The National Hibernian Digest - July-August 2011

—HIS EMINENCE, PATRICK CARDINAL O’DONNELL of Ireland

Vol. LXXVIII No. 4 USPS 373340 JULY-AUGUST 2011 1.50

In This Issue…

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Hibernian RiflesDedicate Monument

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State NewsAlabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16California . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . .17Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Massachussets . . . . . . . . .11Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . .18Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7North Carolina . . . . . . . . .11New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . .17New York . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . .19Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Washington, DC . . . . . . . .18LAOH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

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Reflecting on 175 Years

Barry Memorial Sails AheadCommodore Barry to be HonoredDue to the persistent efforts of the

AOH, Commodore John Barry, thefounder of the U.S. Navy under theConstitution, will soon be honored atthe United States Naval Academy inAnnapolis, Maryland. Originally con-ceived of a simple memorial to Barryon the grounds of the Naval Academy,the AOH has obtained approval byAcademy’s Memorials OversightCommittee to construct a gate and aplaza containing a newly designedmemorial.Project’s BackgroundThis good news to properly honor

Commodore Barry is the accomplish-ment of the efforts of many people inthe Irish American community. Twomembers of the District of ColumbiaState Board, Jack O’Brien and John E.McInerney, spearheaded relentless efforts to build support for amemorial honoring Commodore Barry at the Naval Academy. Thisproject was initially approved in 2007 at a State board meeting of theWashington, DC Hibernians.The team of O’Brien, working as the Historian and Project

Coordinator, and McInerney, as the writer and Public RelationsDirector, previously succeeded in a nationwide effort to erect theIrish Brigade Monument at the Antietam Civil War battlefield thatwas dedicated in1997. Their perseverance in the face of numerous

setbacks to make the Irish BrigadeMonument Project a reality proved tobe valuable experience in the quest toerect a Barry Memorial on the NavalAcademy’s grounds.AOH ProposalOn August 29, 2008, following the

Academy’s guidelines, O’Brien andMcInerney submitted a proposal forthe Barry Memorial. The proposalcited the numerous significant contri-butions made by Commodore Barryin serving our nation and its navy.The passage of the Barry Resolution(Public Law 109-142) by Congress onDecember 22, 2005 recognizingCommodore John Barry as the firstflag officer of the United States Navyenhanced the proposal. However,the proposal was rejected on January5, 2009 stating that a memorial to

Commodore John Barry “would not be appropriate for placementon the Yard in an exterior location.”Undeterred, O’Brien and McInerney filed an appeal with the

Academy’s Superintendent on February 8, 2009. “It is importantthat we explain,” said O’Brien, “how a fine officer and gentlemansuch as Commodore Barry can be an inspiration to future officers ofthe Navy and Marine Corps. We are asking that the Barry Memorialbe placed in a prominent space in the Academy’s Yard,” declared

Simply the Best

Clara Reilly was born and raised in the St. James district ofWest Belfast, the eldest daughter of 12 children born into theproud Irish family of James and Bridget Burns. She is the wife ofJoe Reilly, the mother of 6 children, 18 grandchildren, and 1 great-grand child. But to us, her children, she is our teacher, our advisor,our cook, our coach, our babysitter, our role model, our inspira-tion, our rock; the glue that holds our family together.When we reminisce about the good old days and not-so-good

old days we find ourselves in awe of our mother’s stamina,courage, sacrifice, and dedication as she balanced a house full ofdemanding kids, two jobs outside the home, and an arduous bat-tle for human rights and justice in the British-occupied North ofIreland. Our mother’s crusade began in the early 1970’s, when she grew

increasingly alarmed over the injustices perpetrated by the BritishArmy and RUC, who brutalized working-class Catholics daily inthe North of Ireland. She believed strongly that discriminationshould be confronted and eradicated, especially discriminationcommitted by forces disguised as “law and order.” Soon shebecame actively involved in the Association for Legal Justice (ALJ),where she documented, from her kitchen table, cases of torture and

Diplomatic Meeting

Members of the National Board recently attended a luncheon atthe invitation of the Irish Ambassador to the United States, MichaelCollins. The luncheon was held at his residence not far from theIrish Embassy in Washington, DC. The residence of the Ambas -sador of Ireland was built in 1924 and is historically named theFrederic Delano House after its original owner. Frederic Delanowas a member of the Federal Reserve Board and uncle of FranklinDelano Roosevelt. The Irish Government purchased the house in1965.

The AOH was represented by 10 members of the Board includ-ing Executive Board Members Seamus Boyle, Brendan Moore andJim McKay. Jim McKay also serves as Honorary Consul in NewOrleans for the Irish Government. In additional two other AOHmembers attended as guests. The Ambassador was joined by hisDiplomatic staff members Mr. Myles Geiran, First Secretary andPress and Information Officer and Mr. Adrian McDaid, PoliticalCounselor.

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Commodore John Barry receives Commission No. 1 fromhis Commander in Chief, General George Washington atthe Annapolis 4th of July Parade.

2011 Sean MacBride winner Clara Reilly at press conference withfamily members of those lost at the Loughinisland massacre.

Members of the AOH National Board and guests pose for picturewith the Irish Ambassador after luncheon he hosted in Washingtonat his residence. Pictured (L - R) Dan O’Connell, Sr., Sean Pender, JereCole, Tom Brady, Brendan Moore, Seamus Boyle, AmbassadorMichael Collins, Jim McKay, Ned McGinley, Dan Dennehy, DannyO’Connell, Joe Roach, Keith Carney.

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HIS EMINENCE, PATRICK CARDINAL O'DONNELL OF IRELAND

Subscription price of $8.00 included in the organization’s dues. Periodical postage paid at Ronkonkoma, NY11779-9998 USPS 373340A bi-monthly publication dedicated to Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity. The National HibernianDigest is the complete chronicle of the ideals, hopes, and achievements of Hibernians everywhere. TheNational Hibernian Digest is printed and mailed out of Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-9998 and additional mail-ing offices in February, April, June, August, October and December. Office of publication is CloverGraphics Inc., 2050 Ocean Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779.The Hibernian Digest reserves the right to not include articles in this publication due to space limitationsand editorial determination. The Digest will make every effort to include articles in future publications ifpossible. The articles submitted to the Digest do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of theAncient Order of Hibernians in America, Inc., its Board of Directors, the Editor or its membership.The Hibernian Digest welcomes letters to the editor. Please send via e-mail to editor@hibernian digest.comand include your letter in the body of the e-mail. DO NOT send as an attachment. Letters can be mailed(typed only) to AOH Editor, National Hibernian Digest, c/o Keith Carney, 122 C Street NW, Suite 520,Washington, DC 20001. ALL LETTERS ARE SUBJECT TO EDITING. Anonymous letters will not be con-sidered. Please include contact phone numbers for follow up.

