Career
Born in Barnagrove, County Cavan, he emigrated to Philadelphia in 1912 where he settled in the Irish-American enclave of Corktown (now part of Powelton Village). Except for two visits back to Ireland, he remained in the Philadelphia area for the rest of his life. Reavy was a fiddler, and recorded in 1927 for the Victor record label, including two reels ("The Boys of the Lough" and "Tom Clark"s Fancy") and two hornpipes ("The Donegal" and "The Cliff").
His most famous tune may be "The Hunter"s House".
Reavy was president of the Irish Musicians" Association of America. In 2000, he was posthumously awarded the title "Composer of the Century" by an Irish-American organization.