Although born in Philadelphia, Dr. Eileen Reilly and her family moved back to Ireland at the age of five, and Reilly was brought up on a dairy farm in County Longford. She completed the first three levels of her education in Ireland.

As a result, Reilly says she defines herself as Irish. “I think of myself as Irish and Irish American as I have dual citizenship,” says Reilly, the associate director of Glucksman Ireland House at New York University.

Reilly’s qualifications are in English and history, and she chose to study Irish history to doctoral level.

Reilly was selected as the first female Irish Rhodes Scholar in 1993, and now specializes in Irish studies.

Married to an Irishman, Reilly feels it important for her 3-year-old daughter Ava Ruadh Prunty, to know her heritage. “I am teaching her elementary Irish language and will teach her the history and literature of Ireland when she gets older. She has been to Ireland seven times in her three and a half years,” says Reilly who lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.    

 

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