KEITH CARNEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . National Editor. . . . . .202-320-8351, [email protected] CONWAY . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] EVERLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertising Rep. . . . . . . . . . .484-300-2677, [email protected] McDONALD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Online Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

NATIONAL BOARD OFFICERS

Rev. Thomas M O’Donnell. . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]. Henry Reid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deputy Nat’l Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]. Joseph Pearce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deputy Nat’l Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Boyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Moore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Vice Pres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] D McNabb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] McKay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Carney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Director Northeast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Cole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Director Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Chair Catholic ActionLen Byrne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Director South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Norris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . National Director Northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Chair Charities & MissionsDaniel O’Connell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Director Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Nat’l OrganizerMichael O’Connor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Director West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Anti DefamationMike McCormack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Historian/Archivist . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] J Clough, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Legal Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Burns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat’l Web Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Pender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Freedom For All Ireland . . . . . . . [email protected] J Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Veterans Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Dennehey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Immigration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Sullivan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Irish Way Program . . . . . . . . [email protected] McGinley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-chair Nat’l Policital Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Roche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-chair Nat’l Policital Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Ritual & Degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Lysaght . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Notre Dame Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Donohue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Dougherty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Hibernian Hunger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Wallace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair Project St Patrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Nelligan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chair 2012 Nat’l Conv. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Roach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Chair Oversight Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Chair Oversight Committee. . . . . . . . [email protected] Clough, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Chair Oversight Committee. . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

LIVING PAST NATIONAL PRESIDENTS

John J. Meehan, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2006 - 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] McGinley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002 - 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] J. Wallace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 - 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] J. Clough Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1990 - 1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1986 - 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] A. Roche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1982 - 1986 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] D. McNabb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1978 - 1980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

National Hibernian Digest, July-August 2011

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O’Brien, “so that midshipmen, officers,and the public will know of the contribu-tions of the Navy’s first Flag Officer.”National AOH President Seamus Boyle

strongly supports the efforts of O’Brienand McInerney to erect the memorial onthe Academy’s grounds. “It is important torecognize the significant contributions ofthe immigrants that have built Americainto the great county it is today,” saidBoyle. “John Barry emigrated from Irelandand settled in Philadelphia. He came toAmerica as a cabin boy and worked hisway up to be the senior commanding offi-cer of the U.S. Navy.” At the very beginning of the American

Revolution, John Barry offered his servicesto George Washington and ContinentalCongress in the cause of American libertyand independence. In December of 1775,Captain Barry was given command of theLexington, a small brig. On April 7, 1776,the Lexington fell in with HMS Edward, asmall 6-gun tender of HMS Liverpool. Aftera one hour naval battle, the captain of theHMS Edward surrendered after takingheavy losses and severe damage to hisship. Captain John Barry triumphantlybrought his prize up the Delaware River toPhiladelphia. This marked the first defeatinflicted on an enemy by the U.S. Navy.The boost in morale and prestige to theleaders of the American Revolution facingthe world’s most powerful military andnaval force was nothing short of spectacu-lar.Public SupportSeamus Boyle and Joseph Roche,

National PEC Chairman, approachedPhiladelphia native John Lehman, Secre -tary of the Navy under President Reagan,for his support. Lehman provided a verystrong letter to the Academy supportingthe project. He wrote “It has always beenan oddity that his [Barry’s] memory andexample have been largely absent from theNaval Academy. … The time to rectify thisabsence is at hand.”McInerney and O’Brien organized a

national letter writing campaign to theNaval Academy’s Superintendent sup-porting the Barry Memorial Project. Theresult was that many other groups andindividuals sent impassioned supportingletters to the Naval Academy.Fran O’Brien, President of the Navy

League of the United States – PhiladelphiaCouncil, sent a letter of support to theAcademy’s Superintendent. The Society ofThe Friendly Sons of St. Patrick provided aletter expressing support for the BarryMemorial Project signed by President

Edward Last, Vice Pres. Todd Peterman,and Secretary Drew Monaghan. It became clear that Congressional sup-

port was needed. So, McInerney, veryfamiliar with Capitol Hill, walked the hallsof the U.S. Senate and House ofRepresentatives. Visiting the offices of atleast 33 senators and 160 offices of con-gressmen, he hand delivered personallysigned letters and talked to Congressionalstaff about supporting the Barry Project.The end result of these efforts was that theletters signed by Senators andCongressmen proved to be successful.In addition several cardinals, bishops

and clergy enhanced the letter writingcampaign. Archbishop Timothy Broglio ofthe Military Archdiocese wrote “As a fre-quent visitor to the Naval Academy atAnnapolis, I have often wondered at theabsence of a memorial to CommodoreBarry.”The significant history of Commodore

Barry’s contributions to the AmericanRevolution and the American Navy, themonuments honoring his memory in theUnited States and Ireland, the numerousmemorial ceremonies celebrating hisaccomplishments, and the groundswell ofsupport for the approval of the BarryMemorial Project all seemed to represent acritical mass that would surely persuadethe Naval Academy to approve a Barrymemorial its Yard.However, much work still lay ahead for

O’Brien and McInerney and the ever-increasing group of supporters to convincethe Academy to approve the project. Theappeal filed on February 8, 2009 wasanswered in a letter dated June 16, 2009from the Superintendent stating that hehad referred the “proposal to the ExecutiveDirector of the Memorials and GroundsOversight Committee.”Crucial MeetingIt would be a year later on May 21, 2010

that a delegation of six met with a subcom-mittee of three military officers represent-ing the Academy’s Memorials andGrounds OversightCommittee. McInerney chaired the meet-ing. Representing the AOH was DC StatePresident Bob April, National DirectorKeith Carney, Past DC Barry Division pres-ident Frank Duggan, John McInerney andJack O’Brien. Russ Wylie represented thePhiladelphia Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.The delegation met with Admiral BruceDeMars, USN (Ret.), Admiral RobertNatter, USN, (Ret.), and General MichaelHagee, USMC (Ret.). Captain Robert

BARRY MEMORIALcontinued from page 1

AOH National Historian Mike McCormack (center) presents a generous check in theamount of $1000 to Barry Memorial Committee members John McInerney (left) andJack O'Brien (right). This personal donation was made as the first donation to the pro-ject in hopes of encouraging ALL Hibernian brothers to contribute to this worthy cause.

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National Hibernian Digest, July-August 2011 3

Brothers, the summer is here and we are all getting ready for conventions, vacationsor both. Officers of the National Board and I are trying to make arrangements to have apresence at all state conventions, so please notify me of when and where your conventionwill take place.I hope everyone got a glimpse in the last Digest or on our website, of what the cele-

bration for our 175th anniversary was all about in New York. The last digest actually wentout a few days after the celebration so our space was limited but a brief story of the eventswith some pictures were included. This current edition will give you much more detail ofthe events which took place that weekend, and expanded coverage in the Digital Digest.Since the last edition of the Digest there have been numerous events throughout the

country and beyond. Ireland has really been in the limelight for a number of reasons start-ing with the visit of the Queen who came up a bit short on an apology to the Irish peoplefor the atrocities of Bloody Sunday 1920 when the troops stormed a Gaelic Football matchin Croke Park and opened fire on the players and the spectators killing 14 innocent civil-ians. On another Bloody Sunday, which most of you are familiar with, on January 30th,1972 British Paratroopers open fire on a peaceful civil rights march in Derry killing anoth-er 14 innocent civilians and this was the same paratroop regiment who only a few monthspreviously, August 1971, opened fire in Ballymurphy, a Catholic area of Belfast, killing 11innocent civilians including a Catholic priest who was waiving a white flag on his way togive one of the wounded the last rights. These are just a few of the atrocities for which sheshould have apologized.I was interviewed by the Belfast Telegraph newspaper on the thoughts of the Irish

American community on their feelings on her visit. After consulting with other IrishAmericans, I told the reporter that the feeling was while it could be a start to the healingprocess it was also a sad time to remember the above blatant attacks on our nation. Therewere mixed emotions and we as Irish Americans always look at what can happen as wellas what has happened and hope that God will open the eyes and hearts of the BritishGovernment to do the right thing now or in the near future and admit to the murders, col-lusion and genocide of the Irish people from the Great Hunger of the 1840’s to the present. President Obama visited his ancestral home in Moneygall, Co. Offaly, where he was

greeted with a real Irish welcome. Shortly before he departed we had a chance to ask himto bring up some issues with which we as an organization are very familiar and involved.I sent President Obama a letter outlining our concern on matters of Immigration, theplight of the undocumented, The Dublin/ Monaghan Bombings the Finucane andRosemary Nelson murders and numerous other unsolved murders linked to collusion bythe British Government over the past 35 years and the full implementation of the GoodFriday agreement. I asked that he bring up these questions to the Irish Government onbehalf of the Irish American people. A few days before he left for his trip we did have anopportunity to sit in on a conference call to the White House on these concerns and oth-ers and the AOH leadership was a very important part of this call. Similar calls will takeplace in the future and we will play an active role.Also very prominent in the news recently was the terrific win in the US Open by a

young man from Hollywood, County Down, Rory McIlroy. What a boost for Ireland asthe eyes of the world were on this young man of 22 for at least 3 days and to see him breakall kinds of records and to be so uplifting was a great moment for him and Ireland.Shortly after the last Digest was distributed many of our officers were invited to the

