Percy O'Reilly

Captain Percy Philip O'Reilly (27 July 1870 – 2 July 1942) of Colamber Westmeath, was an Irish polo player who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Together with John Paul McCann, John Hardress Lloyd and Auston Rotheram, he was a member of the Ireland team that won a silver medal.[1][2] The Ireland team was part of the Great Britain Olympic team. He was the only son of Philip O'Reilly and Anna Maria Nugent daughter of Sir Percy Nugent.

Olympic medal record
Men's Polo
1908 London Team competition

Captain Percy O'Reilly married Alice Eleanor Boyd-Rochfort of Middleton Park on 18 January 1900, she was the sister of Captain Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort royal horse trainer and daughter of Major Rochfort Hamilton Boyd-Rochfort.[3]

He was made High Sheriff of Westmeath in 1919.[3]

Captain Percy O'Reilly and Alice Eleanor Boyd-Rochfort had three sons and three daughters.[4] Born in 1909 their son Captain Charles Valentine O'Reilly was awarded a Military Cross for his courage and determination in an action whilst crossing the Wietze river in the village of Reiningen in April 1945.[5] Their youngest daughter Viola born in 1907 married General Sir Miles Dempsey, commander of the British Second Army during the D-Day landings and invasion of Normandy.[6]


References
  1. Olympians from Ireland (broken link) Archived 2007-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. www.databaseolympics.com Archived 2007-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Walford, Edward. The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled.
  4. Oldfield, Paul. Victoria Crosses on the Western Front, April 1915–June 1916.
  5. "Recommendation for Award for O'Reilly, Charles Valentine Rank: Lieutenant ..." National Archives. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  6. Rostron, Peter. The Military Life and Times of General Sir Miles Dempsey: Monty's Army Commander.
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