Moate historian reveals fascinating story of Meath-born activist

A Moate-based historian has published a new book on the fascinating story of a civil rights activist and former Fenian from Meath who became a significant figure in 19th century America. Author Ian Kenneally, originally from Newcastle West in Limerick, has resided with his wife Athlone woman Fiona Lynam in Moate for the past five years. His latest book 'From the Earth, A Cry' tells the life story of Meath native John Boyle O'Reilly, an extraordinary figure in Irish, Australian and American history. Ian said: "This is a man who was, during his lifetime, an internationally renowned journalist, writer and humanitarian. He is still remembered in America where he spent a lot of time - JFK quoted O'Reilly when he addressed the houses of the Oireachtas in 1963 - yet he retained a strong commitment to Ireland and was an important part of the Land League and Home Rule movements, working closely with Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell. I wanted to bring his story to life." Ostensibly a proud soldier of the British army, O'Reilly lived a double life as a recruiter for the revolutionary Fenian Brotherhood. He was discovered and convicted, serving time in a succession of prisons from Mountjoy to Dartmoor. He was eventually transported to Western Australia from where he made a spectacular escape to the United States. It was in the US, during a time of intense economic and social turmoil, where O'Reilly's brilliance flourished. As editor of The Pilot, a Boston newspaper, he became a powerful advocate of the rights of workers and African Americans. A complex and charismatic personality, O'Reilly's popularity transcended race, religion and nationality. Among his friends and contemporaries he could count figures as diverse as Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, Oscar Wilde and Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa. Based on research in Ireland, Australia and the United States, this book is a compelling account of an astonishing life. Ian explained the origin of the book lay in his interest in journalism and those who practice it. His first book, The Paper Wall, centred on newspapers and propaganda in War of Independence Ireland. During follow-up discussions with his publishers Collins Press, O'Reilly was identified as another literary figure worthy of further investigation. He said O'Reilly's fascinating life, particularly its first half, was, as the saying goes, stranger than fiction. "People say that if you saw this in a movie you wouldn't believe it," he remarked. In the later part of his life, during his period in America, O'Reilly became a hugely influential figure in American literature and political life. "Anybody who was major player in the literary world in America or the political world in Ireland, he had contact with at some stage," Ian explained. In 1963, US President John F. Kennedy, while visiting Ireland described the common bonds of humanity which transcended race, politics, religion and geography. To underline his point the US President quoted O'Reilly: "The world is large, the world is large when its weary leagues two loving hearts divide. But the world is small when your enemy is loose on the other side." Whether Kennedy had a deep knowledge of O'Reilly's work is unclear but O'Reilly was a particularly apt choice with which to explore the themes of equality and humanitarianism. He was remembered in the United States not only as a poet but as an opponent of oppression and a dedicated proponent of black civil rights. Despite his fame and significance in his own lifetime, there has been little interest in O'Reilly from the Irish academic or historical world. Strangely, of all people, U2 have recognised his importance, with the song Van Diemen's Land, written by The Edge, dedicated to the Meath man. Ian is currently researching a PhD in Irish history at NUI Galway, in the wake of his masters in UCC. The topic of his PhD is the role of the regional press in the Civil War - and he hopes at some stage that this will form the basis of a further publication. His other book, Courage and Conflict: Forgotten Stories Of The Irish At War, tells nine stories of Irish people involved in wars at home and abroad. From The Earth, A Cry - The Story of John Boyle O'Reilly by Ian Kenneally is available in all good bookshops and online from www.collinspress.ie RRP: €17.99