Willy Reilly - The Lesser Known Story

Willy Reilly – the Lesser Known Story

Well, so this is where it’s all been leading – sitting in the National Concert Hall in Dublin waiting for a couple of silent film made in 1919 to start. The 11 piece Cine Theatre Ensemble trickle onto the stage above which hangs a huge white expanse of screen. The hall is nearly full and as Bernard Reilly the composer, makes his entrance from Stage Right, loud and expansive applause erupts. He bows – and we are ready to begin.

I have come to Dublin to see the film, Willy Reilly and His Colleen Bawn because my Grandfather, Brian Magowan, is it’s leading actor. I will also witness his small contribution to Ireland’s history,  because he was director John McDonagh’s  camerman on the Dail Bonds film, which is also to be shown.

 A young man full of life and vigour bursts onto the screen, sitting proudly on a white horse. It takes my breath away to absorb what is happening in front of me....... because I last saw him in the early 1950’s when I was 7 years old. A family rift had caused a complete severing of my relationship with my Irish Father’s side of the family and until 2008, I had no idea that I had such an extended family – or that my Grandfather had had such a glorious and complicated early life.

He was born James (Jim) Joseph Smyth in (probably) 1888. Various records have him first showing  his face to the  world in Belfast, Dublin, Cavan, Meath and Kilkenny. The reasons for the confusion has its roots in his long involvement with the Republican movement – none of the existing records are consistent, and I now know, from his Military Army records, that he spent most of his life in Ireland “on the run”.

According to family legend, he won some money on the 1909 Grand National, and booked a passage to America – leaving in June of that year. He earned a living of sorts by singing at the drop of a hat, teaching English and general labouring. But in 1910, he met John Devoy – the leader of Clan na Gael in New York – and became a committed member of the IRA.  It was also at this time, that he met Irish American James Mark Sullivan, who was subsequently to set up the Film Company of Ireland.

Jim then appears back in Dublin in time for the 1911 Census. Various news cuts from the time, tell of his singing ability. A photo of the Palestrina Choir taken in 1904 sees him, as a teenager, singing alongside John McCormack. There are also numerous reports of his concert work. In 1915, he finds the time to marry Mary Ellen O’Brien from a well off Limerick family and 1916, makes his first film, The Eleventh Hour, which was directed and produced by the Abbey Theatre’s Fred Donovan.   This is followed by O’Neill of the Glen, Rafferty’s Rise and When Love came to Gavin Burke.

Somewhere around 1917/8, Jim joins the Volunteers as an Intelligence Officer with H Company, 1^st Battalion, Dublin Brigade. His Army records show that he reported directly to Piaras Beaslai and later, Georoid O’Sullivan.  A handwritten note by Beslai to my Grandmother apologises for “not popping round” – and that she “will be pleased to know that Jim will be back in Ireland soon”. The personal nature of note leads me to believe that his involvement was at the highest level, but not necessarily as a “leader of men”. When applying for an army pension in 1923, Paddy Daly, Eamonn Price, Liam Tobin  and Eamonn Duggan are all set down as referees.

The first of Jim’s three big films, Knocknagow, was made in 1918/19 by James Mark Sullivan and the Film Company of Ireland. Sullivan was a friend of Michael Collins and a committed Republican. It was probably through him that Jim met John McDonagh because his next film involvement was as cameraman on another FCOI film, “Paying the Rent”. 1919 was also the year my Father was born. He was christened James Mark – most probably after my Grandfather’s patron and friend. Jim Sullivan signs a photograph of himself, “Jim, no-one ever gave you credit for your kindness, but you are the finest friend I ever had” from the “Auld Man”

During the filming of Willy Reilly at St Enda’s, arrangements were made to also shoot the short propaganda film to support fundraising for the Republican cause.  The Dail Bonds short was only 9 minutes long, and showed Michael Collins receiving loans/donations from many of the IRB members. We now know that Jim was the cameraman for Director, John McDonagh – which is confirmed by a note in his army records:

 (1923) “Captain Smith was thoroughly  trusted by General Collins and was frequently of service in providing places for accommodation. It might also be mentioned that as film producer, he was particularly responsible for taking the “Loan” pictures.  (handwritten reference by Eamonn Price.)

The  film was then taken to cinemas, and the projectionists coerced into showing it. Jim was one of the volunteers involved in this process. In the early days of the Free State, Jim was based n London, acting as a censor of film and radio news coverage of Irish issues, reporting to Piaras Beslai.

Jim’s last recorded film was “Irish Destiny” made in 1926. In 1929, he and Mary took their (by now) 6 children to England, which was to be a stopover en route for America, where he was to take up his acting career again, following in the footsteps of many other Irish actors, Barry O’Sullivan and Maureen O’Hara to name two. Sadly, it was not to be. Mary’s sister was also in England, suffering from health problems – probably multiple schlerosis – and Mary refused to budge. Jim died aged 71 in 1961, never repeating the joy and excitement of his earlier life. My own shadowy memory of him has him sitting in an armchair next to an upright piano – he would have been in his early 60’s.

His legacy didn’t die completely however and his genes lived on to fight another day. I am his third grandchild – and having no awareness of Jim’s story, proceeded to have a  40 year career in entertainment and media, as a singer, BBC Radio Producer and manager of a music publishing. It was a magical career but I didn’t know where the desire to achieve in this area had come from.  Provoked by a question about my family’s health history, I put a notice on a genealogy website and a couple of years later, I received the phone call that was to change my life, and give me many reasons to research and tell Jim’s story.

Seeing him up on that screen on Saturday night caused me an indescribable rush of emotion. Meeting Michael Collins’ Great Niece and Thomas McDonagh’s three Grandchildren, an unexpected and lovely surprise. There we all were, ladies of a certain and similar age celebrating our family’s history. The Collins and the McDonagh stories are well known, well documented and part of Ireland’s amazing history. I’d like to think that Jim’s story – as small as it is in the scheme of things, will now be known – not only by us, his Grandchildren, but by film and history fans as well.