He was a member of the musical trio Ryan's Fancy which brought
traditional Newfoundland folk music to a wider Canadian audience in the
1970s. He formed the group with Denis Ryan and Fergus O'Byrne in 1971.
O'Reilly played guitar and mandolin. They released 12 albums and hosted
two syndicated TV shows before breaking up in 1983.
It's a very fragile thing. Sometimes people get sick and tired of
hearing about it, but it's like everything else --- you can't forget.
We have to be reminded not to forget about who we are and where we came
from. (speaking about his efforts to help preserve Newfoundland's
cultural heritage)