John Boyle O'Reilly - Charlestown, MA - Irish-American Historic Places on Waymarking.com

John Boyle O'Reilly was born on June 28, 1844 near Drogheda, Ireland. Because he was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, he was exiled by the British to Western Australia. He escaped to the United States, became an American citizen and settled in Charlestown, MA where he rose to become the editor of the Boston influential newspaper, the Pilot.

During the time O’Reilly lived in Boston he became the leading mediator between the large Irish Catholic population of Boston and the Protestant, Boston Brahmin, political establishment and was able to gaining greater acceptance for the Irish in Boston.

O'Reilly published his first collection of poems, "Songs from the Southern Seas" , in 1873, followed by "Songs, Legends and Ballads, in 1878, "The Statues in the Block", in 1881, and In Bohemia in 1886. His poetry was extremely popular, and he received commissions to compose poems for special occasions.

Between 1993 and 1995 the Halvorson Company, Inc. was hired to design City Square Park. Together with sculptor David Phillps four gateways were constructed each with a pair of famous Charlestown residents. A bronze medallion in honor John Boyle O'Reilly is on the left side of the arts and humanities gateway.

An oval medallion is inscribed:

Inside is a bas-relief of the right profile of John Boyle O'Reilly in front of a shelf of books and next to the Pilot newspaper.