Resources to Support Your Irish American Heritage Month efforts Sample Irish American Heritage Month Resolution WHEREAS, {Your Locale} is home to a vibrant and thriving Irish American community, whose members have made significant contributions to the cultural, social, and economic life of our state; and Below is a sample Irish American Heritage Month Resolution. It is recommended to tweak it to match your areas, in particular, cite one or two examples of famous Irish Americans in your community (For example a resolution for New Jersey may highlight John Phillip Holland, an Irish … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month 2023
AOH Welcomes President’s Northern Ireland Envoy Appointment
Per the announcement today that President Biden has appointed former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III as the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, National President Daniel J. O'Connell has issued the following statement on behalf of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the largest Irish American organization in the United States. The statement reads: "The Ancient Order of Hibernians, the largest Irish American organization in the United States, welcomes the appointment of Joseph P. Kennedy III to the role of U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland. In selecting a former U.S. Congressman who … [Read more...] about AOH Welcomes President’s Northern Ireland Envoy Appointment
Hibernians Question S.4450, the “ Special Relationship Act.”
National President Daniel O’Connell has written to Senators Portman (Ohio) and Coons (Delaware) to express the Hibernians concerns over their sponsorship of S.4450, the “ Special Relationship Act.” The legislation seeks to grant new presidential authority to enact a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom for a period of five years (a period which should be noted spans the 2024 elections). The Hibernians are concerned that the agreement sets a very low bar for compliance with the Good Friday Agreement despite previous resolutions from Congress stating that any move … [Read more...] about Hibernians Question S.4450, the “ Special Relationship Act.”
Irish American Heritage Month: Patrick Gallagher, USMC
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 heartsick 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
Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, USMC Recipient of two Medals of Honor and Nominated for a Third
In the history of the Medal of Honor, the United States Highest award for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty", only 19 men have been awarded the medal twice. Among them is Marine Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, one of only two marines to receive the Medal of Honor Twice for separate acts of heroism and nominated for a third. Daly was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, on 11 November 1873. He was slight of stature, only 5’ 6" in height and weighing 132 lbs, yet enjoyed an early reputation as a fighter, a reputation he would prove … [Read more...] about Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, USMC Recipient of two Medals of Honor and Nominated for a Third
Irish American Heritage Month: Colonel Eileen Collins, A Descendent 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 a family that traced their heritage to immigrants 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 father would often take her to the local airport to watch aircraft take off and … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Colonel Eileen Collins, A Descendent of Immigrants Who Attained the Stars
Irish American Heritage Month: Andrew Higgins, the ‘Noah’ of WW II
“The Jaws of Death.” A photo by CPHOM Robert F. Sargent, USCG. A Coast Guard-manned LCVP from the USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division on the morning of June 6, 1944, at Omaha Beach It is an iconic image of WW II, a photo taken on June 6, 1944 showing American soldiers exiting a landing craft coming ashore at Omaha beach. A few months later on October 20th, another photo captured the moment General Douglas MacArthur “returned” to the Philippines, wading ashore from a landing craft. Neither of these historic moments would have been possible … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Andrew Higgins, the ‘Noah’ of WW II
Irish American Heritage Month: Annie Moore, First Trough the Golden Door
The statue of Annie Moore and her brothers at Cobh, Ireland During its period of operation from 1892 till 1954, over 12 million immigrants entered through the immigration station at Ellis Island, a name that was to become synonymous with the “Golden Door” and the “American Dream”. It is estimated that today over forty percent of the United States population can trace their ancestry to an immigrant that entered Ellis Island. On New Year’s Day Morning 1892 on the deck of the steamship Nevada stood three adolescents, Annie Moore and her brothers Phillip and Anthony. They were perhaps … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Annie Moore, First Trough the Golden Door
Irish American Heritage Month: Col. Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy
The recent HBO Mini-Series The Pacific has brought a long overdue recognition to the sacrifices and hardships endured by the U.S. Marines in the Second World War. These battles were fought on isolated islands that one would struggle to locate on a map: Guadalcanal, Roi-Namur, Saipan-Tinian, Peleliu, Okinawa. Combat was often at point blank range; not only did the men involved battle the enemy, but poisonous snakes, insects, disease and the climate. Nowhere was the fighting harder than the Battle of Iwo Jima, a battle where Admiral Nimitz later observed “Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue.” No … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Col. Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy
Irish American Heritage Month: Col. Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy
The recent HBO Mini-Series The Pacific has brought a long overdue recognition to the sacrifices and hardships endured by the U.S. Marines in the Second World War. These battles were fought on isolated islands that one would struggle to locate on a map: Guadalcanal, Roi-Namur, Saipan-Tinian, Peleliu, Okinawa. Combat was often at point blank range; not only did the men involved battle the enemy, but poisonous snakes, insects, disease and the climate. Nowhere was the fighting harder than the Battle of Iwo Jima, a battle where Admiral Nimitz later observed “Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue.” No … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Col. Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy
Irish American Heritage Month: “Wild Bill” Donovan, “The Last Hero.”
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, for the first time in over four years, the guns fell silent across the trenches that scarred the face of Europe during the First World War. America had been latecomers to the conflict but at a tremendous cost had tipped the scales in what had been a murderous stalemate. No division had sacrificed more than the 42nd Division, nicknamed the "Rainbow Division," as it had been formed from National Guard Units whose origins stretched across the country. No unit in the Rainbow Division fought on more fronts, nor suffered more … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: “Wild Bill” Donovan, “The Last Hero.”
