Heraldry describes our coat of arms and rules on questions of rank. This page will discuss the coat of arms.
Coat of Arms for Breifne, O’Reilly clan:
Coat of arms includes all that can be viewed in the image.
Royalty signatures in our coat of arms are:
- The crown sits atop everything, as the ultimate symbol of royalty.
- The helm symbolizes the warrior King residing over the rest.
- The neck is protected by a silverplated steel plate.
- The crown is modeled after the King of Breifne.
- The emerald is the most important and precious jewel in Ireland (representative of the Emerald Isle)
- The rampant lions (on 2 feet) stand erect, facing each other, tongues protruding
- A Romanesque shaped shield completes the intricacy of the Royal Coat of Arms
Central feature (Loyalty):
Blood drops bleeding from a freshly couped dexter hand, supported and guarded by the rampant lions, represent the depth of loyalty. This loyalty extends both from the king to the people, and the people to the king. (Couped = cut, Dexter = right hand)
Crest:
- Drape on top and sides is the crest: gold and silver (oak/ivy) leaves
- Sign of wealth (Old Saying: The life of Reilly)
- Family tree on top: Oak tree, symbol of strength
Our brand colors
- Green in the shield (particular to O’Reilly)
- Gold (power and royalty)
- County Meath (Mídh) (meaning middle) has these colours.
- Kingdom of Breifne was originally known as the Middle Kingdom.
Motto (In latin, celtic font)
Fortitude et Prudentia = With Fortitude and with Prudence.
Fortitude = “With courageous strength that does not back down.” (We don’t give up.)
Prudence = Measured wisdom. Calculated to bring the best outcome with least effort. (We do it prudently. We don’t waste energy or do things that dont need to be done.)
