He was a profound influence on many popular folk and traditional singers, based largely on recordings of his singing by the Irish song collector Tom Munnelly, which were not released until after his death in 1969.

They also assisted with haymaking or harvesting on farms, although Reilly was frequently passed over in favour of stronger-looking workers on account of his slight build and relatively frail appearance.

During the Second World War, Reilly moved with his family to Belfast, as it was easier to get tin in the North than the South at that time, and other provisions were also more easily obtainable.

By the mid-1960s, Reilly was living in reduced circumstances in a derelict house on Green Street and was not feeding himself well, which had a deleterious effect on his already poor health.

In 1969, D. K. Wilgus, a professor of folksong in the University of California Los Angeles, visited Ireland and was told by Munnelly of Reilly and that same weekend the two set off for Boyle to record him.

Unfortunately, Reilly was suffering from a cold and his regular friend, Mrs Grehan, was away in hospital for three months undergoing a hip operation so was unable to look after him.

When Munnelly and Wilgus returned to Boyle a few weeks later hoping to find Reilly in better health, they found him in a very poor state in his derelict house having had no food for several days and suffering from pneumonia.

Sinéad O'Connor later recorded Reilly's "Lord Baker" as a duet with Moore on her 2002 album Sean-Nos Nua, but with amended words and music.

Moore has also gone on to sing "Green Grows The Laurel" (aka "The Captain") as well as "What Put The Blood" and "Tippin it Up" from Reilly's repertoire, and has hinted he may yet do others.

Moore's friend and travelling companion Davoc Rynne wrote of them hearing Reilly for the first time: (At Grehan's pub, the following night) The woman of the house called for "Silence for the singer" and this little man cleared his throat nervously and began to sing.

[9] In October 2018, both John Reilly and Tom Munnelly (who died in 2007) were posthumously inducted into the Irish Traditional Music Hall of Fame at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.