Irish Embassy for a reception for the new Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and it was an informa-tive and pleasant meeting. Next week a group of our officers have been invited to a lun-cheon with the Irish Ambassador, Michael Collins, at his residence in Washington, DC.While we are there we have plans to meet with many of our political friends to discussissues pertinent to our organization. Our main objective in speaking to them is havingthem introduce legislation on a United Ireland. Many of the other politicians we will meetwith will be for discussion on other topics such as immigration reform, undocumentedand many other subjects. Our meeting with the Ambassador will include how we canhelp the undocumented and how the Irish Government can help us with the immigrationproblem and the economy of Ireland and how we can help each other. It was great to visit Pittsburgh, PA for the State president’s dinner. It was really a good

time and a deserving president, Denny Donnelly, was showered with presentations fromboth the men and women Hibernians from across the state. Due to this dinner I wasunable to attend the NJ State Convention but the national board was well representedthere with Dan Dennehy, Dan O’Connell and of course National Director for the area JereCole. Jere Cole finished up his four years as president and now at the helm is SeanPender. Jere has done a terrific job for the Hibernians in general and for the state of NJ andhe will be there for Sean if he needs any help. Thanks to Jere and good luck to Sean andhis new board.Due to family commitments I was unable to attend the MA state convention but yet

again at least three of our national board members were in attendance to see a new pres-ident, Dick Wall, elected to follow in the footsteps of a great president before him DickThompson. Thank you Dick for your years of service as MA State President and goodluck to Dick Wall on your term of office. I know you and your board will get all the helpyou need from your outgoing officers. The state of Michigan has also elected its newpresident, Pat Sturdy, to follow long time activist and state president John McInerney andI am very confident that MI will continue the good work that has been going on there foryears. Missouri was the first of the states to hold their convention and it was evident thatthe enthusiasm around hosting the 2014 National Convention was the main topic.George Clough and the entire state have been working very hard on making this con-vention one of the best in many years. Good luck to the newly elected president JohnWilson and a thank you to the outgoing officers for a job well done. I was very happy tobe part of the proceedings at Waterbury, CT at their state convention where Bill Flannery

took over the reins from outgoing state president Bob O Sullivan. I know the state will bein good hands for at least another 2 years under the leadership of Bill and his board and athank you to Bob and his board for serving the state of CT so well for the past 2 years.As I stated at the beginning of my column the 175th anniversary was definitely the

highlight of my term in office. The work undertaken by the co-chairmen, Ed Wallace, PastNational President and Tom Beirne New York County President, was monumental. Theyput together an amazing weekend starting with the reception at the Consul General’s res-idence on Friday evening followed by a welcome celebration sponsored by the owners ofthe Black Sheep Bar/Restaurant. The parade on Saturday morning following the originalroute taken by Hibernians 175 years before, followed by a magnificent Mass celebrated byMonsignor Sakano, from Old St. Patrick’s Basilica and a tremendous homily by ourNational Chaplain Fr. Thomas O’Donnell. After the Mass an all day party attended byhundreds of Hibernians and friends took place in the Basilica courtyard with music, foodand entertainment. Patrick Allen, who was part of the committee, was responsible forcoordination this festival and what a tremendous job he did. On Sunday morning weattended another Mass at St. Peter’s church, the oldest parish church in New York.Following the Mass we laid a wreath at Ground Zero to commemorate all those who diedon September 11th including all the Hibernians who died there. We then marched past theground zero construction site to the great Hunger Memorial in Battery Park to lay anoth-er wreath to commemorate all those who died in An Gorta Mor. Sunday was a somber dayfor all of us who attended and put a final touch to our weekend of remembrance. I wouldlike to thank all the people who made this weekend possible and without the entire com-mittee it never could have taken place. Great job everyone. See photos on page 23.The final celebration of our 175th anniversary will take place at the National Board

meeting/President’s Dinner in Philadelphia on October 7th - 10th 2011. I ask all of you toask your divisions, county boards and state boards to write a short history of your entityand place it in the 175th Journal. This does not happen often and many of us, I suspect, willnot be around for the next celebration but our history will be if you take the time to writeyour story now or sponsor a page of history of the AOH written by our Historian, MikeMcCormack. All the information is available in this edition; do not let this moment pass.

All Hibernian eyes should have been turned to New York City this past month as wecelebrated our 175th Anniversary. A great time was had by all. The weekend was filledwith many special and solemn moments. Our parade down Mulberry Street was memo-rable as was the Mass at old St. Patrick’s Basilica. The Mass the following morning at thehistoric St. Peter’s church in the financial district was very moving, especially the wreathlaying ceremony after the Mass at the cross outside the church at the site of the 9-11 car-nage. I hope to be back for our 200th Anniversary, God willing and the creek don’t rise, butthat is in His hands.We are still having difficulty with the IRS and our smaller AOH Divisions being recog-

nized first as a National AOH subordinates and second as a tax exempt entities. Rememberthe National AOH does not “group file” so each Division is responsible to first obtain itsvalid EIN number and second, become recognized as a National AOH subordinate. Afterobtaining a valid EIN number, one validated by the IRS, then the process should becomeeasier. Many of the financial secretaries are concerned about tax exempt status. Rememberthat has very little to do with small Divisions which are under the $25K threshold. Once you have obtained a valid EIN number and are recognized as a National AOH

subordinate then our tax exempt status should follow to your Division. I also caution ourBrothers not to react to what someone told you or what some person has e-mailed you, wehave competent CPA’s who have prepared our taxes for the past eight years and I canassure you that we are in good standing with the IRS. We are coordinating with ouraccountants and our legal counsel to make a form letter/inquiry to the IRS that we suggestall divisions use to validate their current EIN numbers. Many of the problems which areoccurring are because for whatever reason the division did not have proper numbers andtherefore are not recognized by the IRS. The reason you are hearing about these problemstoday and not in the past years is because the IRS is attempting to enforce the regulationswhich changed several years ago. As this form letter is developed we will send it to all ofour Divisions who are still having problems with the IRS.

John C. O’Connell of AOH Division 8, Glen Cove, NY has been appointed new editor of the Hibernian Digest.

Please send all future AOH Hibernian Digest submissions [email protected]

4 National Hibernian Digest, July-August 2011

Making note that the AOH is the largest Irish Catholic organization in the United Statesand that our membership reaches every community around the country, the Ambassadorwas intent on furthering the relationship with our organization and finding ways in whichwe can help each other further common goals. The luncheon fostered significant discussionon such important topics as immigration policy, the undocumented and community sup-port for Irish immigrants. In addition we discussed how the AOH and its members can helpIreland in the current economic climate through tourism, business opportunities forAmerican companies, and enticing higher education opportunities now being promoted tothe Irish Diaspora in the U.S.Also a topic of conversation was the Ambassador’s suggestion that the AOH play lead-

ing roles in future historic commemorations such as the upcoming 1916 Anniversary. TheAmbassador was measuring our strength and demographics in age and other areas. Uponlearning of our focus on youthful recruitment he suggested that we associate with the IrishNetworks starting up in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and sponsored in part by theIrish Government.The luncheon provided an open and candid dialog and showed that a fine relationship

continues to develop between the AOH and the Irish Foreign Affairs Department. This istrue not only at the Irish Embassy in Washington, DC but at Irish Consulates throughout theU.S.

