Thanks to coordinated outreach by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, 37 members of Congress signed onto the recent bipartisan letter urging President Trump to appoint a U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland. That’s a significant achievement, and one we should all take pride in. It reflects growing recognition in Washington of the critical role the U.S. must continue to play in securing peace, economic development, and justice in the North.
Credit where it’s due: this didn’t happen on its own. It happened because Hibernians picked up the phone, sent emails, and made this matter to their representatives. Every one of those 37 signatures has an AOH member behind it who got involved and followed through — and we thank you.
But as proud as we are of that number, we need to be honest with ourselves: it should have been higher.
This was not a controversial issue. The Special Envoy role has existed under every U.S. President since 1995. It supports peace. It supports business. It costs the taxpayer next to nothing. And yet, we didn’t get signatures from several congressional representatives who represent districts where Hibernians are well established.
One of the signers? A representative from Guam. That’s right — Guam. Meanwhile, in areas with strong AOH presence, we came up short.
As we reviewed those districts, one thing became clear: in every case where support was absent, so was meaningful outreach from our local divisions. That’s not about blame, it’s about reality. We can’t expect results if we’re not making the ask. Political engagement isn’t passive, it’s personal, and it’s local.
This should be a wake-up call. Having a presence isn’t enough. Our voice must be heard directly by the people we elect. Offices need to know that when the AOH is engaged it’s a call to action. That’s how we build influence, that’s how we deliver results.
We got 37 this time. That’s our floor, not our ceiling. Let’s get to work.