The 6ft 4in murderer was honoured at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, Co Laois, after completing his Open University course in Business earlier this month
Joe O’Reilly and Rose Callaly (Late Late Show 2007)
Wife killer Joe O’Reilly celebrated graduating his university course behind bars with his dedicated girlfriend in attendance.
The 6ft 4in murderer was honoured at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, Co Laois, after completing his Open University course in Business earlier this month.
His devoted partner Nikki Pelley was among those who was invited to the ceremony along with another member of his family.
Evil O’Reilly, 54, who murdered mother-of-two Rachel Callaly, 30, at her home in the Naul, Co Dublin in 2004, also recently had a family visit where he got to spend time with his parents, Ms Pelley and other loved ones in a neutral venue within the jail.
Picture Shows. Pic-Up… Of Rachel OÄôReilly who was brutally beaten to death by her husband Joe OÄôReilly.
Date:07.07.2017
Photo:Mick O’Neill.
Rachel O’reilly
Rachel Callaly
A source said: “O’Reilly celebrated completing his Open University course last week and Nikki and a family member attended the ceremony.
“He was delighted to get to share the special occasion with them. Nikki is very devoted to him and visits him almost every weekend.
“He got the qualification in Business and has spent a number of years studying it.”
The source added: “Nikki and O’Reilly’s parents also visited two weeks ago under a Section 39, which is kind of like an open visit in the waiting room.
“While prison staff are present, they keep their distance. It’s generally held in a natural area and gives the prisoner and their family more privacy and is a bit more intimate.”
The source added: “O’Reilly likes to keep himself busy and when not doing his Open University course, he works in the prison tuck shop.
“It is so busy due to the high prisoner numbers, he is kept going that’s for sure.
“It’s very much a trusted job and he has had it for about four years now. He is by all means a model prisoner.
“Apart from work and college, he likes to work out and keep fit and healthy. He was very much into martial arts back in the day and can often be seen practicing that.”
O’Reilly continues to maintain his innocence despite being locked up for almost 20 years.
Rachel Callaly and Joe O’Reilly
He pleaded not guilty at his 2007 trial to murdering Rachel but the jury accepted the prosecution evidence and found him guilty and he was jailed for life.
Devoted mother Rachel was found bludgeoned in a pool of blood after being beaten to death with a dumbbell.
O’Reilly thought he had committed the perfect crime and even appeared on The Late Late Show with Rachel’s heartbroken parents appealing to the public to help catch her killer.
It emerged during his court case that he was having an affair with work colleague Ms Pelley when he decided to kill his young wife.
Prior to being moved to the Midlands Prison in 2022, O’Reilly was housed in Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison where he worked as a cook in the jail kitchen.
The source added: “There has been talk for some time that he wanted to return to Arbour Hill but it’s very unlikely he will at this stage.
“He loved it in Arbour Hill as it is deemed a lot more quiet compared to other prisons and he loved working in the kitchen there, cooking and baking for other inmates.
“He has a good routine going in the Midlands now though and his family visit him almost weekly. He stays out of trouble and just gets on with it.
“As he has never admitted killing Rachel it’s unlikely he will get parole anytime soon.”
A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said: “The Irish Prison Service does not comment on individual prisoner cases.”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.