DIPLOMATIC MEETINGcontinued from page 1

Hofford, USN (Ret.), Director of SpecialProjects, and Sara Phillips, AIA, ExecutiveDirector of Academy Projects, were alsopresent.A detailed proposal citing the many con-

tributions of Commodore John Barry and theplanned design of the Barry Memorial waspresented to each subcommittee member.The subcommittee members reviewed andconveyed the information to the main com-mittee for evaluation.Another RejectionOn July 20, 2010, the Memorials and

Grounds Oversight Committee sent a letterto Jack O’Brien informing him that the sub-mitted plan was not approved. This was adiscouraging second rejection but O’Brienand McInerney persevered and filed a sec-ond appeal with the Academy’sSuperintendent.Turning of the TideIronically, while all of this was going on,

the tide was already turning as a result of theintensity of the letter writing campaign to theAcademy’s superintendent supporting theproject. Maryland Governor MartinO’Malley wrote a great letter of support.Numerous retired Admirals sent lettersexpressing their strong support. Congres -sional letters were having a major impact.Letters supporting the Barry Memorial frommany members of the U.S. Senate and theHouse of Representatives were inundatingthe Superintendent’s office. One month fol-lowing the second rejection of the project bythe U.S. Naval Academy, O’Brien andMcInerney were contacted and offered a pos-sible location for the memorial at the newpedestrian gate on Prince George Street.On August 31, 2010, a delegation com-

posed of National President Seamus Boyle,Keith Carney, Lt. Charles Cooper, USN,(Annapolis AOH Division), Jack O’Brien,John McInerney, and Russ Wylie met withCaptain Hofford and Sarah Phillips at theNaval Academy. They reviewed and inspect-ed the site of the memorial’s proposed loca-tion. The Academy’s offer was accepted.“Throughout our efforts,” McInerney

pointed out, “the Naval Academy workedwith us in good faith.” Finally, it was adream come true to be offered an ideal sitefor the Barry Memorial where the majority ofvisitors as well as the midshipmen and theirfamilies enter and leave the grounds of theNaval Academy.Numerous meetings ensued reviewing

the proposed plans for the Barry Memorialwith Academy officials. Working closelywith the Academy, O’Brien and McInerneywere able to reach agreement on the finaldesign of the Barry Memorial.Victory!On January 11, 2011, the Memorials and

Grounds Oversight Committee met and offi-

cially approved the Barry Memorial to belocated inside the pedestrian gate. The pro-ject will be developed in two stages startingwith the arched Barry sign over theCommodore John Barry Gate.The Barry Memorial will be developed as

the second stage. It will feature a 28-inch cir-cular bronze relief of Commodore JohnBarry mounted on an 8-foot granite block.Below it is an enlarged copy in bronze ofBarry’s Commission Number One signed byPresident George Washington. Below thiswill be a bronze plaque giving the navalcareer highlights of Commodore Barry. Thearea surrounding the memorial and gate willbe named “Barry Plaza.”“The Barry Memorial will bring to the

forefront the decisive role Commodore Barryplayed in founding the American Navyunder the Constitution at the direction ofPresident Washington,” said Jack O’Brien.“With the Barry Gate and Memorial, futureofficers of the Navy will know the roleCommodore Barry played in our nation’sgreat naval history,” McInerney pointed out.“This memorial will become the pride of theNavy and of Irish Americans,” McInerneyconcluded.In the future, midshipmen, officers, and

visitors to the U.S. Naval Academy will rou-tinely say, “Let’s meet at Barry Gate” andin the process will learn about CommodoreJohn Barry, a great Catholic Irish AmericanRevolutionary War naval hero and thefounder of the U.S. Navy under theConstitution.FundraisingThe most important effort that AOH

Members from around the country can donow is make donations to help build the gateand memorial. With over $200,000 needed itis incumbent upon every member, division,county and state to make donations to thisimportant AOH project. In a recent letterPresident Boyle wrote: “Brothers, noblecauses make for generous hearts. Let none ofus lose this golden opportunity to educatefuture generations of naval and marine offi-cers of the contributions of our noble Irishheritage in the foundation of our nation.Commodore Barry made great contributionsto our freedom. Do not let this opportunityto pass us by due to lack of funds. Showyour Irish pride and please contribute gener-ously.”All checks are to be made out to

Hibernian Charity. On the check memoline please write “Barry Project.” All dona-tions are tax deductible. Mail to HibernianCharity Barry Project, Post Office Box 391,Meriden, CT 06450. Any questions, [email protected] or call during theevenings after 6:30 PM. (203) 235-2746. For additional information contact John

McInerney at (202) 213 – 2055 or [email protected]. You can reach Jack O’Brienat (301) 336 – 5167.

BARRY MEMORIALcontinued from page 2Ohio News

Energized by their leaders, the Cleveland Boland-Berry Division is growing by leapsand bounds. In the last twelve months they have added 43 new members. Sons of theDivision’s namesakes, Kevin Berry and Gus Boland, recently talked about how they’redoing it.“I think our success is due to our targeting of a younger group, the next generation,”

said Berry. “Also, we’re trying to reel in our brothers and sisters who haven’t necessar-ily been involved.” The goal is to “sign, seal and deliver” them and, once sworn-in, theyare convinced to take up the cause and grow the membership. “Each swearing-inbrings the promise of 3 or 4 more members,” Berry added. His goal is 300.Besides their individual initiatives, the recruiting efforts are supported by their

activities - an annual Steak Roast, Reverse Raffle, Post-St. Patrick’s Day Family Party,evening awards banquet; they’re all events that bring out members.According to Boland, members are dedicated to getting the Order in shape finan-

cially. The success of their 2nd annual Steak Roast is proof of their efforts. ” We’re get-ting the young Irish back in. We remember the glory days when St. Patrick’s Day wasbiggest thing for us all. We’re building events like the Steak Roast and we’re doing fair-ly well at it. We talked about doing it then said well let’s do it and here we are doingit.” Our plan is to follow up with an autumn clambake,” Boland added. “All it takes isa little dedication and hard work; volunteers sacrifice time away from their families.”Judging by their continuing successes, 300 is a number they’ll probably reach.

Pictured (L – R) Gus Boland, VP, Kevin Berry and Pat Gallagher, Treasurer.

Irish Central Names O’Brien toExclusive Top 100 Irish AmericansReprinted with permission from IrishCentral.com

John O’Brien, Jr. dedicates his life to Irish cul-ture. The Cleveland native is the Co-Founder, Co-Publisher and Editor of the Ohio Irish AmericanNews, a monthly newsmagazine which was start-ed in 2007. O’Brien is also the Assistant Director of the

Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival. The annualevent, which draws around 35,000 people, wasfounded by his father, John O’Brien, Sr. who con-tinues on as Director and hails from CountyRoscommon, making his son first generation Irish-American.John Jr. is a creative writer himself. In the 2010 Irish Book, Art & Music Showcase in

Chicago, O’Brien’s poem “The Vacant Chair” took first prize. He is also the author ofFestival Legends: Songs & Stories, a book that looks into the lives of Irish music legendsO’Brien serves on the board of several groups including the Irish American Charitable

Foundation, the Sean Moore Memorial Irish Vocals Scholarship Fund, which he also co-founded, and the Northeast Ohio Rose of Tralee Contest. He is also a co-founder of theFamine Memorial Committee, which placed a ten-ton granite engraved stone on the banksof the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland as a memorial to those who died or emigrated duringthe Great Hunger.O’Brien’s success comes with enduring several obstacles: He was born with over 60%

hearing loss and has been battling rheumatoid arthritis for over 26 years. Overcoming theseobstacles, he has made great contributions to the Ohio Irish American community.

John O’Brien, Jr. is a Member ofMedina’s AOH Irish Brigade Div. 1Irish Central used with permission.


