Latest news with #PeterO'Reilly
Extra.ie
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Irish priest, 90, takes to streets of riot-torn LA to 'stand with' immigrant families
A 90-year-old Irish priest is currently at the centre of the ongoing riots in Los Angeles. Fr Peter O'Reilly has chosen to stand in solidarity with immigrant families amid unrest in the state of California due to protests against the ICE operations targeting immigrants. While Fr O'Reilly may now be a California-based cleric, he originally hails from none other than County Longford. A 90-year-old Irish priest is currently at the centre of the ongoing riots in Los Angeles. Pic: RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images The member of the church originally had planned to take part in a prayer vigil at LA's City Hall's steps, but his plans swiftly changed as the protest escalated. Speaking to RTE, Fr O'Reilly shared his experience: 'The meeting had been cancelled because of the fear of violence so I felt maybe the thing to do was maybe just mingle with the people and wearing my Roman collar, I thought that would be the best thing to do. 'To bear witness. To say, 'we stand with you,'' he added before further explaining the atmosphere. @rtenews A 90-year-old Irish priest in Los Angeles has attended one of the protests in the city over anti-immigration raids, as police fired rubber bullets around him. Fr Peter O'Reilly, who is originally from Abbeylara, Co Longford, said what is happening in Los Angeles is very personal for him as an immigrant himself. #losangeles #ireland #laprotests #trump #rtenews ♬ original sound – RTÉ News 'The mood was serious. It was animated. People were talking to each other. 'Maybe about 15 yards away were the group who set up the barriers, street barriers, which I found out were to be used to protect them from the rubber bullets fired by the police. They were firing them. I was not near the front, maybe 15 to 20 yards away,' he continued. 'The police were firing them maybe as a warning, do not riot. I had a feeling too because of what the mayor of Los Angeles had said, that this was not an insurrection. Fr Peter O'Reilly has chosen to stand in solidarity with immigrant families amid unrest in the state of California due to protests against the ICE operations targeting immigrants. Pic: RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images 'This is a manufactured thing from Washington, to create confusion and bring about violence rather than peace,' he mused. 'With the Irish experience of being discriminated against for many years and knowing the discrimination here in this country against the Irish. I felt there was something personal about where I was, some of these communities and knowing how many of them were marginalised because of the colour of their skin.' He concluded: 'These were hardworking family-oriented people, that we needed to stand with them and let them know we were with them and for them.' Cars were set alight by protestors while federal agents used tear gas to break up crowds over the weekend as tempers flared in LA following ICE [Immigration and Custom Enforcement] operations. More than 100 people have been arrested, with 44 arrested on Friday on suspicion of immigration violations during raids carried out by ICE. US President Donald Trump has signed an order to deploy the National Guard in a move heavily criticized by Governor of California Gavin Newsom, who said the President wanted a 'spectacle.' The Governor has been vocal about his disdain towards the President, stating that the 'commandeering a state's National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral.'
Irish Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
90-year-old Irish priest on streets of riot-torn LA to 'stand with' immigrants
A 90-year-old Irish priest has told how he took to the streets during riots in Los Angeles to "stand with" immigrant families. Fr Peter O'Reilly, who has been based in California for decades, was one of several clergymen and women who demonstrated against an ICE crackdown on illegals ordered by US President Donald Trump. The retired cleric, who is originally from Co Longford, said ministers from various faiths had originally planned to have a prayer vigil on the steps of LA's City Hall. He told RTE: "The meeting had been cancelled because of the fear of violence so I felt maybe the thing to do was maybe just mingle with the people and wearing my Roman collar, I thought that would be the best thing to do. "To bear witness. To say, 'we stand with you'. "The mood was serious. It was animated. People were talking to each other. Maybe about 15 yards away were the group who set up the barriers, street barriers, which I found out were to be used to protect them from the rubber bullets fired by the police. "They were firing them. I was not near the front, maybe 15 to 20 yards away. "The police were firing them maybe as a warning, do not riot. I had a feeling too because of what the mayor of Los Angeles had said, that this was not an insurrection. "This is a manufactured thing from Washington, to create confusion and bring about violence rather than peace. "With the Irish experience of being discriminated against for many years and knowing the discrimination here in this country against the Irish. I felt there was something personal about where I was, some of these communities and knowing how many of them were marginalised because of the colour of their skin. "These were hardworking family-oriented people, that we needed to stand with them and let them know we were with them and for them."
