For an update on the O'Reilly's preposterous allegation that they are victims of "cyberstalking" click here.
I'd like to talk with anyone with direct knowledge of Cuchullaine and Basha O'Reilly's professional exploits in equestrian travel and publishing for a possible story on the O'Reillys and self made explorers in general. Trying to separate fiction and "froth" from fact and am not seeking private details of the O'Reilly's life that have no bearing on their professional claims.
I am particularly interested in finding out what happened to the The World Ride. (The World Ride site is now dark as of May 24, 2014 but an archived version is here.) This World Ride was apparently the magnum opus of the O'Reilly's, being the first to ride all the way around the world, and in their own estimation, historically as significant as walking on the Moon. But it all came to a halt in 2010 and after five years silence, it's not clear whether the event is still planned. The O'Reilly's seem to have dropped off the edge of the very world they were going to ride around.
The O'Reillys are self-professed WORLD experts on equestrian travel actively promoting themselves, their books, opinions and expertise through the Long Riders Guild website. This begs the question of why, after 8 years of planning, there are virtually no details published by the O'Reillys of how they were going to conduct the World Ride. Even someone unfamiliar with equestrian travel might ask:
Will they have a support vehicle, pack animals or just what can fit in their saddlebags? Will they travel alone, the two of them, or be accompanied by other riders during various stages of the trip? Where will they sleep and eat each day? Tents, hotels or will they count on the hospitality of whoever they meet each day?
This is not to say that a trip of this magnitude can or should be planned down to every single detail, but the basics are missing entirely.
What should be a Master Course in equestrian travel planning is instead a vague plan indeed with more emphasis on taking an aging horse and a brand new horse than practical details. There is a ROUTE plan, one that completely passes by the entire country of Mongolia and it's ideal conditions for horse travel in favor of riding through Siberian taiga!
It should be noted that there are many experienced equestrian travelers and members of the equestrian related press who consider Mr. O'Reilly to fall somewhere on the spectrum from bombastic crackpot to full blown fraud.
These two videos may help explain:
Here are a number of questions that the O'Reilly's have refused to address but others may be able to answer.
How I first met Cuchullaine: Email Exchange December 2012
Cuchullaine O'Reilly's biography on the Long Riders Guild website is an interesting read. The reader should keep in mind that while the format of the biography appears as an interview, it is in fact, Mr. O'Reilly interviewing himself. This is an interesting style for a someone claiming a journalism degree and a pretense that is anathema to genuine journalists. One of many points of interest is Mr. O'Reilly's mention of "my solo ride through the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan". This refers to the ride that qualifies Mr. O'Reilly to be a member of his own club but the statement is flat false. Mr. O'Reilly's own book makes it clear that there were several members of that ride. In fact, while Mr. O'Reilly's book is a FICTIONAL account of the ride, there is a NON-FICTION account of the ride available here. Anyone who fails to read the entire forward and the one refernce to being fictitous can read the entire book and think it is non-fiction. Clearly, from reviews online, MANY readers believe the story is non-fiction. O'Reilly says it is fiction based on real events. So we have a story written by Mr. O'Reilly which also qualifies him as an expert but no way to know what parts of the story are true and what are fantasy. If Mr. O'Reilly were a credible journalist, he would eschew this sort of sleight of hand which allows him to make to portray himself and his actions in any light that pleases him.
If anyone can help clear up confusion about Cuchullaine O'Reilly's membership status in the Royal Geographic Society, The Explorers Club and The Adventurers Club please contact me. While O'Reilly was apparently a member of those organizations at one point, he says that he is "formerly" a member in the bio piece attached to this editorial excoriating those same clubs. http://www.thelongridersguild.com/exploration-clubs.htm and here: http://www.explorersweb.com/world/news.php?id=21163
On March 31, 2014 Cuchullaine and Basha O'Reilly distributed a 27 page screed demanding my arrest and sent the document to dozens if not hundreds of unsuspecting recipients. They ranged from the Mongolian Ambassador to the US to the Montana office of the FBI. That document, with my annotations is here: http://ripleydavenport.net/american%20diplomat%20accused%20of%20cyberstalking%20annotated.pdf
Included with the screed was a compilation of "affidavits" from various individuals demanding my arrest. There was also a "Master List" of 120 names of people from Australia, the US, Ireland, etc. who, the "List" insinuated, were all victims or people harassed by me. Suffice it to say that of that list, only a handfull would describe themselves as having a negative view of my interaction with them.
Of legal interest are four points. First, unless the screed above is factually correct in all ways, the O'Reilly's are eligible to be charged for filing a false police report, punishable by a fine of $500 and 6 months in jail. Second, the "affidavits" are very formulaic, with identical Subject lines and mistaken identification of Ellie Hill as a Congressman. This suggests coordination between the O'Reillys and those producing the affidavits. If this material is false and malicious then a charge of criminal conspiracy is possible. Third, Basha O'Reilly, in an unsolicited email to my wife, declares "please be advised that I believe I am in danger and I am requesting your help as a fellow human being to protect me from your husband." She then clearly states "I want Kent Madin to cease all contact with me, and anyone associated with me. I want the cyber squatting websites to be taken down. If this happens at once, I will consider dropping my request for his arrest by the FBI and the Montana State Attorney." This is very near to the definition of "extortion". Fourth, in the event I were to bring a civil suit charging libel, it is likely that a favorable judgement would make both the O'Reillys and all those providing affidavits "jointly and severally liable" for paying the full amount of the judgement.
Affidavits Calling for the Arrest of Kent Madin
Master List of implied victims
(NOTE: It may be necessary to download the .pdf files above and open them in Reader if your browser does not handle annotations)
Kent Madin rett139@yahoo.com Skype KentinBZN
The long riders guild, long riders, equestrian The World Ride
Thelongridersguild.com
www.theworldride.org
www.thelongridersguild.com
Cuchullaine O'Reilly, basha o'reilly, Long Riders Guild equestrian travel khyber knights cuchullaine basha sikunder pompeii cuchullaine