Myles William Patrick O'Reilly

For other individuals of the same name, see William Patrick (disambiguation).

Myles William Patrick O'Reilly (1825 in Balbriggan, Ireland – 1880 in Dublin, Ireland) was a Catholic soldier, MP and publicist. .

Career

Pontifical Zouave of Major O'Reilly's Papal Battalion, carrying a .71 cal. Model 1842 French smoothbore Rifle

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 the Longford division from 1862 to 1876, and was one of the founders of the Irish Home Rule League (1873-82). 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

  1. ↑ http://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/the-popes-irish-battalion-1860/
  2. ↑ "History Ireland" Sept 2010, vol 18.

References

External links

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


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