WE’VE MOVED!In case you need to get in contact by means other than email:Brendan Moore, 25 Avner Lane, West Nyack, NY 10994, 914-712-5463

THE MAJOR DEGREEOnce someone has joined the AOH, what really is the purpose or value of the

Major Degree? The Major Degree of the Ancient Order of Hibernians is an impor-tant component of who we are and what we are as an organization. The Degree cer-emony itself must be seen and experienced as a journey towards greater and deeperawareness. It is an opportunity for each of us to reflect on and absorb the very pur-pose of being a Hibernian. As such, it is, indeed, a significant opportunity for all inattendance (candidates, Degreed observers, and even Major Degree Team members)to focus on why we call each other brother. And it should directly challenge each ofus to pause and re-commit ourselves to the AOH’s ideal that our Hibernian Brothersstand at our side and on our side, truly caring for and about us.With all of that in mind, I am providing below the details for upcoming Major

Degrees, hoping that you will take the opportunity to participate.

DATE TEAM LOCATION CONTACT PHONE 07-24-11 Brian Boru MDT Richmond, VA JJ Kelly 703-475-9415

[email protected] Tara Court MDT Worcester, MA Dick Thompson 617 755 8467

[email protected] Schenectady MDT Schenectady, NY Michael Glenn 518-505-3588

[email protected] Tara Court MDT Suffolk, NY Walter Butler 631-736-2171

PRIDE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT June 29 brought a team of National Board members to Washington, DC, for a vari-

ety of purposes. The day was planned around an invitation to lunch with IrishAmbassador Michael Collins, who was anxious to promote communication with theAOH and provide an opportunity to share ideas, concerns, and reactions on a rangeof topics. While I am certain that this event will be alluded to elsewhere in this edi-tion of the Digest, I would simply like to focus on my own perception.I was quite proud of the manner in which we presented ourselves! In our listen-

ing and our speaking, we came across on the whole broad range of “Irish issues” asboth truly committed and knowledgeable. Whether it was visas, the undocumentedIrish, U.S. immigration legislation, tourism, the state of the Irish economy, the SixCounties, or future joint ventures with the Irish government, our team clearly artic-ulated facts, impressions, and solutions. Great job, Brothers!

Sometimes numbers do tell the story and in the case of the Digital Digest, the talebeing spun is pretty compelling. The best way to see how a website is doing is by checking its stats. Sure, it’s all

fine and dandy to have a great looking site, but to paraphrase an old expression, “Ifyou have a website and no one comes to it, does it make a sound?”Well the numbers say the Digest site definitely does make noise. Using Google’s

Analytics program, Keith Carney and I keep a keen eye out on how the site it doingand we can see where the traffic numbers are from, while also taking into accountwhat content is being viewed. So let’s open the books and take a tour of the numbers over the last 13 months.

Overall the Digital Digest had 14,191 visits over that period. From the United States,12,780 viewers came with 434 showing up from Ireland, 379 coming from the UnitedKingdom (ie. Northern Ireland) and 119 from Canada. Most visitors stay an averageof 3:42 minutes on the site and a little over 93 percent view more than one page.Overall that may not seem like many, but it’s incredible when you consider that

the Digital Digest is a startup and the numbers are still growing as more peoplelearn of our existence. To help expand our numbers, we encourage you and yourDivision webmasters to link to our website www.hiberniandigest.com. Over thepast year, The AOH.com national site was our biggest referrer sending us 2,150 vis-itors and facebook gave us 861 while Google was the biggest organic source with5,991 or 42.22 percent of our total number. You can help with the Digital Digest’s growth if you link it on your local divi-

sion’s site. The Hibernian Digest’s site is a great source of material for Brothers andguests. It also could be used as a recruiting tool for you as many potential brotherscan see what the Order has to offer when you are looking for new members. Over the past year, it has been a pleasure getting the Digital Digest up and run-

ning, but that was just the beginning. We hope in the next 12 months, the site willgrow with more and more Brothers using it as the No. 1 source for AOH informa-tion as we keep the transformation going into the 21st century. The Digital Digestis provided at NO COST to the AOH – so please use it!!

Since my appointment as Deputy National Chaplain, I have been fielding questions onmy position on Northern Ireland, and my immediate response is that I have always lovedDonegal, but if you are talking about the six counties, it gets a little more complex. Complexis probably the best word to describe the situation in the Six, as well as my position on whatis happening there. A friend asked me if I was opposed to the peace process. First of all, I ama priest, a Christian, and have many people that I care about living in Ireland, many of themin the British controlled section, who I worry about. I am all in favor of peace. But we alsohave to look at what we mean by peace. This is where it gets complex, because as well asbeing a priest, I am also an Irish Republican, and it is my firm belief that only through theestablishment of a 32 county sovereign Republic, can there be any hope of peace, becauseonly through a United Irish Republic can justice be assured for all. That being said, I don’tnecessarily agree with the “peace” process that has been pursued by Sinn Fein (and for thesake of brevity and sanity I am not going to refer to them as Provisional Sinn Fein, as this isthe one everyone recognizes as SF), since I think much has been sacrificed for various rea-sons, but peace and justice will not be served by the current direction.Before I go any further, let me explain my position on “dissident” Republicans. Politically,

I can see where there would be a great deal of frustration, not only among the older leaderswho sacrificed their youth to the cause of an Irish Republic, only to see (remember it’s aboutperceptions) Gerry Adams and others abandon these principles. Keep in mind, many of themen and women that lead these “dissident” groups were involved in Irish Republicanismbefore Gerry Adams or Martin McGuinness were and some of them served alongside of thetwo. I think the biggest tragedy with the political groups is that they represent a failure ofdialogue within Republicanism; the leadership of Sinn Fein failed to listen to its base (andfor those who disagree with this last part, I’ll tell you later on why I’m not). As for the mili-tary wings of these different groups, I wish they would take their weapons and put them upin their attics for the next ten years, or more. Do I dispute that Irish Republicans have a rightto be armed? No, especially since I believe that the right to keep and bear arms is a God givenright of every free man and woman, that’s why it’s enshrined in the Bill of Rights of theUnited States. Neither do I deny them the right to the armed struggle, since it was the armedstruggle that forced the British government to negotiate with Irish Republicans for peace, butthis is just not the time. Now is the time for talking, for dialogue, and for envisioning whata future Irish Republic will look like. There has also been a lot of talk about the killing of a Catholic PSNI officer by members

of the RIRA. Is it tragic? Yes. Should it have happened? No. But I have a big problem withSinn Fein and others exploiting this young man’s death for their own political agenda, or touse it as a club to silence anybody that may oppose the current political strategy. There arethree concerns I have with the PSNI (Policing Service of Northern Ireland): 1) Before theGood Friday Agreement, the RUC, predecessor to the PSNI, numbered 16,000, which was10,000 more than recommended by the European commission on policing, for the size of thepopulation. The PSNI should only have 6,000 members. 2) Many of the members of the PSNIare former RUC men, who should not be allowed to police a herd of goats, let alone humanbeings. The human rights violations committed by them should have resulted in War Crimescharges, not pensions and promotions. 3) While Sinn Fein and others are complaining thatthe quota of Catholics (50% of the force) has not been realized, I object to the way that theCatholic recruitment was pursued. Advertisements in Polish language newspapers inIreland, England, the US and Poland assisted in the recruitment of many Catholics, who real-ly don’t give a damn about Ireland or the Irish. 4) While I can recognize that many youngCatholics in the six counties viewed a position with the PSNI as a job, as a way to betterthemselves, and I realize that not all of them came from Irish Nationalist, let aloneRepublican, families, it is a concern that they are now committed to defending the interestsof the British Crown above all else, since their careers and pensions depend upon continuedBritish rule. As far as Sinn Fein goes, am I completely opposed to them? No. In fact I see that they

