Miss Gertrude M. O'Reilly

              Figure

Miss Gertrude M. O'Reilly


INTRODUCTION
MISS GERTRUDE M. O'REILLY, whose signature is becoming so well known in the magazines and daily press, was born in Dublin, Ireland.  Being a grandniece of Edward O'Reilly, the lexicographer, and niece of Eugene O'Reilly, the Young Irelander, who on his release from prison won distinction in the Turkish Army, where he was known as Hassan Bey O'Reilly, she was naturally interested in patriotic movements from her earliest childhood.  When only eight years old she became a student in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, afterwards studying in Galway, Cork, and London.  She is a diplomée of South Kensington, holding no less than fourteen certificates for art subjects, winning a student scholarship in the Royal Hibernian Academy and a Government Scholarship for design.  She is an active member of the Gaelic League, the Industrial Development Association and kindred organizations; a personal friend of Dr. Douglas Hyde, Father Peter O'Leary, and other prominent men of Irish Ireland, and won a special prize at the Orieacthais (the great Gaelic festival) for studies from the ancient Irish illuminated manuscripts.  Since coming to America, she has shown that Ireland is a country to be proud of, possessing the most ancient living decorative art in the world; a land the footsteps of whose Saints and Scholars can still be traced by their civilizing influence throughout Europe; a country of poetry and fancy, peopled with the memories of heroes and fairies, who are living realities to those who have kept themselves unspotted from the world, hidden away in the Fair Hills of Holy Ireland.  The stories which Miss O'Reilly tells are classified as hero tales, fairy stories, legends of the saints, and folk tales, and are mainly drawn from the stories which she has gathered from her old nurse, the fisherfolk of Cladach, County Galway, and the peasants of County Cork.

For Chautauqua work Miss O'Reilly is available for the morning and four o'clock hours.



LECTURES

THE IRISH REVIVAL
The Gaelic League and Industrial Development.

FOR LIBERTY
Stories of some modern Irish heroes.

IRISH WIT
Are we a merry people?  Stories typical of Irish wit and humor.

IRISH SHRINES
Legends of the wells and holy places.

A YEAR IN AN IRISH FISHING VILLAGE
Cladach, the most Irish spot in Ireland.

IRISH FOLKLORE
Its peculiarities and typical stories; given in costume.

IRISH ART

I.
Ancient Art; illumination, metal and leather work.
II.
Modern Art; the position of Ireland in the art world of to-day.

IRISH LITERATURE

I.
Ancient Bardic and Christian literature; illustrated by extracts.
II.
Modern prose and verse of the Anglo-Irish school.

DECORATIVE ART

I.
Principles of Design.
II.
Ornament, its use and abuse.

OUR CELTIC HERITAGE
Being stories of heroes, fairies, saints and wonders, told for the grown ups in the costume of Connaught.





LETTERS
Elbridge Hanecy, President of the Irish Fellowship Club, Chicago:

I congratulate you most heartily on the success of your interesting lecture on 'Irish Art,' but its success was assured considering your special art training and intimate knowledge of Irish Ireland.

Mrs. Nellie C. Gardner, Chairman Literature Class Arche Club, Chicago:

Miss Gertrude M. O'Reilly gave her lectures on 'Folklore' and 'Anglo-Irish Poetry' before the members of the Literature class of the Arche Club.  Her thorough knowledge of the subject, combined with her ready with and charming personality, made them a valuable and interesting supplement to the season's course of study on Celtic Literature.

James J. Stokes, Grand Knight, Knights of Equity, Chicago:

We enjoyed your very able and instructive lecture on 'Irish Industries.'  It was bristling with the kind of information that every one should have, and gave many of us a very different opinion of present conditions in Ireland.

Philip J. McKenna, Grand Knight, Illinois Council, Knights of Columbus:

I consider Miss O'Reilly one of the most capable women on the lecturing platform to-day.  She is especially good on Irish Decorative Art and kindred subjects.  She is herself an artist of superior talent and ability, and I have never been better entertained than while attending lectures delivered by her.  She is scholarly, intelligent and a clever lecturer.

Wm. J. Lloyd, Chairman Educational Committee, Ravenswood Council, Knights of Columbus, Chicago:

Miss Gertrude O'Reilly's lecture, the first in the Educational programme of Ravenswood Council for the season of 1909, was an undoubted success.  The new birth of Ireland, the story of a poetic people adapting themselves to modern conditions in the teeth of opposition, is a theme which has in it the elements of tragedy, and in Miss O'Reilly's hands the subject is treated with power and a fascinating insight into conditions.  She is entirely master of her subject, and her personal experience in the movement adds a charm of local color to her descriptions.  Gifted with a musical Irish voice, Miss O'Reilly secures and retains the attention of her hearers.  To councils anticipating a series of lectures for the winter season, I recommend Miss O'Reilly most heartily.

P. T. O'Sullivan, President Division 9, A. O. H., South Chicago:

The lecture on 'Industrial Ireland' delivered here by Miss O'Reilly was a most instructive and entertaining one.  She is a thorough master of her subject, has a most pleasing delivery, her voice being sweet and clear, with just enough of an Irish accent to clearly show her nationality.

Rev. J. A. Phelan, Corpus Christi College, Galesburg, Illinois:

Miss O'Reilly's lecture here on 'Irish Folklore' was refined, instructive and entertaining.  The easy flow of language, as well as the pleasing voice and manner of the speaker, fascinated the attention of the audience.  While she led them in fancy to the firesides of the Irish peasantry, and to the haunts of the people by mountain, mead and stream.

