Myles William Patrick O'Reilly
Myles William Patrick O'Reilly was a Catholic soldier and publicist. Born in Balbriggan, Ireland in 1825; died in Dublin, Ireland in 1880.
Career
He was commissioned a captain in the Louth Rifles in 1854, a British militia unit. When the Roman crisis arose he offered his services to Pope Pius IX against Giuseppe Garibaldi who had launched the "Expedition of the Thousand". Raising and leading an Irish battalion of 900 men, known as "The Battalion of St Patrick", he fought in the 18-day war until the surrender of Spoleto in September 1860.[1] On the losing side at the Battle of Castelfidardo, the Papal States were soon reduced to the province of Lazio around Rome.[2] Some of his men joined the "Papal Zouaves" after the war.
Subsequently he was elected a member of Parliament for Longford from 1862 to 1876, and was one of the founders of the Home Rule movement. In addition to his historical Sufferings for the Faith in Ireland (1868), his pen was ever active in defence of the Holy See and Catholic interests.
See also
Second Italian War of Independence
Notes
- ↑ http://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/the-popes-irish-battalion-1860/
- ↑ "History Ireland" Sept 2010, vol 18.
References
- 1910 New Catholic Dictionary
"Myles William Patrick O'Reilly". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.- http://web.archive.org/web/20071119093546/http://www.louthcoco.ie/downloads/archives/AAM%20HERITAGE%20WEEK%202006/Major%20O'Reilly%20Article.doc
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Myles William Patrick O'Reilly
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Luke White Fulke Greville-Nugent |
Member of Parliament for Longford 1862–1879 With: Fulke Greville-Nugent to 1869 Reginald Greville-Nugent 1869–70 George Greville-Nugent 1870–74 George Errington from 1874 |
Succeeded by Justin McCarthy George Errington |