could be the best chance of achieving an Irish Republic with the next generation. However,there is also the possibility that they could destroy everything Irish Republicans have strug-gled for over the past 213 years. I disagree with Sinn Fein on their abortion policy, not onlyas a Catholic priest, but as an Irish Republican; the Right to Life is the fundamental right ofany human being, denial of that right is the denial of all other rights. As for Socialist politics,Sinn Fein has to make up their mind whether they are a Marxist group or not, instead ofspeaking Marxism on the Falls Road and Free Trade on 5th Ave. It is also discouraging to seeSinn Fein use tactics that were used for years by the British government against Republicans,to criminalize and isolate those who disagree with them. One of the big lies has been that allthose opposed to the Sinn Fein leadership are lunatics wanting to turn back the clock, whilemany of those who have broken away, or been run out, had a long history with the party.Groups like Eirígí formed when members of Sinn Fein, many of whom had been advocatesof the Good Friday Agreement, could not have their voices and concerns heard by the lead-ership. This was especially true over the issues of policing, and the abandonment of theGood Friday Agreement by Sinn Fein, in favor of the St. Andrew’s Accord, which was neverapproved by the Irish people. Yet all those who dare to challenge the Leadership are dis-missed as opposed to the GFA, or told they do not know what they are talking about.Somebody asked me recently what gave me the right to talk about the situation in the sixcounties; my response is that God gave me Freedom of Speech. But if you want to knowwhat makes me believe I am able to speak about the subject, without sounding like an idiotspouting off whatever some politician or party tells me to, then I would have to say: over 20years of Irish Academic studies, an MA in Irish History, post-graduate research work in IrishHistory, living in Belfast for a couple of years, and for various periods before that, beingactive in the Irish Republican movement here and in Ireland, even when it was not popularor politically correct. The fact is, I support peace in Ireland, but peace must come with justice, and anyone who

advocates the democratic process, while at the same time silencing dissenting voices is not achampion of peace.


AOH Membership QualificationsAt the last National AOH Convention held in Cincinnati in July of 2010, several

amendments were made to the Article IV of the National Constitution which affectmembership qualifications. Most of the membership applications used by the Divisionsacross the country do not as yet reflect these new changes. There is still a little confu-sion about these new changes and an attempt will be made to give the rationale behindthese new changes.Article IV now states:MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS: Section 1. Applicant must:Be a male residing in the United StatesProve his Irish ancestryBe a practicing Catholic.* Be of good characterBe not less than (16) years of ageAdopted legally by those of Irish ancestryThe two changes which have been made are in Letter C and Letter F. Letter F

“Adopted legally by those of Irish ancestry” has been added to the qualifications. In Letter C, prior to the new change the word “Roman” preceded the term Catholic.

The rationale behind the elimination of the word Roman is indicated in the followingparagraphs.This question first arose at a Pennsylvania State Board Meeting when Division

President asked “Can a man who is a Byzantine or Ukrainian Catholic become a mem-ber of the AOH?” This question had been raised at other times not only in Pennsylvaniabut also throughout the country.The term “Roman” Catholic for purposes of AOH membership should be taken in

an inclusive rather than exclusive sense. This means that the word “Roman” should begiven a broad interpretation, meaning any Christian who belongs to one of theChurches or Rites in communion with the Church of Rome with Our Holy Father as theSupreme Roman Pontiff. The narrow or exclusive interpretation of Roman would referonly to those who belong to the Latin Rite, one of the Western Rites of the Church.However, there are also Eastern Rites in the Church, which are also part of the RomanChurch and united with Our Holy Father as the Supreme Pontiff. There are several scenarios as to how an Irish American Catholic could be a member

of the Byzantine, Ukrainian or one of the many Rites in the Church united to the Churchof Rome: 1. A man’s mother could be of Irish ancestry and her husband belongs to one of the

Eastern Rites. A basic principal or Canon Law states that in the case of the marriage oftwo different Catholic Rites, the children are to follow the Rite of the father. Therefore,this man, following the Rite of his father, would be a member of one of the Eastern Ritesof the Catholic Church. If all of the other qualifications are fulfilled, this man is eligiblefor membership in the AOH because he is Roman Catholic in the sense that the Rite towhich he belongs is united to Our Holy Father as the Roman Pontiff. 2. A Latin Catholic man marries a woman who belongs to one of the Eastern Catholic

Rites. At the time of the marriage either party is permitted to choose to belong to theRite of the other party. If the man in this case chooses to change his Rite from the LatinRite to the Eastern Rite of his wife, he would still be eligible for membership in the AOHsince he would still belong to a Rite that is united to Our Holy Father.3. A Latin Catholic man could request a change of Rite from the Latin Catholic to one

of the Eastern Rites simply because he likes the liturgy of an Eastern Rite Church. In thiscase the man would be eligible for membership in the AOH since he would still hebelongs to a Rite or Church which is united to Our Holy Father.

Many people may be surprised to know that there are many different Riteswithin the Catholic Church. A Rite represents an ecclesiastical tradition about how thesacraments are to be celebrated. As the early Church grew and spread the sacramentswere celebrated in a manner in which they would be best understood in their individ-ual cultures without changing their essential form and matter. The early Church established local churches in the major centers of the Roman

Empire such as Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome. When theRoman Empire was divided into East and West in 395 AD, the local churches becameclosely related to the structure of the state. Political divisions became models for eccle-siastical division, and the tendency was for each political division to have its localchurch. This can be seen in how the Catholic Church is structured today. It consists ofWestern Rites and Eastern Rites. The Western Rites consists of those ancient traditionswhose center was Rome. The Eastern Rites consist of the Christian communities whosecenters were Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria. The various Rites vary from one another with regard to their Eucharistic Liturgies,

fasting regulations, celebrations of holy days, art, architecture, etc. However, each Ritemaintains the Sacraments, the fundamental teachings of the Church, and stress thecommon traditions handed down from Christ and the Apostles. All Rites within theChurch, both Eastern and Western, are of equal dignity. The differences in the forms ofworship do not compromise the essential unity of the Church. The Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches of the Second Vatican Council declares:

“These individual Churches both Eastern and Western, while they differ somewhatamong themselves in what is called “Rite”, namely, in liturgy, in ecclesiastical disciplineand in spiritual tradition, are none the less all equally entrusted to the pastoral guidanceof the Roman Pontiff, who by God’s appointment is successor to Blessed Peter in pri-macy over the Universal Church. Therefore these churches are of equal rank, so thatnone of them is superior to the others because of its Rite. They have the same rights andobligations, even with regard to the preaching of the Gospel in the whole world, under

the direction of the Roman Pontiff.”The following is a list of the Western and Eastern Rites of the Roman Catholic

Church, which are united with the Holy Father the Supreme Roman Pontiff.The Western Rites of the Church are: 1) the Roman or Latin Rite; 2) the Ambrosian

Rite; 3) the Mozarabic or Iberian Rite.The Eastern Rites of the Church are: 1) the Alexandrian Rite which comprises both

the Coptic and Ethiopian Rites; 2) the Antiochene Rite which comprises the Syrian,Maronite and Malankarese Rites; 3) the Armenian Rite; 4) the Chaldean Rite whichcomprises the Chaldean and Syro-Malabarese Rites; 5) the Byzantine Rite which com-prises the Albanian, Belarussian, Bulgarian, Czech, Georgian, Greek, Hungarian, Italo-Albanian, Krizevci; Melkite, Romanian, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovakian, and UkrainianRites.This is the reason that the word “Roman” has been eliminated from the membership

qualifications so that any man who fulfills all or the other qualifications and belongs toone of the foregoing Rites can be considered Catholic in the fact that he belongs to aRite or Christian Church which is united to the Holy Father, the Supreme Pontiff ofRome. He is therefore eligible for membership in the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Brothers and sisters, summer is upon us and many divisions take a month or two hia-tus to enjoy State Conventions, vacations and family time. I plan on attending a numberof state conventions and look forward to working with new State Officers who will ded-icate their time to the organization. I am pleased to have helped, in a very minor way, with the efforts of Jack O’Brien and

