Historical Happenings

As 2018 ends, we recall that a century ago was a time of great change in Ireland. The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) goal of Home Rule, an Irish parliament under the Crown, was supported by many before 1916, but Britain’s reaction to the Rising struck them like an Irish Pearl Harbor. The British secretly court-martialed and murdered the leaders who should have been treated as prisoners of war; they unleashed nation-wide Martial Law treating every Irishman as a rebel and Loyalists convinced Lloyd George to break off a piece of Ireland and give it to them. The reaction was predictable – no … [Read more...] about THE MOST DEFINING MOMENT IN IRISH HISTORY

One hundred years ago this month, the War to End All Wars concluded as an armistice was signed at 5 AM on November 11, 1918. Because of the six-hour time difference, in America it was the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month – a remarkable coincidence! And again, the Irish were there. Up until the United States entered World War One on 6 April 1917, there were some Irish-Americans pulling for Germany to overpower Britain; after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend! However, loyalty to the land that adopted their families came first and foremost and when America entered the war on … [Read more...] about A LEGACY OF WW1

In the late 1800s, banks were charging as much as 50% interest on mortgages and Railroad rates were uncontrollably high. As a result, mid-west farmers were experiencing a downward economic spiral. In Kansas, among the frustrated farmers, one voice was heard that would unite them in search of a solution. It came from Mary Elizabeth Lease who raised her voice in defense of her Kansas farming neighbors. Mary Ellen, as she was known, was the sixth child of Irish immigrants, Mary (Cullen) and Joseph Clyens, who had fled Ireland’s Great Hunger. Born in Pennsylvania on 11 September 1850, she … [Read more...] about PROTEST ON THE PRAIRIE

  On 22 September 1864, an Irish-American Civil War officer became a national hero after losing a battle! His name was James A. Mulligan. James was born in Utica, New York, in 1829, to Irish immigrant parents. After his father’s passing, he and his mother moved to Chicago where, at age 27, James was a popular Irish-American lawyer and Democratic politician. At a time when the Irish population of Illinois was more than 87,000, he commanded the respect and allegiance of Chicago’s large Irish community. He joined a local National Guard unit called the Chicago Shield Guards and was … [Read more...] about TO WIN BY LOSING

August 15 is a special day for Catholics around the world because it is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. It is also special for our AOH cousins in Ireland who march that day to show pride in their heritage on ‘Lady’s Day’ as it’s called. However, on that day in 1995 an historic event also took place in Derry as the American AOH and LAOH joined with the AOH Board of Erin (BOE) to march in that parade. Our National Presidents, Ed Wallace and Kathy Linton led the line of march behind the American and Irish flags alongside Hibernian leaders from Ireland, England, Scotland and … [Read more...] about A DAY TO REMEMBER