Mick O'Reilly was born in the Coombe in October 1946 and was raised in Dublin’s Liberties and Ballyfermot. He left primary school early, following an altercation with a Christian Brother. He worked at Sherling’s, May Robert’s and Lincoln & Nolan’s car factory from a young age before pursuing trade unionism. O’Reilly first joined the Communist Party in England where he lived for two years before joining the Irish Party in 1967. He joined the Labour Party in 1989. In 1992 O’Reilly became District Secretary of the ATATGWU and sat on the committee for the ICTUICTUICTUICTU. Four years later he relocated to Belfast as the first ever nationalist Regional Secretary. He now lives in Drimnagh, Dublin 12.