Tom O'Reilly (Cavan politician)

Thomas P. O'Reilly, known as Big Tom, lived from 6 August 1915 to 12 February 1995 and was an Irish Gaelic footballer, politician and farmer from County Cavan. He played for Cornafean and the Cavan county team from the early 1930s until the mid-1940s and was acclaimed as one of the country's greatest midfielders, winning nine Cavan Senior Football Championship medals with his club. He made his Cavan senior debut in 1933 and played a key role at midfield when Cavan defeated Galway in the 1933 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, won a second All-Ireland medal two years later, played on the losing teams in the 1937, 1943 and 1945 finals, captained the county from 1937 to 1945 and was still on the panel for the 1947 final victory at the Polo Grounds in New York. He was elected to Dáil Éireann as an Independent for Cavan in 1944.