Patrick Gallagher was born in Derrintogher, County Mayo Ireland on February 2, 1944. At the age of eighteen, as so many you Irish men and women before him, Patrick immigrated to the United States and the promise of a new life filled with opportunity. He quickly started on the immigrant dream: studying law while working in real estate; even getting involved in local politics as a campaign worker for Senator Robert Kennedy. In 1966, Patrick was drafted for service in Viet Nam. Despite pleas from a heart sick sister living in the states to avoid the horrors of war by simply returning to … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Patrick Gallagher, USMC
Archives for March 2017
Political Education: With Britain’s Invocation of Article 50, AOH Renews Calls for Special Envoy to Northern Ireland
Today, the British Government of Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 and began the process of the United Kingdom severing its relationship with the European Union, which includes among its members the Republic of Ireland. The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) is extremely concerned for the implications this action will have for the people of the island of Ireland and repeats its call for the appointment of a U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland. Ms. May’s decision to trigger Brexit against the backdrop of the current political crisis in Northern Ireland where recent elections … [Read more...] about Political Education: With Britain’s Invocation of Article 50, AOH Renews Calls for Special Envoy to Northern Ireland
A TALE OF TWO O’HARES
Here are two stories and both are absolutely true – and worth reading! The first began on 5 September 1893 when a son was born in St. Louis, MO to Irish-American parents Patrick Joseph and Cecilia Malloy O'Hare. Then named him Edward and he grew up to be a successful lawyer. He married Selma Louth who gave him three children: Edward (1914), Patricia (1919) and Marilyn (1924). In 1927, Edward moved to Chicago in hope of finding a better life. At the time, Al Capone virtually owned the city and was involved in everything from bootleg booze to prostitution. Capone needed a good lawyer and Eddie … [Read more...] about A TALE OF TWO O’HARES
Statement on the Passing of Martin McGuinness
The Ancient Order of Hibernians mourn the passing of former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness. Per AOH National President Judge James McKay “It is with deep sadness that the Ancient Order of Hibernians learned of the passing of Martin McGuinness. If the measure of a man is how much he has grown in his life; then it must be acknowledged that Martin McGuinness became a giant in his all too brief 66 years on this earth. In his youth, Martin McGuinness was filled with the passion of youth to fight injustice, injustice he witnessed personally as he saw peaceful … [Read more...] about Statement on the Passing of Martin McGuinness
Irish American Heritage Month: The Fighting Sullivan Brothers
DID YOU KNOW that in the annals of America's heroes, there is scarcely a brighter entry than that of the fighting Sullivan brothers? Born in Waterloo, Iowa to Railroad conductor Tom Sullivan and his wife Alleta, George, Francis, Albert, Joseph, and Madison grew up the best of friends in the closeness of an Irish family and matured into patriotic Americans. It was no surprise therefore, that when Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Sullivan brothers headed straight for the nearest U.S. Navy recruiting office. Navy policy discouraged family members from serving together, but the Sullivans were … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Fighting Sullivan Brothers
Irish American Heritage Month: Colonel Eileen Collins, A Child of Immigrants Who Attained the Stars
On July 30th 1999, 30 years and two days after the first successful moonwalk, Irish American Colonel Eileen Marie Collins became the first woman to command a U.S. spacecraft. Eileen Collins was one of four children born to immigrant parents from County Cork who had settled in Elmira New York. At an early age Eileen expressed an interest in flying, the skies around her home a frequent home to sailplanes and Elmira was home to the National Soaring Museum. Her parents would often take her to the local airport to watch aircraft take off and land. However, there was little money in a struggling … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Colonel Eileen Collins, A Child of Immigrants Who Attained the Stars
Irish American Heritage Month: Ther Angel of Andersonville
DID YOU KNOW that an Irish Catholic Priest Rev. Thomas O’Reilly threatened General Sherman with a mutiny by the Irish Catholics in his army if he torched the church district of Atlanta at the start of his infamous march to the sea and that General Sherman backed down and the entire church district was saved, including the City Hall which stood therein? However, Rev. Peter Whelan was just as courageous in another way. Rev. Whelan distinguished himself as a chaplain for the Montgomery Guards, an Irish company established in Savannah for the First Georgia Volunteer Regiment named for America’s … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Ther Angel of Andersonville
President Declares 2017 Irish American Heritage Month
President Donald J. Trump Proclaims March 2017 as Irish-American Heritage Month IRISH-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2017 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Irish Americans have made an indelible mark on the United States. From Dublin, California, to Limerick, Maine, from Emerald Isle, North Carolina, to Shamrock, Texas, we are reminded of the more than 35 million Americans of Irish descent who contribute every day to all facets of life in the United States. Over generations, millions of Irish have crossed the ocean in search of the American Dream, … [Read more...] about President Declares 2017 Irish American Heritage Month
Mary MacSwiney
On March 27, 1872, Mary MacSwiney (Maire Nic Shuibhne) was born in Surrey, England, of an Irish father and an English mother. She grew up in Cork beset by illness which culminated with the loss of an infected foot. Educated as a teacher, by 1900 she was teaching in a convent school. Her mother's death in 1904 led to her return to Cork to head the household and secure a teaching post back at St Angela's. The MacSwiney household was intensely separatist. They read Arthur Griffith newspaper, although they rejected his dual monarchy policy. She refused to join Griffith's Sinn Féin because she … [Read more...] about Mary MacSwiney