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

A.G. Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 1999

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Evans, an Australian broadcaster and writer, presents a lucid and compelling account of a life obscured by time. John Boyle O'Reilly, one of the Fenian "Wild Geese" of the 1860s, first achieved public attention as one of the many Irish soldiers court-martialed for plotting an insurrection against English rule. He and other Fenians were sent to Fremantle Prison in Western Australia, where O'Reilly staged a daring jailbreak that became the stuff of legend. Making his way to Boston aboard a Yankee whaling ship in 1870, he later plotted yet another breakout from Fremantle; six more Fenians escaped. In Boston he became the editor of the Pilot, the leading Irish Catholic newspaper in America, supporting Irish American progress and becoming a strong but temperate voice for the Irish struggle against the English. O'Reilly's sense of justice made him a leading speaker against racism; he was also a poet and outdoorsman. This is the first full biography since 1891. Highly recommended for larger biography and history collections and essential for any substantial Irish collection.ACharles V. Cowling, Drake Memorial Lib., Brockport, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A workmanlike, highly readable, if somewhat old-fashioned biography of Irish-born poet John Boyle OReilly, whose adventurous life included armed rebellion against British rule in Ireland, penal servitude in Australia, a daring escape from captivity, and eventual success in the US as the leading voice for Irish-Americans. Australian biographer Evans grew up hearing tales of John Boyle OReilly, whose successful escape from Australias penal colony in 1869 made him an instant folk hero. Not surprisingly, Evans spends most of the book describing OReillys arduous two-year experience as a political prisoner in Australia and how he arrived there. OReilly was born in County Meath, Ireland; as a teenager, he became a soldier in the British army. While stationed in Dublin, OReilly secretly joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood (or Fenians), a covert organization dedicated to the violent overthrow of British authority in Ireland. Just as OReilly and his Fenian conspirators were about to mount an armed uprising, an informer within their ranks notified British officials. OReilly was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, and transported to Australia. Evans meticulously describes OReillys long voyage down under, his life on a chain gang building roads in the murderous heat, and his literary endeavors. OReilly was a minor poet of the patriotic, sentimental Victorian sort, and even Evans, who clearly admires his subject, admits that OReilly never wrote a masterpiece, either in prose or poetry. Evans is a fine storyteller who relishes heroic adventure and the picaresque anecdote; like a 19th-century novelist, he moves the narrative along at a brisk pace. His account of OReillys breathtaking escape is masterfully done. After his escape, OReilly fled to Boston, where he became owner of the Boston Pilot, the most popular Catholic newspaper in the US. While Evans fails at making the case for OReillys literary genius, he succeeds in giving his readers an exciting story that reads like a fast-paced page-turner of a novel. (illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern University Press (February 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555533957
• ISBN-13: 978-1555533953
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,759,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars John Boyle O'Reilly, April 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fanatic Heart: A Life of John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 - 1890 (Paperback)

This was a well-written, detailed biography of a man who deserves to be more well known than he is. I agree with the other reveiwer that it did focus too much on his time in Australia nad not enough on his Boston career, but that is understandable since it was first published in Australia.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good work on a forgotten hero, December 22, 2000

By 

Stephen F Mulcahy (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fanatic Heart: A Life of John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 - 1890 (Paperback)

i wish that the author had concentrated more on his career in boston and less on his time spent in australia , but overall this is a superb book for those unfamiliar with o'reilly. o'reilly was way ahead of his time in his social views and in his regard for oppressed groups and should definitely be remembered for that. the author has done a fine job. i greatly admire o'reilly -though i must admit i have a bias as i am related to him indirectly through his wife.