Paddy Reilly

Patrick 'Paddy' Reilly (born 18 October 1939) is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. Born in Dublin, he is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry", “Rose of Allendale” and "The Town I Loved So Well". Reilly released his version of "The Fields of Athenry" as a single in 1983; it was the most successful version of this song, remaining in the Irish charts for 72 weeks.For years a solo performer, he joined The Dubliners in 1996 as a replacement for long-time member Ronnie Drew. He left the group after nine years to move to New York City (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. (Reilly sold "Paddy Reilly's" to his former partner, Steve Duggan. According to Duggan, as of April 1, 2013, the building and Bar have been sold to another individual.) As of 2018, Reilly lives in Naples, Florida, and frequents O'Donoghue's Bar & Grill on Marco Island, along with Paddy Murphy's, 5th Avenue, Naples.