Senator Frances Black, Chairperson of Ireland's Future. Senator Frances Black, the chairperson of Ireland’s Future, described as a driving force for a border vote under the Good Friday Agreement(GFA), told Irish Americans 'we need you behind us' to get and win referendums for a United Ireland. She was joined by fellow Board Members Professor Colin Harvey and Andree Murphy in the live webinar program, IRELAND’S FUTURE-IRISH AMERICA’S ROLE, hosted by the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). The event, a follow-up to recent major conferences in Dublin and Belfast, was timed to coincide with the … [Read more...] about We Need Irish America Behind Us
Top Spot
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
AOH Freedom For All Ireland Christmas Appeal (2022-23)
A chairde, Last April, Hibernians across the country joined a special live webinar broadcast from the Houben Centre, Holy Cross Church, in Belfast, where two weeks earlier an event with the Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney had to be cancelled because of loyalist bomb threats. This year’s 15 grant recipients spoke about their work for freedom for all Ireland, and how much they count on Christmas Appeal donations. The Hibernian Grants Presentation is posted and can be viewed on AOH YouTube. https://youtu.be/MIAIyCuwO5w?t=5 Grants were awarded to justice campaigners like Relatives … [Read more...] about AOH Freedom For All Ireland Christmas Appeal (2022-23)
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.”
The AOH Helps Americans to Retire in Ireland
The AOH is working with the government on behalf of Irish America to implement a new scheme to allow Americans to retire in Ireland. Tánaiste of Ireland Leo Varadkar Addressed the members of the AOH and LAOH at their joint AOH/LAOH National Convention to tell Ancient Order of Hibernians measures would help make case for US immigration reform to benefit Irish people Read More in the Irish Times https://youtu.be/DIkXBaMhcsI https://youtu.be/sPJSCHqzg0M … [Read more...] about The AOH Helps Americans to Retire in Ireland
AOH National Pro Life Newsletter (Special Edition)
Today, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the US Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the opinion was authored by Justice Alito. Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett joined Alito’s opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts did not join the majority opinion but filed a separate opinion agreeing with the Court’s decision to uphold the Mississippi law but also arguing that the Court should not have decided the question of whether the Constitution protects abortion. The three justices, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan dissented … [Read more...] about AOH National Pro Life Newsletter (Special Edition)
Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
The AOH was pleased to organize a meeting with Senator Schumer and Mark Thompson CEO of Relatives for Justice today in the US Capital Building. Special guests Fergus O’Dowd TD and John Finucane MP joined us to demonstrate the opposition to the British Amnesty Bill. … [Read more...] about Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
Bloomsday – A Celebration of James Joyce’s Work
June 16th is Bloomsday, named after the one of the main characters in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Bloomsday is the day where people get together around the world to celebrate the book by reading sections or marathon readings of the entire book. 2022 is the 100-year anniversary of the book’s publishing which makes this year special. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Ireland’s global diplomatic network will mark the centenary of with extensive programs of events worldwide. James Joyce’s Ulysses is considered to be a masterpiece and one of the hardest works in literature to read. Published in … [Read more...] about Bloomsday – A Celebration of James Joyce’s Work
AOH President Commends Congressional Delegation
Danny O'Connell, National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, is currently in Ireland where he met Irish government officials including Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, and with legacy victims’ families, including the Springhill Massacre families in Belfast and Bloody Sunday families in Derry Belfast. As leader of the oldest and largest Irish American organization, he wanted to congratulate and commend the visiting Congressional delegation led by House Ways and Means,and Friends of Ireland Chairman Richie Neal, for their forthright comments on the protocol issue in the face of the somewhat … [Read more...] about AOH President Commends Congressional Delegation
Key Hibernian Fact-Finding Mission Ends
As the British move ahead with amnesty plans in their Queen’s speech and Westminster legislation, a Hibernian fact-finding delegation heard appeals for American help from legacy victims across the six counties. “Without the AOH and Irish America, Boris Johnson would have already shut everything down and made sure there would be no justice!” said one legacy victims’ campaigner, Martin Mallon in Tyrone. The delegation, which included senior national officers from both the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH),spent 10 days meeting relatives on the … [Read more...] about Key Hibernian Fact-Finding Mission Ends
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: Commodore John Barry
Did you know that the first flag officer and founder of the United States Navy was an Irishman? His name was John Barry and Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, said in his eulogy at Barry's graveside, "He was born in Ireland, but America was the object of his devotion and the theater of his usefulness." Barry was born in Co. Wexford, Ireland in 1745 and grew up with a great love for the sea. As a young man, he emigrated to the Crown colonies in America and by 1760, he was employed in a shipbuilding firm in Philadelphia. In 1766, at the age of … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Commodore John Barry
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: The Irish Brigade at Antietam
Did you know that the Irish had a major part in the victory on the bloodiest day in American history? 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, kissed it and said Thank God for the Irish! In early August, the Brigade … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Irish Brigade at Antietam
Irish American Heritage Month: Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, America’s First Superstar
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 Irish American Heritage Month: Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, America’s First Superstar
Irish American Heritage Month: The Angel of Andersonville
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
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: An Irish American Angel in America’s West
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: The Irish Whales
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