John T. Kelly, Secretary Western Catholic Chautauqua, Milwaukee, Wis:

Miss G. M. O'Reilly delivered a series of lectures at Springbank, Wis., under the auspices of the Western Catholic Chautauqua, which were in every way satisfactory to the committee and a delight to her audiences.  Her work has a freshness and charm peculiarly its own.  Especially commendable are her folklore and fairy tales.  Through these she has the happy faculty of revealing to the uninitiated characteristics, customs and beliefs—ancient and modern—of the Irish people, that would not appeal to them so strongly in any other way.  Her art of story telling is well-nigh perfect.  Without suggestion of exaggeration and in delicious dialect she introduces her listeners to the scenes, incidents and persons in an easy, natural way.  Her work is instructive, entertaining and artistic.




PRESS NOTICES

Chicago Evening Post:
Miss Gertrude M. O'Reilly, a pretty Irish girl from Dublin, who has been in Chicago several weeks on a visit, is giving some of the leading society women some valuable hints on Celtic Art.  So interested have these women become that they have induced Miss O'Reilly to give some talks before several of the more prominent clubs.  The fair lecturer is enthusiastic over her subject and never tires of talking about it and exhibiting some of the choice specimens which she has with her.


Chicago Daily Journal:
A lecture on the 'Cladach' was delivered last evening before the Gaelic Society by Miss Gertrude O'Reilly, the well-known exponent of Irish folklore.  Miss O'Reilly, who recently spent a year in the village, gave a most interesting account of the people, their customs and conditions, and succeeded in fascinating her large audience.


Chicago Inter-Ocean:
At the annual meeting of the Alumnae of the Sacred Heart, Miss Gertrude O'Reilly, the Celtic artist, gave a most interesting lecture on 'A Year in an Irish Fishing Village.'  It says much for the speaker that for nearly an hour her audience were forgetful of time and place and lived in that old-world land of which she spoke.


Chicago Citizen:
Miss O'Reilly gave one of her characteristic lectures November 14.  The subject in itself is fascinating, with all its humor and pathos, its customs, so full of poetic spirituality, and its strange folklore and superstitions, and as Miss O'Reilly told it, it was easily pictured to the mind, for her style of lecturing is vivid and original, and she is entirely master of her subject.  She introduced a couple of folktales, characteristic of the people, and showed herself a unique story-teller, having that intangible something that makes a story 'catch on.'  With such a mixed audience it was no easy task to make the simple life of a fishing village of engrossing interest for forty-five minutes, but the lecturer seemed to find it of no difficulty, but in an easy and conversational way held their attention and their sympathy, and had that rare triumph of moving her hearers to unrestrained tears and laughter.


The New World, Chicago:
Miss Gertrude M. O'Reilly spoke on 'A Year in an Irish Fishing Village,' telling of her own experiences in Cladach, that quaint spot where for centuries the customs are unchanged, and where a king reigned until the last decade.  It speaks much for Miss O'Reilly that, without pictures, she held her hearers for an hour, moving them to tears and laughter as she told of the pathos and humor of the fishing folk.  The stories with which her talk was interspersed were delicious in the quaint phraseology and soft brogue of the West of Ireland.


The Morning News, Richmond, Indiana:
The appearance of Miss O'Reilly in 'Irish Customs and Superstitions' at three yesterday afternoon was a notable one, Miss O'Reilly being a distinguished exponent of the modern culture of her native country and associated with those recent social and artistic movements there, which have attracted so much attention abroad.  Miss O'Reilly has her full share of the wit and acumen for which her countrymen are famous.


Catholic Columbian, Columbus, Ohio:
Miss O'Reilly has been lecturing before Chautauquas in Illinois, Ohio and Indiana, and everywhere has given satisfaction.  She is a student of Art—Irish Art—and is most enthusiastic in the work of the modern industrial movement of Ireland.  She is well equipped to represent the ancient glories of her race before American audiences.  While here she made arrangements for a series of lectures in the fall.


Somerset Press, Somerset, Ohio:
The Perry County Teachers' Institute had an opportunity to hear Miss O'Reilly, a lady of exceptional culture and ability, who has been doing Chautauqua work in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.  She spoke in a most charming and entertaining manner on 'Irish Folklore,' telling of the people of Ireland and their customs.


Daily Republican Register, Galesburg, Illinois:
Miss O'Reilly gave a splendid exposition of things Irish in Corpus Christi Lyceum last night.  Her lecture was chiefly devoted to Irish Folklore, a most interesting study and one which held the closest attention of her audience.  She told a number of the ancient Irish legends which charmed and delighted her hearers, who gave her the closest attention throughout and much appreciated the lecture.


Daily Leader, Pontiac, Illinots:
The four o'clock address yesterday was unusually well attended.  Miss O'Reilly spoke at it on 'Irish Wit' and related many amusing stories showing the readiness of the different classes of people in Ireland, ranging from the clergy to the street boys.  Besides being entertained by these talks, one can learn much about the Irish people, their customs and beliefs.


Daily Leader, Pontiac, Illinois:
Miss O'Reilly gave the third talk of her series on Ireland and the Irish yesterday afternoon.  She spoke on 'Irish Folklore,' and was appreciatively heard by a most remarkably large number.