Irish American Heritage Month: The Emmets, an Irish and Irish American Story
Robert Emmet Thomas Emmet in Later Life On the surface, the brothers Thomas Addis Emmet and Robert Emmet were the most unlikely of revolutionaries. They were born (Thomas Addis 1764, Robert 1778) into an affluent family of Ireland's Protestant ascendency. Their father was the State Physician of Ireland; firmly positioning the family as members of the British establishment. Yet the spirit of the enlightenment ran strong in the Emmet family; they were sympathetic to the struggle for independence of the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War and critics of the disenfranchisement … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Emmets, an Irish and Irish American Story
Irish American Heritage Month: Kathleen McNulty, an Irish American “Hidden Figure”
Kathleen Rita McNulty was born in the village of Creeslough on February 12, 1921, the third of six children of Anne Nelis and James McNulty. Her father was Commandant of the Doe Battalion of the Irish Volunteers. On the night of her birth, he was arrested and imprisoned in Derry Gaol for two years for his republican activities. On his release, the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where James worked as a stonemason and went on to establish a successful construction business, frequently working with Irish American John B Kelly, the father of … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Kathleen McNulty, an Irish American “Hidden Figure”
Irish American Heritage Month: The Foley Brothers “No greater love than to lay down your life for another”
At the young age of 32, Thomas Foley was already an 11-year decorated veteran firefighter of the FDNY and a legend. He was a larger than life individual who embraced life to the fullest and seemed to excel at everything he tried from powerlifting to skydiving. Having learned to ride horses on visits to his grandfather's farm, he even excelled as a competitor on the rodeo circuit. With boyish good looks, Thomas Foley was featured twice by People Magazine and appeared in the FDNY's "2003 Calendar of Heroes." However, being a firefighter was Thomas Foley's first passion; it was all he wanted to … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Foley Brothers “No greater love than to lay down your life for another”
Irish American Heritage Month: The Parachuting Padre
As an Army chaplain, Fr. Francis L. Sampson saw combat in two wars and earned the nickname of "the Parachuting Padre." His actions during the D-Day campaign would be adapted as part of two major motion pictures, though in both his actions would be attributed to others. Fr. Sampson was born in Cherokee, Iowa, the descendant of Immigrants from County Cork. Fr. Sampson graduated from Notre Dame before entering St. Paul's Seminary in Minnesota. He served briefly as a parish priest. When the U.S. entered the war, Fr. Sampson sought and was granted permission to join the … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Parachuting Padre
Irish American Heritage Month: The Sheas, Three Generations of Olympians
Since the ancient past, societies have honored athletes. Athletic competition may have developed out of pragmatic concerns such as training warriors, but it was soon realized that certain individuals were gifted with exceptional talents. In the Ancient Olympic Games winning competitors were awarded Olive Wreaths and honored as human incarnations of Apollo; in modern times they are honored with some of the highest salaries in the world. These honors are given in recognition of how exceptional athletic prowess is in on one individual; what then would be the likelihood of finding world class … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Sheas, Three Generations of Olympians
Irish American Heritage Month: Anne Sullivan, ‘The Miracle Worker’
Imagine the loneliness and isolation of a person who is both deaf and blind. Even worse, imagine that isolation beginning when you were only 19 months old when the disease took these vital senses away before you comprehended the concept of what the word was, leaving you with limited means to convey your thought and feelings. This is the description of the challenge that newly graduated teacher Anne Sullivan was taking on when she was hired to be the governess and teacher to seven-year-old Hellen Keller. Anne was only twenty years old and was herself seriously visually impaired. Sullivan was … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Anne Sullivan, ‘The Miracle Worker’
How to Contact Your Congressional Representative to Cosponsor the 50th Anniversary Bloody Sunday Sign Resolution
Please check the current list of Resolution Sponsors on the AOH Website by clicking here If your Congressperson has already signed, contact them to say thank you on behalf of the Hibernians If not, please contact them; below are suggested steps. Please read the suggested script below or determine what you wish to say in your own words before contacting your Congressional Representatives office to ensure that it is crisp and on point when you speak. You will only have a few minutes and must be focused and on topic. Call your Congressional Representatives Office; the phone … [Read more...] about How to Contact Your Congressional Representative to Cosponsor the 50th Anniversary Bloody Sunday Sign Resolution
Hibernians Helping at Christmas
With typical Irish resolve and spirit, members of AOH Division 3, Pearl River, NY did not let concern over new Covid variants spoil Christmas for those with special needs. For the second year in a row, members of the AOH and LAOH along with OMM Buddyball, and with the support of the Orangeburg Fire and Police Departments and several local community organizations, hosted a “Reverse Christmas Parade.” The Hibernians have for many years hosted a Christmas party for those with special needs, both children and adults. Covid concerns last year made an indoor party untenable, so with a bit of … [Read more...] about Hibernians Helping at Christmas
On Veteran’s Day We Thank and Remember Those Who Served.
https://youtu.be/gw9xgswOkVs … [Read more...] about On Veteran’s Day We Thank and Remember Those Who Served.