Kilkenny appointed him Lord President of Ulster. His second cousin Myles O’Reilly was High Sheriff of Cavan
High Sheriff of Cavan
The High Sheriff of Cavan was the British Crown’s judicial representative in County Cavan, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Cavan County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and...
in 1641 at the outbreak of the Rebellion.
Philip O'Reilly was attainted for treason by the English government in 1642 and was further denounced by Cromwell's Act of 1652 at the end of the Rebellion. Being then obliged to leave Ireland, he retired with his brigade into Spain and thence to the Netherlands, where he served in the Spanish army for about three years and died in 1655. He was buried in the Irish monastery of St. Dominick in the city of Louvain
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Family
Philip O’Reilly married Rose O’Neill, the sister of Owen Roe O'NeillOwen Roe O'Neill
Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill , anglicised as Owen Roe O'Neill , was a seventeenth century soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster.- In Spanish service :...
, the military leader of the Irish in Ulster during the Confederate Wars
Irish Confederate Wars
This article is concerned with the military history of Ireland from 1641-53. For the political context of this conflict, see Confederate Ireland....
of the 1640s. His children by her were 1. Aodh Ruadh, his only legitimate son, who was killed by the Cromwellians; 2. Eibhlin, who married Colla Dubh Mac Mahon, and whose son was Most Reverend Hugh MacMahon
Hugh MacMahon
Hugh MacMahon was Bishop of Clogher 1707–1715 and Archbishop of Armagh 1715–1737.Born in 1660 in the townland of Cavany, Scotshouse, County Monaghan, Ireland, the son of Colla Dubh Mac Mahon of the Dartry branch of the clan and Eibhlin O'Reilly, the daughter of Colonel Philip O'Reilly,...
, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh; 3. Maire, who married firstly Aodh Maguire and secondly Ruaidhri Og Maguire, the 5th Lord Enniskillen.
Phillip also had an illegitimate son, Sean O’Reilly.
Poem XXVIII in James Carney's 'Poems on the O'Reillys' is dedicated to Philip O’Reilly. John Colgan
John Colgan
John Colgan was an Irish hagiographer and historian.-Life:...
, the eminent Donegal hagiographer, dedicated his treatise on Duns Scotus, published at Antwerp in 1655, to Philip O’Reilly.