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The Ancient Order of Hibernians

The Oldest and Largest Irish-Catholic Organization in the United States. Established 1836

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Irish American Heritage Month Profiles

James Duane: The Irish American Who Rebuilt New York

March 30, 2020 By Mike McCormack

During the American Revolution,  New York was totally destroyed and was rebuilt by the son of an immigrant from Co. Galway, Ireland. He was the first post-colonial person to wear the title ‘Mayor of New York’ and his name was James Duane. He was born in New York, then called the Province of New York, to Irish immigrant parents on February 6, 1733; a time when the Central Park was considered ‘upstate’ and a wilderness.  He grew up with an interest in finance, real estate and the law and was called to the Bar in 1754.  He earned a reputation for being a bit of a maverick, taking … [Read more...] about James Duane: The Irish American Who Rebuilt New York

Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, America’s First Superstar

March 27, 2020 By Mike McCormack

A TV documentary on the St. Louis World Fair mentions how John Philip Sousa and his band dominated the entertainment, which included a young John McCormack singing at the Irish Pavilion. It brought to mind a forgotten era when American superstars were not individuals with a current hit record, but band leaders – people with the ability to not only play, but compose, arrange, and lead a musical organization. And, in the beginning, America’s first superstars were the leaders of America’s first bands – her marching Brass Bands and though Sousa was certainly one of them, he was not the … [Read more...] about Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, America’s First Superstar

Archbishop “Dagger John” Hughes

March 25, 2020 By Mike McCormack

John Joseph Hughes was born on 24 June 1797 in Annaloghan, Co. Tyrone, to a poor farmer. As a Catholic in English-ruled Ireland, he couldn’t even receive a Catholic education. When John was 15, his younger sister, Mary, died and British law barred a Catholic priest from presiding at her burial; the best he could do was to scoop up a handful of dirt, bless it, and hand it to John to sprinkle on her grave. Hughes never forgot that and dreamed of ‘a country in which no stigma of inferiority would be impressed on my brow, simply because I professed one creed or another.’ Fleeing poverty and … [Read more...] about Archbishop “Dagger John” Hughes

Irish American Heritage Month: Patrick Gallagher, USMC

March 23, 2020 By Neil Cosgrove

Ship for LCpl Gallagher

Patrick Gallagher was born in Derrintogher, County Mayo, Ireland, on February 2, 1944. At the age of eighteen, like 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 merely returning to … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Patrick Gallagher, USMC

The Irish Ferries That Turned The Tide At Trenton

March 20, 2020 By Mike McCormack

A number of Irishmen were key to Washington’s success in crossing the Delaware River to take Trenton.  Among them were two immigrants: Paddy Colvin and Sam McConkey, who ran two river ferries. In 1885, Rev A. Lambing wrote: when reading one of the Trenton papers, I saw the simple statement that the American forces under General Washington crossed the Delaware at Patrick Colvin's ferry into Pennsylvania. Struck by his name, which at once denoted his nationality, I resolved to know more about him.  He did, and he found that Patrick Colvin of Co. Cavan, Ireland bought a ferry and land … [Read more...] about The Irish Ferries That Turned The Tide At Trenton

Irish American Heritage Month: The Most Dangerous Woman in America

March 18, 2020 By Mike McCormack

Did You Know that a 72-year-old Irish woman, beloved by millions, was once called the most dangerous woman in America? Her name was Mary Harris Jones, and this feisty little Irish lady was also called the Mother of All Agitators. Born in Cork City, Ireland on 1 May 1837, her family fled the Great Hunger to Canada where she trained as a teacher and dressmaker. In 1861, she married George Jones, an iron molder and union organizer in Memphis, Tennessee. They had four children, but she lost all four and her husband in the 1867 yellow fever epidemic. Determined to survive, Mrs. Jones moved to … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Most Dangerous Woman in America

Who is St. Patrick?

March 17, 2020 By Mike McCormack

Each year around March 17, the name of St. Patrick appears in every major publication in the civilized world - sometimes with honor and sometimes with scorn - often due to the conduct of those who celebrate his memory at affairs which bear his name.  Of the many things written about this holy man, some are true, some misleading, and some false.  St. Patrick was Italian; St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland; St. Patrick was the first to bring Christianity to Ireland - all of these statements are false! Let’s take them one at a time.  Some claim St. Patrick to be Italian … [Read more...] about Who is St. Patrick?

Irish American Heritage Month: The Sullivan Brothers

March 16, 2020 By Neil Cosgrove

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 … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Sullivan Brothers

Irish American Heritage Month: The Irish Whales

March 13, 2020 By Mike McCormack

Did you know that the first Gold Medal winner in modern Olympic history was the son of Irish immigrant parents and that Irish athletes dominated Olympic track and field events for the U.S. for the first two decades of the 20th century? The first to win was James Connolly, and he was born on October 28, 1868, in an impoverished section of South Boston. He grew up with a love of sports and when an International Olympic Committee resurrected the ancient Olympic Games to be held in Athens in April 1896, Connolly requested a leave of absence from Harvard to participate and left for Greece. After … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Irish Whales

Irish American Heritage Month: An Irish American Angel in America’s West

March 11, 2020 By Mike McCormack

There were many Irish women among the settlers of the American West, and one of the best known in her time was a lady from County Cork named Ellen Cashman. Ellen came to America, like so many others, fleeing the effects of the Great Hunger.  She arrived in Boston in 1850 with her mother, Fanny, at the tender age of five where she grew up caring for a younger sister.  An ambitious young lady, she worked as a bellhop in a well-known Boston hotel when she decided to follow the call of the American West with the idea of making her fortune.  She moved to San Francisco and soon found … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: An Irish American Angel in America’s West

