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| Brendan O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brendan O'Reilly 14 May 1929 (1929-05-14) Granard, County Longford, Ireland |
| Died | 1 April 2001 (2001-05) (aged 72) Dublin, Ireland |
| Education | University of Michigan |
| Occupation(s) | Sports broadcaster, journalist, actor, singer, songwriter (best known for 'The Ballad of Michael Collins' and the Olympic Song 'Let the Nations Play' |
| Years active | 1962–1994 |
| Notable credit(s) | The Life of O'Reilly Sports Stadium, 'Flight of the Doves'. First non-political figure to give the annual Michael Collins oration at Beal na mBlath |
| Spouse | DrJohanna Lowry O'Reilly |
| Children | Hannah Lowry O'Reilly BL, Kelan (Lowry) O'Reilly, Rossa (Lowry) O'Reilly, Myles O'Reilly |
Brendan O'Reilly (14 May 1929 – 1 April 2001) was an Irish Selected Olympic high jumper, broadcaster, journalist, actor, singer and songwriter (best known for the 'Ballad of Michael Collins' and the Olympic song, 'Let the Nations Play'. He is best known as presenter of the long-running Sports Stadium. Between 1966 and 1968, O'Reilly had the honour of commentating for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as presenting the National Song Contest (to select Ireland's Eurovision entry) from 1966 to 1970.
He was a High Jumper, studied in America at the University of Michigan, he set the Irish High Jump record and also set the Irish Javelin record.
He also acted in the 1971 film Flight of the Doves playing Police Inspector Michael Roark, and also played roles in After Midnight (1990) and the television series Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog
He is survived by his wife Dr Johanna Lowry O'Reilly, historian and author, eldest son, musician and film maker Myles O'Reilly, restaurant general manager and musician Kelan (Lowry) O'Reilly, Dublin, Rossa (Lowry) O'Reilly, hospitality investment and Hannah Lowry BL.
References
- "Brendan O'Reilly dies after long illness". RTÉ News. 1 April 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
| Preceded byBunny Carr | Eurovision Song Contest Ireland Commentator 1966–1968 |
Succeeded byGay Byrne |
External links
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