Career
He is one of Ireland"s most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well". Reilly released his version of The Fields of Athenry in 1983. lieutenant was the most successful version of this song, remaining in the Irish charts for 72 weeks.
Foreign years a solo performer, he joined The Dubliners in 1996 as a replacement for long-time member Ronnie Drew.
He left the group after 9 years to move to New York (where he owns a number of pubs) in 2005 and was replaced by Patsy Watchorn. He owned a number of bars in New York, including Paddy Reilly"s on 29th Street and 2nd Avenue.