Irish American Heritage Month: John Philip Holland, Inventor of the Modern Submarine

March 9, 2020 By Mike McCormack

Did you know that an Irishman invented the first modern submarine? His name was John Philip Holland and he was born in Liscannor, Co. Clare, Ireland, on February 24, 1841. He experienced the Irish potato failure suffering poor eyesight as a result. His father was a member of the Coast Guards, and young John inherited a love of the sea. Although his poor eyesight prevented him from following in his father’s footsteps, he developed an interest in ship design. John attended the Christian Brothers School where he came under the influence of Brother Dominic Burke, a science teacher, who encouraged … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: John Philip Holland, Inventor of the Modern Submarine

Irish American Heritage Month: The Irish Brigade at Antietam

March 6, 2020 By Mike McCormack

Did you know that the Irish played a major part in the victory on the bloodiest day in American history, the victory that let Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation? It was at Antietam on September 17, 1862, and it was the victory that emboldened President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Foremost among Union forces was the Irish Brigade led by Irish-born Gen. Thomas F Meagher. Their story is an extraordinary chronicle of military valor in America’s cause; once when President Lincoln visited General McClellan’s Union camp, he lifted a corner of the Irish Brigade Flag, … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Irish Brigade at Antietam

Irish American Heritage Month: Margaret Haughery

March 4, 2020 By Mike McCormack

  When you visit the beautiful city of New Orleans, be sure to visit the old business part of the city where a statue of a woman overlooks a little square at the corners of Camp and Clio streets.  The woman sits in a chair with her arms around a child.  The woman is not young and pretty and she wears a plain dress with a little shawl.  She is a bit pudgy and her face is a square-chinned Irish face, but her eyes look at you like your mother's.  It is one of the first statues ever erected in America to honor a woman, for this was a woman unlike any other.   She … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Margaret Haughery

Irish American Heritage Month: The Foley Brothers “No greater love than to lay down your life for another”

March 2, 2020 By Neil Cosgrove

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 … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Foley Brothers “No greater love than to lay down your life for another”

Call to Action on Irish American Heritage Month

February 25, 2020 By Neil Cosgrove

We are currently in the final stages of preparing a new Irish American Heritage Month Video. Last year our video proclaimed Irish American Heritage Month to thousands on social media and the web. This year we wish to better that. We ask each of you not only to watch it but to share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc. and encourage others to do the same. It takes less than 2 minutes, yet if every Hibernian took the opportunity to share this video, then we should have no less than tens of thousands of shares. Tens of thousands of shares will be noticed promoting not only IAHM but the Hibernians. We … [Read more...] about Call to Action on Irish American Heritage Month

Time Magazine Article on Hibernians on History

February 18, 2020 By Neil Cosgrove

The following article appeared in Time Magazine in their Education Section   In the U. S., the Ancient Order of Hibernians is an association of Irish-born zealots, sensitive to the slightest slight to their kind. In a world preoccupied by other matters, for instance, it frequently appears to good Hibernians that the impact of the Irish on U. S. history is belittled or neglected. In Rochester last week, where the Hibernians of New York State were holding convention, fiery charges were heard that U. S. schoolbooks are unfair to the Irish. "We need a real American history!" … [Read more...] about Time Magazine Article on Hibernians on History

A Christmas Message From the Irish American Heritage Month Chair

December 22, 2019 By Neil Cosgrove

In has long been an Irish Tradition to place a candle in the window at Christmas time. The popular story is that this is done to guide Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem, a beautiful sentiment. However, the tradition stems from a darker, sadder story; of a time when to be a Catholic in Ireland was to be a criminal and to be a priest or shelter a priest could result in being sent in chains to Barbados. The candle was a sign that a brave family was willing to take that risk and give shelter to a priest and welcome their neighbors to share Christmas Mass with them. Today, the Christmas … [Read more...] about A Christmas Message From the Irish American Heritage Month Chair

Irish American Heritage Month: Margaret Corbin, “Captain Molly”

March 29, 2019 By Mike McCormack

Captain Molly was born Margaret Cochran on 12 November 1751 on the western Pennsylvania frontier to Irish immigrant Robert Cochran and his wife Sarah. When Margaret was five, her father was killed in an Indian raid and her mother was kidnapped. Margaret and her brother escaped and went to live with their uncle. At 21, she married a local farmer, John Corbin. When America’s Revolution began, John enlisted in the regiment that General ‘Light Horse’ Harry Lee called the Line of Ireland. Margaret accompanied him, joining other women in cooking, washing and caring for the wounded. Her forceful … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Margaret Corbin, “Captain Molly”

Irish American Heritage Month: The Angel of Andersonville

March 27, 2019 By Mike McCormack

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: The Angel of Andersonville

Patrick O’Rorke, a Forgotten Hero of Gettysburg

March 25, 2019 By Neil Cosgrove

Col. Patrick O'Rorke

Patrick Henry O'Rorke was born in County Cavan, Ireland on March 25, 1837. His family emigrated from Ireland when Patrick was but a year old, eventually settling in the “Little Dublin” neighborhood of Rochester, N.Y.  An excellent student, he earned one of two scholarships to the newly formed University of Rochester.  However, his father’s sudden death required young Patrick to take a job as a marble cutter to support his family. Patrick’s talents were too considerable to go unrecognized for long.  He came to the attention of Congressman John Williams, who recommended him for … [Read more...] about Patrick O’Rorke, a Forgotten Hero of Gettysburg

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