Hibernians Host Live Virtual Release of "Plastic Justice Report" The Ancient Order of Hibernians, National Freedom for All Ireland (FFAI) Chairman Martin Galvin has announced that the Hibernians will be hosting a virtual release of the "Plastic Justice Report" prepared by Relatives for Justice, Belfast. The report will be broadcast on YouTube on Saturday, October 24 at 4 pm Local time in Ireland, 11 am Eastern U.S. Per FFAI Chairman Galvin: "Plastic Justice" is a special report on how British state forces used plastic bullets to kill 17 innocent Irish people with … [Read more...] about FFAI – Virtual Event – Saturday 10-24
FFAI – Virtual Event – Saturday 10-24
Pro Life – Virtual Event – Saturday October 17th
Guest Speaker Nikki Bruni is one of the principal organizers of the Pittsburgh 40 Days for Life campaigns that take place during Lent, and again in the fall. During the campaigns, volunteers meet in front of planned parenthood and pray for an end to abortion. There are many stories associated with the experience including couples who decide to keep their babies. Nikki is going to share her experiences and talk about the 40 Days for Life Campaigns. This Virtual event will take place Saturday October 17, 2020, 11:00 AM EDT. CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE ON YOUTUBE … [Read more...] about Pro Life – Virtual Event – Saturday October 17th
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”
Catholic Calendar – October 2020
The month of October still remains within Ordinary Time. October is a month dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. MAJOR SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS OF AUGUST October 1Theresa of the Child Jesus, VirginMemorialOctober 2Guardian AngelsMemorialOctober 7Our Lady of the RosaryMemorialOctober 15Teresa of Avila, Virgin and DoctorMemorialOctober 17Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and MartyrMemorialOctober 19John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions, MartyrsMemorialOctober 22Pope St. John Paul IIMemorialOctober 28Simon and Jude, ApostlesFeast THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO In the sixteenth century, … [Read more...] about Catholic Calendar – October 2020
The Cushwa Center at Notre Dame 2020 Hibernian Lecture “The Idea of Greater Ireland”
https://youtu.be/p-Lm5AQjl_I On Friday, October 9, the 2020 Hibernian Lecture was presented by Colin Barr (University of Aberdeen). Stained glass window depicting Daniel O'Connell, “Liberator of Ireland,” at St. Patrick's Parish Church in Boorowa, New South Wales. With an appointment as the Herbert Allen and Donald R. Keough Visiting Faculty Fellow, Barr is visiting Notre Dame’s Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies this academic year from the University of Aberdeen, where he is senior lecturer in modern Irish history. Barr is author of Ireland’s Empire: The Roman Catholic … [Read more...] about The Cushwa Center at Notre Dame 2020 Hibernian Lecture “The Idea of Greater Ireland”
HIBERNIANS PRESENT FREEDOM GRANTS
AOH/LAOH present Freedom For All Ireland (FFAI) Grants by Zoom. Freedom for all Ireland (FFAI) grants totaling almost $100,000 were handed out last month to seventeen applicants by the American Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH.) Leading figures from each grant recipient, then joined in a zoom webinar conference on September 19th, telling Hibernians from across the United States, about each group's work and how much they count on American financial help. The grant checks were personally delivered in Belfast, Derry, Tyrone and Down by recently … [Read more...] about HIBERNIANS PRESENT FREEDOM GRANTS
Justice for Bloody Sunday Denied Again Says AOH
The Statue of Justice erected at Dublin Castle during British Imperial Rule. The decision not to prosecute Soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday confirms again that British justice in Ireland is to look to the sword and not the scales of fairness.(Image by Alberto Sanchez from Pixabay) Ancient Order of Hibernians National Freedom for All Ireland Chair Martin Galvin has issued the following statement concerning the decision by the Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service not to prosecute 15 British Soldiers accused of participating in the killings of Bloody Sunday in Derry in … [Read more...] about Justice for Bloody Sunday Denied Again Says AOH
AOH Calls on Administration to Support Good Friday Agreement and Irish Protocol
The Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomes news of the trip to Ireland by the United States Special Envoy Mick Mulvaney and his comment to RTE Television that the United States would "protect and defend" the Good Friday Agreement. However, the Hibernians are disappointed that there seems to be a continued reluctance by the administration to make a clear, concise, and unambiguous statement that preserving the Good Friday Agreement by precluding the return of a British border in Ireland is a U.S. priority and necessary precondition to future U.S./U.K. agreements. The Hibernians believe that … [Read more...] about AOH Calls on Administration to Support Good Friday Agreement and Irish Protocol
Hartford Division #2 Hold Monthly Food Drives
Brothers Michael Enright, Tom Breen, Dennis Brown, Jim Mulcahy, Kevin Morton and John Gallivan at AOH Division 2’s September Food/School Supply Drive. Hartford AOH Division 2 had a busy end of summer and beginning of fall. The Division continues to have monthly food drives to benefit the Food Pantry at Saint Augustine Church in Hartford and also collected school supplies in August and September. The Division plans to work with Saint Augustine to help others for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The Division has held monthly meetings – both in-person practicing social distancing … [Read more...] about Hartford Division #2 Hold Monthly Food Drives
Commodore Barry Day 2020
Commodore John Barry, 1801 Portrait by Gilbert Stuart Per our National Constitution, September 13th is designated "Commodore Barry Day," a national holiday of the Order. If you are not aware of who Commodore Barry is, you are not alone, for sadly, you are in the company of the majority of Americans. This speaks to the importance of the day and a significance of which extends far beyond the man himself. When one looks at the 1801 portrait of Barry by Gilbert Stuart, one may get a false impression of Barry; the painting shows an old man in declining health (Barry would die two … [Read more...] about Commodore Barry Day 2020
175th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Great Hunger
On September 13, 1845, the British Publication, "The Gardner's Journal," announced, "We stop the Press with very great regret to announce that the potato murrain [blight] has unequivocally declared itself in Ireland." That date is considered the precursor of An Gorta Mor, the "Great Hunger." Over the next five years, Ireland would lose a quarter of its population, over two million people, to death and starvation. 2020 marks the 175th anniversary of the start of the great hunger. Ironically, observances of this tragic inflection point in Irish and Irish American history are constrained as … [Read more...] about 175th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Great Hunger
Labor Day Message From the Desk of the President
Brother Hibernians, As we begin our Labor Day around the US, it’s proper for us to reflect upon the Irish American and the AOH influence on labor in the US. The Father of Labor Day, Peter J McGuire, parents were Irish Immigrants. The list of great Irish American labor leaders is a long one and includes many Hibernians. Michael McGovern, the Puddler Poet was one such Hibernian. McGovern who was born in the townland of Castlefield Galway was an IRB man who ended up in Youngstown Ohio. McGovern role in the IRB forced him to leave his home, first fleeing to England and on to the US. His travels … [Read more...] about Labor Day Message From the Desk of the President
Catholic Calendar – September 2020
The month of September is still part of Ordinary Time, with green being the liturgical vestment color. MAJOR SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS OF AUGUST September 3Gregory the Great, Pope and DoctorMemorialSeptember 14Exaltation of the Holy CrossFeastSeptember 16Cornelius, Pope and Martyr; Cyprian, Bishop and MartyrMemorialSeptember 21Matthew, Apostle and EvangelistFeastSeptember 23Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)MemorialSeptember 29Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, ArchangelsFeastSeptember 30Jerome, Priest and DoctorMemorial IRISH SAINTS OF SEPTEMBER September 1 Fiacre (d.c. 670) Fiacre was an … [Read more...] about Catholic Calendar – September 2020
The Big Irish American Campfire