John McInerney of Washington, DC in their laudable effort to have a memorial and gatein honor of Commodore John Barry at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.Their tenacity is admirable and without their constant and unyielding efforts this projectwould have never been approved. Fundraising is under way and I would encourageALL members, divisions, county and states to donate to our Hibernian Charity in sup-port of this effort. Without your financial support we will be unable to fulfill the dreamof proper recognition of the true Father of the American Navy – Wexford born and FirstFlag Officer of the United States Navy – Commodore John Barry.On a bit of a sad note for me this will be my last edition as editor of the Hibernian

Digest. Since taking on my assignment in 2008 I set my goals to help improve this paperand to expand our reach. I was given the assignment to be Editor by President Boyle afterhis first election and was indeed honored to follow in the footsteps of Brother MikeMcCormack, the previous editor. I would like to publicly thank Mike for his help overthe past three years with the publication. Mike helped me each edition and was a hugecontributor of articles for each edition. I consider Mike one of the finest Hibernians aliveand he has been a great friend to me – we are blessed to have him in our Order. This paper is the most important communications tool in the AOH and it is also the

largest cost to the Order. With many of our members using the Digest as their sole meansof obtaining news about the Order I felt it important to keep the number of printings peryear (6) consistent with what we had done in the past. I also reigned in costs of printingthe paper – to do this I was determined to keep the number of pages in each edition atthe same while doing everything I could to include all articles submitted by our mem-bership. I worked on redesigning the layout (just enough) to keep the paper consistentin its layout each edition and to make the layout easier to manage for printing and for ourreaders. I developed a webpage for the Digest which has expanded our reach interna-tionally on both the web and on facebook (growing daily). I was blessed to have Joe McDonald of New York step up and become the Online

Editor for the digital version of the paper. Joe has done a wonderful job in the design andupkeep of the Digital Digest which we launched in April of last year; since that time wehave had nearly 15,000 visitors to our site with over 78,000 pages viewed. I believe thatthe Digital Digest has accomplished what I always intended – to increase our reach andprovide our membership with the ability to publish articles and photos and video. It hasprovided an endless resource of information available to our Order all at NO COST to theAOH. I purchased the domain name, Joe and I worked on the site design (mostly Joe)and Joe provides the loading of content and hosting of the site for free. It has proven tobe a huge step forward for the organization in communicating not only with our mem-bers and informing the world what great things our Order is involved with.I like to thank Steve Everly of Pennsylvania for his efforts as Sales Director in getting

ads into the paper. Steve volunteered to step in some time ago and although changing“real” jobs he stuck with us and continues to bring in ad sales for the paper. This has beenvery difficult to do with the economy in the shape it is in – thanks Steve. I would like alsolike to express my deep appreciation to Joan Mulcahy at Clover Graphics for putting upwith my “picking fly **** out of pepper” each edition and for helping to get a great prod-uct out for the Order. Last, I would like to thank my counterparts on the Ladies side (Kathleen Conway and

previously Donna Reidy) who helped in organizing the articles and keeping things mov-ing for the section dedicated to the LAOH. I regret not being able to print one edition forall members, men and ladies, and hope that we do mail to all LAOH members in the nearfuture – it will only improve the paper.This is a volunteer organization and the amount of time and effort to publish this

paper is massive. There were directions that I wanted to go with the paper in an effort toproduce a better product at significant cost savings to our membership. Since membersof the Executive Board of the AOH saw things differently I felt it was time for me to stepdown. God Bless. [email protected]


A momentous occasion occurred for Hibernians in Montana in June: We celebratedour Irish heritage in the town that Thomas Francis Meagher called home while inMontana, Virginia City. The town of Virginia City celebrated its second annual “IrishWeekend”. If you have never been to Virginia City it is an active ghost town and a stepback in time. It was the first territorial capital of the Montana Territory in 1865. It lookstoday as it did in the 1860’s when Thomas Meagher was walking the streets.The “Irish Weekend” is collaboration by the Montana Ancient Order of Hibernians,

the Virginia City Chamber of Commerce and the businesses and people of Virginia City.The goal of the Montana AOH on this occasion was to put into action the AOH NationalConstitution’s Preamble stating that the purpose of our organization is to foster ideasand perpetuate the history and traditions of the Irish and to promote our Irish culture.Due to the great success of this project our goal was achieved. Thanks to a core groupof AOH members with the leadership of Joe Calnan of the Helena AOH.Painting a green stripe down the main street of Virginia City kicked off the weekend

in style. It was followed up by a panel discussion of “things Irish”. AOH members facil-itating the discussion of such as the origin of the Irish flag, the song Danny Boy, Irishrebellions, why the Irish left Ireland, where they went and why, how they came toMontana, Irish in the Civil War, Confederate & Union army influences. Our Irish cul-tural presentations included an Irish storyteller & Irish folktales along with a discussionof the “The Gathering” a collected oral histories of the Irish in Montana which seeks torecord and to archive the Montana Irish and Irish-American folk histories, memories,practices and traditions.Thomas Francis Meagher even decided to show up for the festivities. Meagher was

portrayed by our AOH member and re-enactor Frank Crowley. Meagher raised the IrishTricolor on the Madison County Courthouse steps. Later on he even dedicated the repli-ca of Governor Meagher’s State Office on the main street of Virginia City.An Irish Weekend in Montana would not be complete without a parade with the

Anaconda AOH Pipe & Drum Band and the Anaconda Washer Women Brigade. Celticmusic entertained the people of Virginia City until the wee hours of the night. All in allthe people of Virginia City now know more about the proud history and traditions ofthe Irish that had a major influence in the development of Montana and this country.

Members of the Anaconda AOH with Brother Frank Crowley (with sword) portrayingformer Montana Governor Thomas Francis Meagher.

Montana News

Irish Vice Consul Visits ButteOn April 21st, members of the Butte-Silver Bow AOH attended a luncheon with

special guest Barry O’Brien, Vice Consul to the Consulate General of Ireland.Visiting Butte with his parents, O’Brien said he could feel the legacy of Irelandthroughout the state, especially in the Mining City of Butte.The Butte AOH was organized in 1881 giving support to the thousands of Irish

immigrants who came to Butte to work in the copper mines. The fraternal organi-zation offered a sense of security and stability by getting its members jobs in themines and elsewhere and by attending to their everyday needs to include expens-es when sick or injured. The AOH played a critical and significant role in the assim-ilation of the arriving Irish into the mining community of Butte.

Pictured (L - R) Frank Walsh, John Cavanaugh, Joseph Lee (Vice-President), Mike Kujawa(Marshal), Barry O’Brien (Vice Consul General of Ireland), Pat O’Brien, Dan Sweeney(President), Brendan McDonough, Jack Henry (Financial Secretary).

The Thomas Francis Meagher Divisions annual Presidents appreciation steak fry. Ninepast presidents attended the festivities. Pictured (L - R) First row: Dennis O’Reilly, JimHammill, Neil Connole, Dennis Sheehy. Back Row: Mike Murphy, Mike O’Connor, JohnCurry, Hank Burgess, Tom Pahut.

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Attention Members!The AOH has contracted to do a history of the AOH, at the local level, through

the members’ story. HARRIS CONNECT is the publisher. They will be contacting you,so if they do please help them in any way possible

All information will remain with the AOH National Board and is secure.

