William Reilly is flying the Wee County flag with distinction in the English capital, where he had the honour of becoming the first-ever Louth-born President of London GAA in December, 2016.

Originally from Dromiskin, Willie represented the Dromiskin Unknowns on the field of play. The last match he played was in 1958 and it was a big occasion as Unknowns locked horns with local rivals Darver Volunteers in the first round of the Louth SFC. Willie was on Jimmy McDonnell, one of the stars of Louth's 1957 All-Ireland success. The local rivalry was fierce, although of course Unknowns and Volunteers have since joined forces as St Josephs.

Willie was 22 when he left Ireland in '58 and moved to the UK. He played a bit of football across the channel but, as he travelled to different parts of the UK before settling in London, there wasn't much of an opportunity to extend his playing career in a meaningful way.

He established renowned civil engineering contractor W. Reilly Ltd. in 1993 and the company has established an outstanding reputation for rail works and rail maintenance, mostly in the Greater London area. W Reilly Ltd. has been a terrific success story, currently employing 40 people, although that number can increase significantly depending on the contracts that are being delivered at any given time.

Although he has been based in the UK for close to 60 years, Willie has never lost his love of the Wee County or the GAA. He travels home at least six times each year and invariable tries to coincide these trips with Louth matches.

He Louth man has immersed himself in the GAA in London. He's chairman of Brother Pearses Hurling Club - the oldest GAA club in London - as well as being President of London GAA and one of the patrons of the new county grounds at Ruislip.

Like many Irish exiles, the GAA has remained a huge part of William Reilly's life. As the saying goes, you can take the man out of Louth but you can't take Louth out of the man!

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