Members of the National Board at the site of the Michael Collins ambush near Béal na Bláth. The late Professor Marshall McLuhan presciently noted, long before the advent of the World Wide Web, that we “live today in an age of information and communication [in which] electric media instantly and constantly create a total field of interacting events in which all men participate.” The contents of entire libraries now reside online, making history accessible from any place, at any time, without the need for even local travel. Even so, there has been a renewed interest in recent years, across … [Read more...] about Experiencing the Places of History
National Historians Report – Jan/Feb/Mar 2025
The Making of Bodenstown The mortal remains of Theobald Wolfe Tone were discreetly committed to the earth in the family plot at Bodenstown, County Kildare, on Wednesday, June 21, 1798. As few as two and no more than a dozen or so individuals were present at the burial, reflecting the order of Lord Castlereagh, Chief Secretary for Ireland, who had released the body on the “express condition that no assemblage of people shall be permitted and that it (the body) be interred in the most private manner.” Castlereagh went to his own grave two decades later, presumably thinking he had succeeded in … [Read more...] about National Historians Report – Jan/Feb/Mar 2025
2025 AOH History Tour of Ireland
The Ancient Order of Hibernians will be hosting a 2025 AOH History Tour of Ireland led by AOH National Historian Dan Taylor. With space limited to one bus and 40 travelers President Sean Pender wanted to extend this offer to the general membership. If interested, please complete and return the application, contact President Pender with any questions. Spaces will be held only with paid deposit. Open to AOH members and their guests. This will no doubt be a very memorable trip. We will be recording presentations by our AOH historian at each historical site. Those recordings will be shared on our … [Read more...] about 2025 AOH History Tour of Ireland
The First JFK Medal
The AOH and LAOH honored legendary Pittsburgh Steeler and inspirational veteran advocate Rocky Bleier with the JFK Memorial Medal at the recent convention in in Pittsburgh. AOH National President Daniel J. O’Connell with 2022 JFK Recipient Rocky Bleier, The first award of the medal was made in 1966 to the Hon. James Farley, former Postmaster General under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Farley, the grandson of Irish immigrants, managed FDR's presidential campaigns in 1932 and 1936 and was an influential member of the New Deal "Brain Trust". The University of Notre Dame awarded Farley its … [Read more...] about The First JFK Medal
Hancock and Armistead
A monument to Major General Winfield Scott Hancock at Gettysburg National Military Park. It was dedicated in 1896 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Historians and Hollywood producers alike have held up the story of Union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Armistead to illustrate the tragedy of internecine warfare. Hancock and Armistead had developed a friendship when stationed together in California before the war, with Armistead famously sending Mrs. Hancock the Armistead family bible for safekeeping as he left to join the Confederate As … [Read more...] about Hancock and Armistead
Bloody Sunday, State Violence and Legitimacy
The German Sociologist Max Weber famously defined the modern state as the “human community that claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” (Emphasis added). The violence in Dublin on Sunday November 21, 1920, “Bloody Sunday,” began with the culmination of Michael Collins’ masterful counterintelligence operation – nineteen suspected British intelligence agents were shot by members of Collins’ special unit known as “the Squad,” augmented by members of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA, including future Taoiseach Sean Lemass. The British had dominated Irish … [Read more...] about Bloody Sunday, State Violence and Legitimacy
Notre Dame, Nativism and the “Fighting Irish”
The country is again in the midst of a movement aimed at retiring team names and mascots deemed to be offensive. As with prior such movements, the “Fighting Irish” moniker and leprechaun mascot, with his classic “fisticuffs stance”, have entered the discussion. Those objecting to the nickname are presumably well-intentioned. But is “Fighting Irish” a slur? Or does the term have an origin of which the University, its students, alumni and the countless “subway alumni” can rightfully be proud? Long before Notre Dame was established, the Irish soldier had a reputation for military prowess among … [Read more...] about Notre Dame, Nativism and the “Fighting Irish”