O'Reilly, John Boyle

O'Reilly, John Boyle

(1844–90) writer, editor, poet; born near Drogheda, Ireland. He was apprenticed as a journalist, and worked in Ireland and England. He was arrested and tried (1866) on the charge of being a Fenian and traitor to England; he was convicted, imprisoned, and deported to the penal colony in Australia (1868). He escaped to America (1869), settled in Boston, and resumed his career as a journalist. He became co-owner and editor (1876) of the Pilot, an influential Irish newspaper, and was a popular lecturer. He wrote a novel, but is best known for his many books of poetry, such as Songs, Legends and Ballads (1878).