About Council 85

The Infinite

The infinite always is silent:
It is only the finite speaks.
Our words are the idle wave caps
On the deep that never breaks.
We may question with wand of science,
Explain, decide, and discuss;
But only in meditation
The mystery speaks to us.

John Boyle O' Reilly (1844 - 1890)
Poet, Patriot, Prisoner, Sportsman, & Orator

He was born near Drogheda, Ireland on the 28th of June 1844. After joining the Irish Republican Brotherhood, he enlisted in a British cavalry regiment with the purpose of winning over the troops to the revolutionary cause. In 1867, four years later, he was tried and sentenced to a penal colony in Burnbury, Western Australia. In 1869, he escaped to the United States and settled in Boston. He arrived in Boston in 1870, and for the next 20 years was recognized as a powerful spokesman for the downtrodden, at times singlehandedly bridging the gap between people of various races, creeds, and nationalities. He became editor of The Pilot, a Roman Catholic newspaper. O'Reilly died in Hull, Massachusetts in August 1890. He was the author of several volumes of poetry, a novel (Moondyne) and on occasion was selected to write occasional odes in commemoration of many American celebrations. He is buried at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, MA.