RTÉ News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Irish immigrant priest, 90, joins LA protests in solidarity
A 90-year-old priest in Los Angeles, who is originally from Co Longford, has described the protests in the city over anti-immigration raids as very personal, as an Irish immigrant himself. Speaking on RTÉ's News At One programme Fr Peter O'Reilly, who is originally from Abbeylara, said he attended one of the protests yesterday. He had received word that his diocese would be forming a group of interfaith ministers near one of the protests, and they would have a prayer vigil on the steps of City Hall. However, this meeting was subsequently cancelled because of fear of violence, so he said he felt the thing to do was to mingle with the people at the protest. He said that, in wearing his priest's collar, he thought the best thing to do would be to bear witness and say: "We stand with you". Fr O'Reilly said the mood was very serious, but animated. He outlined that street barriers had been set up in order to protect large groups of people from rubber bullets which the police had been firing. The police, he said, were firing them just as a warning for people not to riot. Fr O'Reilly said what is happening in Los Angeles is very personal for him as an immigrant himself. "With the Irish experience of being discriminated against for so many years and knowing the discrimination here in this country against the Irish, I felt there was something personal about that," he said. He continued: "Out of my own personal experience, where I was in some of these communities and knowing how many of them were marginalised because of the colour of their skin. "They're hard working, family-oriented people that we needed to stand with and to let them know we were with them and for them".
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
NFL grants Tennessee Titans international marketing rights in Ireland
NFL grants Tennessee Titans international marketing rights in Ireland The NFL's Global Markets Program is designed to allow teams to build brand awareness and fandom outside the United States. The program started in 2022, and the league aims to have every team participate. Recently, the Nashville Convention and Visitor's Corporation collaborated with the city of Dublin, Ireland, and Aer Lingus Airlines to establish a direct flight from Nashville to Dublin. The flight operates four times a week and connects the Music City with the Celtic tradition of Ireland. In an effort to bolster this relationship, the NFL granted international marketing rights to the Tennessee Titans in Ireland. "Both Nashville and Ireland are deeply rooted in music, storytelling, and community pride. This partnership allows us to authentically connect with Irish fans while promoting the shared values and cultural bonds between our regions," said Burke Nihill, Titans President and CEO. "We see this as a tremendous opportunity to grow our fan base, foster new relationships, and promote the best of Music City abroad." The Titans will now plan marketing campaigns and engagement opportunities in Ireland, including youth football camps, cheer camps, and music-driven events. "We're thrilled to have all 32 clubs a part of the Global Markets Program in 2025," said NFL Executive Vice President Club Business, Major Events & International Peter O'Reilly. "League-wide club participation in the program underlines the strategic priority both the NFL and its teams share, to invest in global growth. We continue to see strong momentum worldwide and look forward to bringing fans internationally closer to our game, together."
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saints players can compete in 2028 Olympics, NFL increases overseas marketing
The NFL is going international -- even more so than before. On Tuesday, the league announced three more franchises have been given official marketing rights in foreign markets, meaning all 32 teams now have a presence abroad. While the New Orleans Saints remain the league's only recognized marketer in France, the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals have been given marketing rights in Canada while the Tennessee Titans will begin marketing themselves in Ireland. Peter O'Reilly, the NFL executive vice president of club business, major events, and international affairs, commented on the development after approval was granted at the league's spring meetings in Minneapolis: "We're thrilled to have all 32 clubs a part of the Global Markets Program in 2025. League-wide club participation in the program underlines the strategic priority both the NFL and its teams share, to invest in global growth. We continue to see strong momentum worldwide and look forward to bringing fans internationally closer to our game, together." Advertisement The NFL's Global Markets Program works to advertise the sport overseas and cultivate followings ahead of more games in the league's International Series, which is expected to include a Saints game played in Paris in the near future. Canada and Ireland are two of the league's priorities with 13 different teams competing for attention in each country. Only a handful of teams have an entire nation's eyes on them alone, and the Saints are one of them. But this wasn't the only international development from Tuesday's owners meetings. A unanimous vote cleared the way for NFL players to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics on the American National Team in flag football. Louisiana native and Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson was in the room making his case, and his efforts were successful. Maybe a Saints player will share the field with him in a few years. "To think about the chance of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal, it's a dream," Jefferson said. He's worked as an ambassador for NFL-sponsored flag football initiatives and is clearly eager to expand the game and bring in more athletes from all around the world. He said he's honored to be a part of that endeavor: "The talent is out there. This game needs to be expanded and be played around the world." This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL owners meetings: Players can participate in Olympics flag football
