Thomas P. O'Reilly (6 August 1915 – 12 February 1995) was an Irish Gaelic footballer, politician and farmer from County Cavan. He was born at the Derries Upper, Killeshandra, County Cavan. His father was John O'Reilly, who played as goalkeeper on the Cavan county team and his mother was Sarah Anne.
O'Reilly played for Cornafean and the Cavan county team from the early 1930s until the mid-1940s, and was acclaimed as one of the country's greatest midfielders for much of that period. His footballing ability and his large build earned him the name "Big Tom". His brother John Joe O'Reilly was also a noted Cavan footballer.
He first played for Cornafean on the club's junior team which progressed to the Junior Championship semi-final in 1931. Although only sixteen years old, he quickly made a big impression and was at centrefield a year later on the senior team which defeated Bailieboro in the county final. He continued to star as a midfielder for Cornafean until he retired in 1948. He won a total of nine Cavan Senior Football Championship medals and captained Cornafean on seven of those occasions.
However, it was to be his contribution to the Cavan county team that earned him enduring national renown. A star for the county minors and juniors in 1932, he made his debut for the Cavan seniors a year later, and played a key role at midfield when Cavan defeated Galway in the 1933 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. He won a second All Ireland medal two years later and played on the losing Cavan teams in the 1937, 1943 and 1945 finals. He captained the county side from 1937 to 1945 and was still on the Cavan panel when they won the famous 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final at the Polo Grounds in New York. He was also a regular on the Ulster teams for the Railway Cup in 1940s.
^ abWalker, Brian M, ed. (1992). Parliamentary election results in Ireland, 1918–92. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN0-901714-96-8. ISSN 0332-0286.
^"Thomas P. O'Reilly". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
^"Thomas P. O'Reilly". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
December 15, 2023
reilly, cavan, politician, other, people, named, thomas, reilly, thomas, reilly, disambiguation, thomas, reilly, august, 1915, february, 1995, irish, gaelic, footballer, politician, farmer, from, county, cavan, born, derries, upper, killeshandra, county, cavan. For other people named Thomas O Reilly see Thomas O Reilly disambiguation Thomas P O Reilly 6 August 1915 12 February 1995 was an Irish Gaelic footballer politician and farmer from County Cavan He was born at the Derries Upper Killeshandra County Cavan His father was John O Reilly who played as goalkeeper on the Cavan county team and his mother was Sarah Anne Tom O ReillyTeachta DalaIn office May 1944 February 1948ConstituencyCavanPersonal detailsBorn 1915 08 06 6 August 1915Killeshandra County Cavan IrelandDied12 February 1995 1995 02 12 aged 79 County Cavan IrelandPolitical partyIndependentPersonal informationSportGaelic footballPositionHalf BackClub s YearsClubCornafeanClub titlesCavan titles9Inter county ies YearsCounty1932 1947CavanInter county titlesUlster titles13All Irelands3NFL1Gaelic footballer editO Reilly played for Cornafean and the Cavan county team from the early 1930s until the mid 1940s and was acclaimed as one of the country s greatest midfielders for much of that period His footballing ability and his large build earned him the name Big Tom His brother John Joe O Reilly was also a noted Cavan footballer He first played for Cornafean on the club s junior team which progressed to the Junior Championship semi final in 1931 Although only sixteen years old he quickly made a big impression and was at centrefield a year later on the senior team which defeated Bailieboro in the county final He continued to star as a midfielder for Cornafean until he retired in 1948 He won a total of nine Cavan Senior Football Championship medals and captained Cornafean on seven of those occasions However it was to be his contribution to the Cavan county team that earned him enduring national renown A star for the county minors and juniors in 1932 he made his debut for the Cavan seniors a year later and played a key role at midfield when Cavan defeated Galway in the 1933 All Ireland Senior Football Championship Final He won a second All Ireland medal two years later and played on the losing Cavan teams in the 1937 1943 and 1945 finals He captained the county side from 1937 to 1945 and was still on the Cavan panel when they won the famous 1947 All Ireland Senior Football Championship Final at the Polo Grounds in New York He was also a regular on the Ulster teams for the Railway Cup in 1940s Politics editO Reilly was elected to Dail Eireann as an Independent Teachta Dala TD for the Cavan constituency at the 1944 general election 1 2 He stood as a Fine Gael candidate at the 1948 general election but was defeated by another independent candidate 3 and did not stand for the Dail again 1 In later life he was a successful businessman References edit a b Walker Brian M ed 1992 Parliamentary election results in Ireland 1918 92 Dublin Royal Irish Academy ISBN 0 901714 96 8 ISSN 0332 0286 Thomas P O Reilly Oireachtas Members Database Retrieved 25 March 2009 Thomas P O Reilly ElectionsIreland org Retrieved 18 February 2009 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tom O 27Reilly Cavan politician amp oldid 1165969932, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