The AOH was proud to be a sponsor of The Big Irish Echo Campfire - A Virtual Forum Across America on Friday August 28th 2020 as Irish America Comes Together to Survive the Pandemic and To Emerge Stronger and Better (while ensuring the bridge to Ireland remains open). Immediate Past-President Judge James McKay III took part in the panel for the session: In This Together: Irish American Societies and Networks Leading the Coronavirus Fightback. Watch more videos from the Campfire at: http://www.irishecho.com/campfire … [Read more...] about The Big Irish American Campfire
A Letter to Irish America
August 28th, 2020 Dear Irish America, Founded in 1836 with current membership in all 50 states, the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America is the oldest and largest Irish Catholic Organization in the United States. In fact, the AOH is the largest Irish organization outside of Ireland. How does an American, Catholic, Irish fraternal organization continue to thrive for over 184 years? The answer is simple - we are a multifaceted organization that covers everything relevant to Irish Americans. The giant umbrella of the Hibernians covers all Irish American interests in some way. We are … [Read more...] about A Letter to Irish America
Our Lady of Knock
As I write this on this eve of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known affectionately in the English speaking world as Our Lady’s Day in August, and just a week from the Feast of Our Lady of Knock on August 21, our attention as Catholics of Irish descent naturally turns toward our Blessed Mother and her role in this history of our salvation. I first visited Knock in April of 2013 with my cousin Christine. We were in Ireland for the first time and used a bed and breakfast in Knock as our base of operations while combing the countryside doing family … [Read more...] about Our Lady of Knock
AOH Statement on the Passing of Nobel Laureate John Hume
The Late John Hume It is with deep sadness that the Ancient Order of Hibernians learned of the passing of John Hume. The Late Senator Robert Kennedy once said, “Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not.” In a land where an oppressive status quo had been carved into the marble of Stormont, where it was accepted that one person could have three votes while another had none, where one’s baptism defined one’s opportunities for life, John Hume dared to ask why must the generations of today be chained to the injustices of the … [Read more...] about AOH Statement on the Passing of Nobel Laureate John Hume
Catholic Calendar – August 2020
The month of August falls entirely within the cycle of Ordinary Time. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, is a holy day of obligation. MAJOR SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS OF AUGUST August 1Alphonsus LigouriMemorialAugust 4John VianneyMemorialAugust 6Transfiguration of the LordFeastAugust 8DominicMemorialAugust 11ClareMemorialAugust 13Our Lady of KnockAugust 14Maximilian KolbeMemorialAugust 15Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MarySolemnityAugust 20BernardMemorialAugust 21Pius XMemorialAugust 24Bartholomew, ApostleFeastAugust 27MonicaMemorialAugust 28AugustineMemorial IRISH … [Read more...] about Catholic Calendar – August 2020
The Gavel is Passed
Newly Immediate Past President Judge James McKay III (center left) passes the gavel to newly elect National President Danny O'Connell (center right). They are flanked by newly elected Vice President Sean Pender (left) and Secretary Jere Cole (right) It is customary to say after each AOH convention that "it was a convention like no other", but nothing could be more true about the 100th biannual National Convention held in this COVID year of 2020. For the first time, the Convention was held on-line which saw exceptional participation by the members. It shows that despite being an … [Read more...] about The Gavel is Passed
Statement on the Passing of Congressman John Lewis
The sons of Martin McGuinness meeting with Congressman John Lewis as he endorsed the McGuinness Principles which call for justice and civil rights in the north of Ireland. Shown are Peter Kissel (IAUC), Fiachra McGuinness, Congressman John Lewis, Emmett McGuinness, Marty Glennon (Brehons), AOH National Treasurer Sean Pender It is with deep sadness that we learn of the passing of Congressman John Lewis, a man dedicated to improving the lives of others and who realize that the fight for Civil Rights transcends peoples and borders. The Congressman was an early signer of the McGuinness … [Read more...] about Statement on the Passing of Congressman John Lewis