The Irish standard., 1906-03-24
BECAME FAMOUS
rhomas Dsvin Reilly. the Noted
Journalist and
Patriot of 1s4s, Who Died in
This Country.

ASSs>S
i Among the Irish patriots of 1s4s
rome deserve more devoted memory
than Thomas Devin Reilly. He was q
fchfoniclcr Of events. an unmasker of
wrongs, and wherever tyranny ran riot
sReiily's pen was ever ready in de-
Hense of the weak and downtrodden.
Still his was gentle soul. though
.brave even to audacity in time of peril.
He vas born in the town and county
of Monaghan. on March 30. 1924. His
father was solicitor in the Court of
lChancery. His early education was
he was twelve years old his father re-
moved to Dublin. where young Thomas
Devin Reilly was placed under the
tuition of the priests. Later he took
his college entrance course at Hud-
darts noted seminary. Upon entering
Trinity re was, noted for his attain
tnents in tho classics and mathematics.
He took several honors, but left the
college to throw himself into the
Young ireland" movement. His first
article was concerning DIR. Madden's
connection between the Kingdom Of
ireland and the Crown Of England"
and appeared In the Nation. at that
time the organ Of the Irish National
lists. on October Is. 1876. when Reilly
WAS barely 81 years old. Short
~ utter his letters on Louis Blanc's
History of Ten Years" made their
appearance. AMI Reilly at once became
famous as writer of elegance and
force.
In the following year Reilly took to
task Mr.. Steele. member Of Con-
ciliation Hail. who had attacked GER
tain resolutions offered in the Ameri-
can House Of Representatives by the
Hon. Felix Mcconnell, Of Alabama.
Mcconnell held out inducements for
the enumeration of Ireland to the Unit
ed States steele in his address in
Cancellation Hall. said: Il would rath-
or see Ireland overwhelmed and sub
merged forever by the swelling and
upheaval of the wild Atlantic. ocean
than annexed to slave-holdlng re-
public. I disdain the attainment Of a
selfish Irish nationality at the sacri-
ice OF the sublime principle Of uni
ycrsal iiberty."
A few days later. or the next issue
Of the Nation. Reilly wrote a reply to
Steele. He denied that nationality
was selfish. condemned the mock phil
anthropy ,that.'negatives home inter-
ests while goiLg abroad for principles
to fight about ."Nationality." he wrote.
lis a pearl. the richest. too, in charitys
casket. Philanthropy enlarged is the
pearl dissolved"
Reilly continued to write against
tyranny and oppression. and all his
articles had literary merit as we'll rs
political strength. While he could
make speech at times, he lacked con-
fldence in his own powers of oratory.
In his speech at Confederation, April
7. 1s47. Reilly said in part:
2 "A people, sir, which tamely lies
down in its own land to starve de-
SERVES to stafvc. Ifit be given to men
to interpret the motives Of the living
God. and I. for one. do not believe this
famine Is His work, yet whatever OF
II be His. was done by Him. am con-
vinced to make the national exist
cnce OF our country identical with our
personal lives. to. make US act like
men. that we may live like animals, to
make us brave in self Defense"
Again. and in the same month. he let
himself out In unmasking the. noted
scheme Of Gvdley. who sought to
"Raise an Irish nationality in the back
woods of Canada"
!, *:sql6u arer% slaves" said Reilly to his
auditors. "Fa.se Aatterers have told
YOU you are brave and q noble peo-
pie. Now !, one Of the people, tell you
you are no such thing. You are no.
bles. citizens. merchants, farmers, beg
gars and all what your present mas
ters and owners call you, an inferior
caste. because they are your masters
and owners. You are: not Irish men,
cut Irish slaves. Now, then, choose at
iast-choose whether you will wait on
quietly till the most agonizing Of
deaths. the most i1orrid of diseases,
and the most cruel of infamous pro-
jects shall have swept you all from the
irish: solh or whether you will at once
spring 70 your feet from your apathy
and your degradation. and win your
spurs OF nationhood like men,"
1t is hardly necessary to. recite the
story Of the failure Of the insurrection.
Reilly was arrested. but was not pros
ecuted at the time. Later he was out
sawed. but after several exciting ad-
ventures made his way to New York.
In November. 1S4s. Early in the fol-
lowing year. in company with William
3 Robmson. he issued THE People,"
but the propfietors were opposites in
American politics. and the venture
was discontinued. He began the study
pf Amerfoen Z Revolutionary history,