Biography
Biography
Victor O'Reilly is an acknowledged expert in defense matters and counter-terrorism and is a New York Times Best Selling author of three widely acclaimed researched action thrillers:
- Games of the Hangman (1991)
- Rules of the Hunt (1994)
- The Devil's Footprint (1997)
Published in sixty countries, he has appeared on C-Span, CNN, and many other US and European networks and has consulted with members of the US Congress. He travels extensively and expects to spend time with the US Marine Corps in the coming months as a prelude to further books. An Irishman from Dublin, he lives just south of Dublin. He has five children. He was educated in Ireland and the UK and has a Masters from Trinity College, Dublin (Economics, English & History).
Before committing to write full time in 1986, he has - as part of a policy of getting to know the world - been (as a student) a laborer, house painter, store assistant, waiter, tractor driver, hop picker and security guard (where he received a commendation for his involvement in the arrest of a gang of criminals).
After graduation and a period as a photojournalist, he balanced a business career with an ever increasing interest in military operations. While studying the military art and special operations he made field visits to various trouble spots (Cyprus, Northern Ireland etc) and sent time with military units (including the French Foreign Legion). In the process he experienced being under fire at first hand and, as a consequence of that and his many other times in the field, has been able to inject a considerable note of realism and authenticity into his action sequences. In fact a feature of all his books is that, although they are fiction, they are heavily inspired by his own experiences. GAMES OF THE HANGMAN, for instance, was initiated following his discovery of an actual body hanging in a lonely wood and it was O'Reilly himself who caught the body when it was subsequently cut down by the police.
Victor O'Reilly has been a full time writer since 1986 and has been a published author since 1991 (GAMES OF THE HANGMAN - a New York Times Best Seller).
Following his first book, O'Reilly set out to expand his already considerable knowledge of defense matters and counter-terrorism by researching law enforcement and counter-terrorist agencies in the US and in the process has built of an extensive network of contacts in these areas together with many friends. Subsequently, he expanded this area of interest to spend some months with various military units including the 82nd Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division, the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) and many other units. During this process, during which he developed both great respect and affection for the soldiers and units involved, he has participated in an airborne assault, a helicopter assault, and considerable ground action. And he has personally fired many of the issued weapons from rifles to the main gun of an Abrams tank. He has also spent time in the field at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert and has flown in both the Blackhawk and the Apache (an unusually rare privilege) courtesy of 3-101 Aviation.
His military experiences have contributed to all his books and in particular to his most recent published work THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINT which features both special forces operations together with a classic action by the 82nd Airborne Division.
Victor O'Reilly's widely praised works have engendered a particularly warm response from his readers (see the extensive collection of reader letters) and most recently, in addition to his other media acclaim, major praise in a review in the MARINE CORPS GAZETTE.
In addition to writing and maintaining his defense and related interests, Victor O'Reilly is a public speaker of some note with a reputation for his ability to communicate and to engage and amuse an audience. He particularly enjoys the cut and thrust of question and answer sessions and has proved equally adept whether lecturing in University College, Cork or inside the Beltway, Washington DC (where he was featured on C-Span as a guest speaker on terrorism).
In 1998 Victor O'Reilly was featured in a major CNN advertising campaign where he was listed ("much to my amusement and pleasure even if I sometimes differed with their politics") alongside Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Hilary Clinton and other luminaries.
Victor O'Reilly has just completed work on his fourth book SATAN'S SMILE and after more research, public speaking and defense consulting, will be completing his fifth book THE DRAGON'S RESPONSE.
Many in both the US intelligence and military communities have been surprised at Irishman Victor O'Reilly's depth of knowledge of the issues - together with his ability to contribute 'out-of-the-box thinking - and his warm support of the US but as he says:
"Regarding knowledge, I've been studying this area for forty years so it is scarcely surprising some expertise has rubbed off - and approaching the issues from an Irish and European viewpoint gives me perspective. As to the US, the simple fact should be remembered that the US is both the cornerstone of modern democracy and the leader of the Free World. Also, remember that there are 42 million Americans of Irish descent in the US who have mostly done rather well. That kind of performance deserves support. Freedom is not something I take for granted. Nor is it free. In a very real sense, if you enjoy the privileges of the Free World, you are already an American so why not support the institutions that fought for and protect these privileges. Where you live is not so important.
In the final analysis, it's about the values we share.
Supporting the US is an easily call."
Victor O'Reilly is an avid movie buff, reader and traveler but arguably his primary hobby is the frustrating but fascinating world of computers. He also relaxes "over dinner with friends and above all with my children."
He was born in 1944.
