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”
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Irish American Heritage Month: Archbishop “Dagger John” Hughes
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 Irish American Heritage Month: Archbishop “Dagger John” Hughes
Irish American Heritage Month: Michael McGovern, the ‘Puddler Poet’
Michael McGovern was born in the townland of Castlefield, near Williamstown, County Galway to John Govern and Bridget Flynn in October 1847. We don't know a lot about his early life. We know that he was educated at a Hedge School. As educating Irish children was often not permitted, secret schools were organized by itinerant teachers. These schools were usually held outdoors among the hedges; hence they were known as Hedge Schools. McGovern received an education in the basics, including Latin. He also learned Irish history by the fireside listening to the older … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Michael McGovern, the ‘Puddler Poet’
Irish American Heritage Month: John Philip Holland, Inventor of the Modern Submarine
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 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 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 Chaplain Corps … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Parachuting Padre
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: The Catalpa Rescue
In 1858, the Fenian brotherhood was founded in America and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) in Ireland to work for Irish independence. Britain declared membership in that organization a crime punishable by deportation to her penal colony in Freemantle, Australia. Seldom in history can one find a story to rival the adventure that brought embarrassment to England and freedom to six Fenians who had been sentenced to that harsh penal colony for life. John Devoy, Fenian and leader of Clan Na Gael It all began in 1871, when John Devoy, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, and other … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Catalpa Rescue
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: Nellie Bly, Pioneering Journalist
There was a time when mouse clicks and tweets did not drive reporters; they actually went out, sometimes at great personal peril, to find the news. One such reporter and a pioneer of investigative journalism was Irish American Nellie Bly. 21-year-old Nellie Bly as she appeared while reporting from Mexico Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Cochrane on May 5, 1864 in Cochran's Mills, now part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, Michael Cochran (Elizabeth would add the 'e' to the last name later), was the son of an immigrant from Derry who has started as a laborer and had … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Nellie Bly, Pioneering Journalist
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 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”
In a Year of Parade Cancellations, Amazon Continues to Drop the F-Bomb on St. Patrick’s Day
Link to Item The Ancient Order of Hibernians, America's Largest Irish Organization, once again note, that Amazon continues to peddle prejudice for profit in selling merchandise that demeans and denigrates the Irish and Irish American. In a year when the Irish American community is again being asked to to forego their traditional St. Patrick's Day celebrations out of respect for the health and welfare of the broader population amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, we find the sale by Amazon of items with the phrase "F(expletive) St. Patrick's Day" inexcusably tone-deaf and … [Read more...] about In a Year of Parade Cancellations, Amazon Continues to Drop the F-Bomb on St. Patrick’s Day
Global Leadership Forum Hosted by Irish Pro-Life USA
Irish Pro-Life USA will be hosting a Global Leadership Forum for the advancement of Pro-Life & Pro-Family values on Wednesday December 9th at 7PM EST on YouTube Live. Join us for updates and reports from both sides of the Atlantic with calls to action and reflections on positive change for the dignity and protection of human life. The Keynote Speaker will be, Peadar Tóibín TD, Leader of Aontú, Ireland's Pro-Life & Fastest Growing Political Party. Special Guests: Fr. Stephen Imbarrato; Daniel O'Connell, National President, Ancient Order of Hibernians in America; Catherine Glenn … [Read more...] about Global Leadership Forum Hosted by Irish Pro-Life USA
AOH Statement on the British Government’s Refusal of an Independent Public Inquiry into the Murder of Pat Finucane
Once again, the British Government has refused to honor its own court rulings, pledges, and international law, regarding the murder of civil rights lawyer Pat Finucane. It has again refused a public inquiry which would reveal the extent of British state complicity in the murder and has instead told the Finucane family to again make complaints to the constabulary or ombudsman, in other words, to continue with the very process that the British Courts have found as insufficient. We can only conclude that Britain has much to hide. AOH National President, Daniel J O’Connell, added “the British … [Read more...] about AOH Statement on the British Government’s Refusal of an Independent Public Inquiry into the Murder of Pat Finucane
Hunger Strike 1980
https://youtu.be/YusVQUas-Zs Hibernians join 1980 Hunger Strikers Tommy McKearney and Fra McCann, and political commentator Andree Murphy for a discussion about the 1980 Hunger Strike. Forty years ago, seven Irish Republican political prisoners were in the midst of a 53 day Hunger Strike against British torture and a strategy to brand them as common criminals rather than political prisoners. Britain's decision at the end of that Hunger Strike, to intensify efforts to break the H-block prisoners rather than compromise, triggered the 1981 Hunger Strike transforming Irish politics and its … [Read more...] about Hunger Strike 1980
The 2020-21 Freedom For All Ireland Christmas Appeal
Please donate to this year’s CHRISTMAS APPEAL. Together we can make a difference.All checks must be made out to “Ancient Order of Hibernians”. Payments should be sent to AOH-FFAI PO BOX 904 JEFFERSON VALLEY, NY 10535. 2020-21 Appeal Pledge FromDownload 2020-21 Freedom for All Ireland ClubDownload 2019-20 Grant Criteria and RecipientsDownload 2020 Freedom For All Ireland Christmas Appeal LetterDownload 2020-21 Freedom For All Ireland Christmas Appeal Closing LetterDownload 2019-20 Freedom For All Ireland Century Club DonorsDownload Your help for freedom for all Ireland is … [Read more...] about The 2020-21 Freedom For All Ireland Christmas Appeal
Hibernians Write U.S. Friends of Ireland Caucus Over Renewed Brexit Concerns
The Ancient Order of Hibernians, America's largest Irish American Organization, has written to members of the congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus expressing their concern that Prime Minister Johnson's government will use the post U.S. election transition as a distraction for a hard Brexit. In a letter from Political Action Chair Neil Cosgrove, the Hibernians state: "The Hibernians are very concerned that at this time when our nation demonstrates the strength of our democracy by the peaceful transition to a new administration, that a lack of focus on Brexit may result in … [Read more...] about Hibernians Write U.S. Friends of Ireland Caucus Over Renewed Brexit Concerns
Hibernians Congratulate President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on their election
Daniel O'Connell, National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), has sent the following letter to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on their election: "The Ancient Order of Hibernians, America's oldest and largest Irish American Catholic organization, wishes to express our congratulations to you, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris, on being elected to the two highest offices in our nation. Once again, the promise of America, as embraced and defended by hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants, has been vindicated by this … [Read more...] about Hibernians Congratulate President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on their election
The U.S. Can’t Be Played for Puppets
While we hope we can bring a smile during these trying times in the best tradition of Jonathan Swift, the threat that Brexit and the Internal Market Bill pose to the Good Friday Agreement is no laughing matter. It is critical that we send a clear message to our elected officials, especially those newly elected, that the United States should not be played for a puppet in getting a U.K./U.S. trade deal; that we will not enter into new commitments with a Britain that has consistently failed to honor its two-decades-old commitments under the Good Friday Agreement. https://youtu.be/bqVvhF0KODk … [Read more...] about The U.S. Can’t Be Played for Puppets
A Halloween Lesson for Election Day.
In a few days, we will be celebrating the holiday of Halloween. The holiday has specific significance for us as Irish Americans. Like St. Patrick's Day, Halloween is a beloved tradition brought to America by Irish immigrants. It dates back thousands of years to the ancient festival of Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year. As with most ancient peoples, the Celts were keen observers of the sun and the night sky, which was essential for the agriculture they relied on for survival. Most cultures set their Calendar by the extremes of the sun's progression through the heavens; today, … [Read more...] about A Halloween Lesson for Election Day.