The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-03-02
JOHN BOYLE 0'REILLY
Sketch of the Life ana Labors Of This
Gifted Irish-American Poet
and Patriot.
BORN IN THE COUNTY MEATH
He Who Had Periled So Much for His
Native Land En6eared by AL
Americans.

Or the countless gifted sons whom
the Emerald Isle has in past years sent
across the Atlantic to these shores,
none. it may be said, succeeded in
winning in SO brief time the honored
position that the lamented John Boyle
O'Reilly held for many years previous
tc his untimely death in the estimation
! OF the American people, writes VIM.
! d. Kelly, in the New World. And
! that position o Reilly won and main
tained, endearing himself more and
more as time went on to his adopted
country by various titles. Irish
| Americans were. Of course, proud of
the man who had periled SO much for
/ his native land. and who, after his
| thrilling escape to this land of liberty,
| allowed no opportunity to pass that
offered a chance Of defending the cause
| that is ever dear to men with Irish
! blood in their veins. American Cath
olics recognized in him ready and
capable champion, whenever such was
needed, of their faith and church, and
the entire American people loved him
for his broad and generous humanity,
| were proud OF his varied and eminent
literary gifts, and saw in him citizen
who ever held his patriotism above
! PElA L1oS111SIAAp, hliu WACSC uCFoIAOu W
the cause of Ireland served only to en-
hance and deepen his loyalty to Ameri-
can institutions and liberties.
| Dowth Castle, in the County Meath,
ireland, was the place of this gifted
! his nativity was June 2S. 1914 From
| his father, who was an excellent
scholar, the son inherited those fine
| literary abilities which he was
! destined to display in after life: and
not a little Of his ardent affection for
; his native land doubtless came to him
| from his mother, Miss Eliza Boyle, be-
! fore her marriage relative of Colonel
John Allen, whose name figures prom
! inently in the Irish annals Of '9S. In
his 10Th year, the young Irishman,
eager to gain a military knowledge,
which he hoped to use in behalf of
Ireland, Joined the Tenth Hussars, q
! regiment nicknamed *'The Prince Of
! Wales own" and during the three
| years that he remained in service, he
i lost no opportunity Of disseminating
! among the companies the revolution
| ary ideas regarding ireland which he
! entertained himself. On the evidence
f! of an informer, he was arrested in
! 1866 at Dublin, tried by a special mill
Iary commission, and sentenced to
! death. His sentence was afterwards
commutel, first to penal servitude for
life, and then to twenty years imprls-
cnmert In fulflment of it he spent
j three years in English dungeons, Dart
] moor among other places; and in 1867
! he formed one Of a batch of $40 con-
! victs who were sent to West Australia,
There to serve their sentences.
/ O'Rei1ly was resolved from the first
! to escape from the convict station,
! We're such thing possible. He COM
municated that resolve to the priest
! who visited the station. the Rev. Pat
! rick McCabe, Il clergyman who after
j in the Minnesota mission; but that
worthy ecclesiastic told him that such
! an attempt would be suicidal. Find
! ing that O'Reilly was not to be deferred
| from his purpose, however, Father Nc
! Cabe secured from his a promise that
| he would wait for a friend whom he
said he would send to his assistance.
| 1t was weary waiting for the young
(, Irishman in the Australian bush, but
/: patience brought it's reward when the
! priests envoy came and told the exile
| that American whalers were in the
| habit Of putting in at Ranbury, q port
some miles away. and that he would
neln him to reach that place and ar
range that he should be taken off by
one of the whalers. With great diff
Guilty this plan was carried out, not
without preliminary disappointments
and attendant perils; anu mine months
after he made his first break for free
dom in the Australian wilds, on No.
vember %, 1869, John Boyle O'Reilly
stepped ashore at Philadelphia, and
on that very day made his application
to be admitted to the rights OF Aneri-
can citizenship:
From Philadelphia the rescued
patriot went to New York, where he
gave a lecture and did some newspaper
work, but January of 1870 found him
in Boston, which was destined to be
the place of his abode until his death.
His first employment there was that
of a reporter in the daily press, but
before many months he had secured
an editorial position on the Pilot. with
which paper he remained connected
during the entire remainder of his
life. In 1876, conjointly with Arch
bishop Williams, he became proprietor,
and from that time on. the paper bore
the stamp of his individuality and
genius in it's every issue. A poet
BY nature himself, he was very fond Of
encouraging other poets to write, and
in this way he was instrumental in
bringing before the public g number
of Irish-American singers who. have
since obtained more or less renown.
Some of his own best verses appeared
first in the Pilots columns. but, so
rapidly did his fame increase, that
other publications were eager to Sc
cure his writings; and his poetic
abilities were recognized throughout
the length and breadth Of the land as
being of the highest order. The best
American magazines bid for his work;
the Dark Blue of Oxford University.
England. was glad to get it until it
discovered that O'Reilly had been a
Fenian and a convict; and American
colleges, together with leading literary
ard social organizations, asked him
time and again to read poems at their
annual commencement or reunions.
For such occasions were written some
of O'Refnyss finest poems Ihe. one
heread befkQfe the Arm OF
ons,sp