Members of AOH Division 3 in Pearl River, NY get the continued the joy of Christmas and Irish Tradition alive with their annual Wren Night celebration. The Fest of St. Stephen on December 26th was traditionally a day of festivities where young boys would collect money to bury a Wren. The wren had a chequered history in Irish folklore as a devious bird. According to legend in a competition to determine who was the king of the birds by who could fly the highest, it hid on the back of an eagle; when the eagle tired it jumped off to continue higher and earn the crown. In other legends, it betrayed … [Read more...] about Division 3 Pearl River, NY Keep the Season and Tradition Alive with Wren Night Festivities
Archives for December 2017
From the Desk of President McKay 12/17
Brothers, Merry Christmas to you, your family and all your local Hibernians. In the midst of this giving season we are all receiving our AOH labels. What better time than the present to make a donation to the label program that supports our Hibernian Charities’. Once all the donations are collected, 100% of the proceeds will be donated in order to support specific Hibernian programs including: Hibernian disaster relief fund; Project St. Patrick vocation scholarships; National History Day; the Irish Way program and many more. Your donation, no matter how large or how small will go a long … [Read more...] about From the Desk of President McKay 12/17
Ancient Order of Hibernians Mourns the Passing of General James Cullen
The National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Judge James F. McKay has issued the following statement in response to the news of the passing of Brigadier General James Cullen: It is with deep sadness that the Ancient Order of Hibernians learned of the passing of Brigadier General James P. Cullen, Esq. after a courageous battle with illness. His passing is a loss to both America and Ireland. The story of General Cullen is in miniature the story of Irish America. He severed his country honorably in the United States Army. Starting from the rank of private soldier, by his … [Read more...] about Ancient Order of Hibernians Mourns the Passing of General James Cullen
BORN ON CHRISTMAS – REMEMBERED ON NEW YEARS
During the 1904 St. Louis World Fair, John Philip Sousa and his band dominated the entertainment, which included a young John McCormack singing at the Irish Pavilion. It was an era when America’s musical superstars were not individuals with a hit recording, but band leaders – people with the ability to not just play, but compose, arrange, and direct a musical organization. In early America, the superstars were those who led marching Brass Bands, and though Sousa was certainly one of them, he was not the first. That honor goes to a man whom Sousa himself called his mentor and whom he … [Read more...] about BORN ON CHRISTMAS – REMEMBERED ON NEW YEARS