Dorothea Mary Browne-O’Reilly (1893 - 1973) was admitted to the Roll under her maiden name of Browne, the entry was amended following her marriage to ‘DM O’Reilly’, which is the name by which she became known. She was the fourth child of an Royal Irish Constabulary sergeant who in the 1901 census was marked deceased leaving a widow aged 34 with six children in total, the eldest 14 and the youngest two. The family were Roman Catholic, living in Mitchelstown, Co, Cork at the time.
O’Reilly worked as a Law Clerk for one of the most remarkable Irish solicitors, Jasper Travers Wolfe, Skibbereen, Co Cork, a Methodist and Crown solicitor in West Cork. He incurred the wrath of the IRA. O’Reilly was travelling in Wolfe’s car when it was subject to an aborted IRA ambush. She became indentured to him on the 5 November 1921, aged 28. It was necessary for law clerks to serve seven years prior to becoming indentured. She emulated the first two women’s achievements being placed second in the Final Examination, awarded a Silver Medal. She was admitted to the Roll on the 17 November 1924.
She met another apprentice during her studies Patrick F. O’Reilly whom she married. They founded a firm in Dublin, named P.F. O’Reilly& Co and both practised for the ensuing decades. The firm continues to practise, with her grandson Peter O’Reilly as the third generation solicitor. O’ Reilly practised throughout her life, during which time she had three children. Her husband was in politics, elected to the Senate of the Republic of Ireland in 1951-1954, and was subsequently was appointed a Taxing Master, which meant that O’Reilly was the critical solicitor in managing the practice. She retired in the 1960s and died in 1973.
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