Life of what?!

In the UK, living the Life of Reilly is a well-known saying for someone who has a carefree, charmed or easy life.

Brits, you can probably stop reading this page now as you know exactly what it means – everyone else, here’s your random history lesson for today.

The saying originated from an Irish song, written in the 1880s, about a man name Reilly who suddenly came into money and made the most of his new fortune by living a very comfortable life.

It was written into other Irish songs and was soon found in a printed article in 1911, when an American author wrote about a bull who was said to be “living the life of Reilly.”

It became a popular saying in America, especially in the military, and several soldiers wrote home about some of their comrades “living the life of Reilly” in various places around Europe.

Despite the saying being so big in the USA, by the 1920s it seemed to die out there.

Across the Atlantic, though, it’s remained strong in the UK and Ireland with songs still being written about a certain Mr Reilly and his lavish, laidback life.

Ok, so now you know what the saying means, you can see why it perfectly sums up our attitude to life and travel. It also helps that Reilly is our surname, too for that (Dr Evil quotation marks) ‘clever’ blog name that everyone wants.

We also hope that you learn to travel and live the “Life of Reilly” by watching our videos, reading our blog and going out there and giving some of our trip, ideas and advice a go.