Percy O'Reilly

Captain Percy Philip O'Reilly (27 July 1870 – 3 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.[3] In 1911 he was an 8-goal handicap player. He was the only son of Philip O'Reilly and Anna Maria Nugent daughter of Sir Percy Nugent.

Olympic medal record
Men's Polo
Silver medal – second place 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.[4]

He was made High Sheriff of Westmeath in 1919.[4]

Captain Percy O'Reilly and Alice Eleanor Boyd-Rochfort had three sons and three daughters.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

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. "Percy O'Reilly". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. Walford, Edward. The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled.
  5. Oldfield, Paul. Victoria Crosses on the Western Front, April 1915–June 1916.
  6. "Recommendation for Award for O'Reilly, Charles Valentine Rank: Lieutenant ..." National Archives. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  7. Rostron, Peter. The Military Life and Times of General Sir Miles Dempsey: Monty's Army Commander.
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