A former Irish and Lions rugby international his many and varied business interests included food giant Heinz and newspapers in this country through his Independent News and Media (INM) group.
O’Reilly was philosophic about being declared bankrupt late in life: "You win and you lose, and if you don’t know how to lose you don’t know how to live," he told a Dublin audience.
Born in Dublin in 1936 O’Reilly studied law at University College Dublin but never practised.
Between 1955 and 1970 he won 29 caps for Ireland and 10 for the Lions, with whom he toured New Zealand in 1959.
When not on the pitch O’Reilly was exploiting the changing tide in Irish commerce, as loosening regulations led to entrepreneurial opportunity. O’Reilly took charge of the Irish Sugar Company in 1966, and negotiated a merger with Heinz UK.
He left in 1969 to become managing director of Heinz in Britain; by 1979 he was chief executive. When he retired, as chairman, in 2000, the firm was worth an estimated $US23 billion.
At Heinz O’Reilly started investing in the media, creating what would become INM.
The firm was highly influential and the rich and powerful paid court to O’Reilly when he was at the peak of his powers.
However, a series of disastrous corporate feuds undermined both O’Reilly’s power and wealth, and in 2014 he lost a punishing court case with Allied Irish Banks which led O’Reilly to file for bankruptcy in 2016.
He exited bankruptcy in December 2023, just before his death on May 18 this year aged 88. — Agencies
