Fanatic Heart: A Life of John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 - 1890

by A.G. Evans

Poet, journalist, and Irish patriot John Boyle O'Reilly (1844-1890) led a life as adventurous and dangerous as any fictional hero. This vivid and meticulously researched biography traces O'Reilly's colorful story from his youth in Ireland, through his imprisonment in Australia, to his years in Boston. Found guilty of seditious acts against the crown for his Fenian activities in Ireland, O'Reilly was transported on a convict ship to Fremantle, Australia, in 1867. Against daunting odds, he made a daring escape from the penal colony, boarded an American whaler, and eventually reached Boston, where he became a successful newspaper editor at the Boston Pilot and revered champion for Irish immigrants and racial minorities. An important leader in Boston's civic and cultural affairs, O'Reilly also played a key role in planning the now legendary escape of six other Fenians from Fremantle Prison. In addition to recounting O'Reilly's extraordinary and sometimes near-disastrous adventures, A. G. Evans thoroughly examines the influences that formed the headstrong patriotism of his youth and marked his progress toward maturity. He also shows how O'Reilly's poetry and fictional work-some of which have only recently been discovered-reflect his complex life story and illuminate his fascinating character. Fanatic Heart is a comprehensive biography of a remarkable man who made significant and long-lasting contributions to literature, civil rights, and the Irish republican cause.

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 1997

Reviews

[Amy Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. It's well-researched and well-written. It's also out of print.

What a life! Someone should make a movie about John Boyle O'Reilly. Maybe they have and I don't know about it. Anyway, if you are interested in him, this is a great biography. A.G. Evans is from Australia so he has that insight, but did great research in Ireland, England, and the United States as well.