Nach iontach iad mapaí (léarscáileanna) mar rud? Aren’t maps wonderful? Is breá liomféachaint orthu, agus samhlaím conas a bheadh na háiteanna orthu. I love looking at them,and I imagine how the places on them would be. Is breá liom taisteal, agus na pleananna adhéanamh le mapaí. I love to travel, and to make the plans with maps. Agus an rud is tait-neamhaí, sin na fíor-áiteanna sin a fhéachaint. And the most enjoyable thing, that’s to see thereal places. Gach ponc ar an mapa, is baile nó cathair é – leis na mílte duine ina gcónaí ann.Each dot on the map, it’s a town or a city – with thousands of people living there. Gach líne ghorm,is abhainn í – agus ní fheadar cé chomh leathan agus atá sí. Each blue line is a river – and whoknows how wide it is? Na cúpla orlach sin ar bhóthair, is na céadta míle folmha sin, minic goleor. Those couple of inches on a road, that’s hundreds of empty miles, very often. Níos minice nába mhaith liom a admháil, ní bhíonn meas mo mhéire cruinn go leor, agus bíonn naháiteanna níos faide óna chéile ná mar a cheap mé. More often than I would like to admit, themeasure of my finger isn’t accurate enough, and the places are further apart than I thought. Níl anlocht ar an mapa, ámh! But that’s not the map’s fault!Uaireanta, bíonn íomhá i mo cheann d’áit, mar a shamhlaigh mé é, agus ansin nuair a

fheicim í ina steillbheatha, bíonn sí an-difriúil. Sometimes, I have an image of a place in myhead, as I imagined it, and then when I see it in reality, it’s very different. Ach is iontach sin, agusfoghlaimím as. But that’s great, and I learn from it. Sin an rud is fearr faoin taisteal – faightearaitheantas ar áiteanna, dhaoine, agus nósanna nach raibh ar aithne agat roimhe sin. That’sthe best thing about travelling – you get to know places, people and customs which you weren’tacquainted with before. Faightear tuiscint níos mó ar an saol, agus ort féin, leis. You get toknow more about the world, and about yourself, too. An bhfuil an bóthar sin tríd na sléibhte godeas? Is that road through the mountains nice? An bhfuil sé mar dhúshlán do dhuine carr athiomáinte air? Is it going to be a challenge to drive a car on? Cén radharc a fheictear ann?What view can you see there? Ní thuigtear a leithéid gan a bheith ann. You can’t understandsuch things unless you are there. Agus is iomaí rud a tharlaíonn is a bhíonn ann nach mbíonn

aon choinne agat roimhe. And there are lots of things that happen and that are there that youdon’t expect at all. Fionnachtana nua. New discoveries. Ní gan chúis a deirtear go mbíonnsiúlach scéalach. It’s not for no reason that they say that travellers are full of stories.Chuamar go Charleston, South Carolina, i measc áiteanna eile i mbliana. We went

to…among other places this year. D’itheamar ag teach tábhairne Éireannach, agus chonaicea-mar club eile Hibernian, atá ann le breis is 150 bliain. We ate at an Irish pub, and we saw anoth-er Hibernian club, which has been around for more than 150 years. Chonaiceamar Dún Sumpteró Oileán Uí Shúilleabháin. We saw Fort Sumpter from Sullivan’s Island. Ní raibh a fhios agamroimh ré go raibh tionchar chomh mór sin ag sliocht na hÉireann ansin. I hadn’t know beforehand how much of an influence the Irish had there. Cathair iontach álainn atá inti, agus an-stair-iúil, dar ndóigh. It’s a wonderfully beautiful city, and very historic, of course.Áit eile a thugamar cuairt uirthi ná Richmond, Virginia. Another place we visited was… I

dTeach Bán an Chomhcheangail, chonaiceamar sean-mhapa a rinneadh roimhe an gco-gadh cathartha. In the Confederate White House, we saw an old map which was made before theCivil War. Bhí sé as dáta an lá a cuireadh i gcló é, is dócha, mar bhí cúrsaí ag athrú chomhtapa sin. It was out of date the day it was printed, I suppose, because things were changing so quick-ly. Ach fiú le sean-mhapa, bíonn a lán suilt le baint as, chun do mhachnamh a dhéanamhar na hathruithe sin, agus ar stair na tíre. But even with an old map, there’s a lot of pleasure tobe derived from it, to think over those changes, and the country’s history.Tá clár ar an teilifís dar teidil “Conas a bhFuair na Stáit a gCruthanna,” agus molaim é.

There’s a program on TV called “How the States Got Their Shapes,” and I recommend it. Tá sé arBhealach na Staire. It’s on the History Channel. Díríonn sé ar an stair taobh thiar de namapaí, ar nós spraíúil. It focuses on the history behind the maps, in a fun way. Ní tharlaíonnteorainneacha de thaisme, agus is an-suimiúil iad na scéalta a bhaineann leo. Borders don’thappen by accident, and the stories that relate to them are very interesting.Is féidir linn taisteal trí mheáin leabhar, an idirlín, nó tuairiscí dhaoine eile. We cam trav-

el my means of books, the internet, or the reports of other people. Is breá an rud é na scéalta, napictiúir, is an t-eolas nua a fhaighimid a roinnt lena chéile. It’s a great thing to share the sto-ries, pictures, and new information which we get. Agus fiú murab fhéidir linn féin turas ar bitha dhéanamh, is féidir le duine ar bith féachaint ar na mapaí is a bheith ag samhlú na n-áiteanna. And even if we can’t make any kind of trip ourselves, anybody can look at the maps andimagine the places. Cá bhfios nach mbeadh deis agat dul ann lá éigin? Who knows, maybeyou’ll be able to go there some day!

8

As the summer convention season windsdown and our summer festivals are behindus we need to focus on our division’sgrowth and retention. Please take timetoday to review your renewals and contactall members who haven’t sent in their duespersonally. Retaining our current member-ship keeps the base of the Order solid. Thereis no substitute for personal contact so weencourage you to contact everyone not up todate with their dues personally. It is alsoimportant to remember we each need torecruit at least one new member. For thoseof you who have brought in a new recruitthis year please reinforce your new recruitand continue to mentor him throughout hisHibernian life. For those who haven’tbrought in a recruit please make the effort todo so before the end of the year.As we focus on our membership

renewals and growth we also have severalstates working to bring new divisions on

board. Maine is in the process of establish-ing a state board and has a goal to grow twonew divisions, one in the west and onenorth. The energy of the two current divi-sions is significant and our brothers thereare on track to grow their state. Vermont isin the process of creating a new divisionwhich will represent a rebirth in the state.Other states expecting new divisionsinclude New Jersey, Michigan, and Floridato name a few.The convention season has presented us

with tremendous opportunity to learn fromother divisions. I am sure you made themost of your opportunities and will try toimplement some new ideas into your homedivision. It is important that you build uponyour current traditions as well as makechanges as needed to keep you activitiesfresh. Remember, involve as manyHibernian Brothers as possible and yourefforts will be rewarded with growth and

stability in your division.I have enjoyed the pleasure of attending

several conventions; however, as you know,we can’t be everywhere. Fortunately wehave the ability for incredible electroniccommunications. At each convention I havepresented a recruiting Power Point. I wouldgladly share this with you if you simply e-mail a request to me [email protected] include your division name, etc. Thisalong with the electronic recruitingbrochure and the business card concept areproving to be positive recruiting tools.Please use what works for you and continueto forward me all recruiting items you arehaving success with. We will work to getthese in the hands of all Hibernians.FACEBOOK is one of the many forms of

electronic media becoming part of our pro-motional and recruiting efforts. It provides agreat way to communicate to your divisionquickly and efficiently. Facebook, webpages, and call posting are economical effec-tive communication. We are in the processof establishing an Organizing/Recruitingfacebook page which will be up and run-ning by the time you receive this newspaper.I am asking everyone with a web page, face-book page, or any other type of electronicmedia page to contact me with your infor-

mation. I would also like you to link thenational web page, www.aoh.com on yourpage and include the organizer link when itbecomes available. Additional facebooksites include AOH Political ActionCommittee, Commodore John BarryMemorial (USNA), 2011 Bloody Sunday tripand many more.Throughout the summer many state

boards may be transiting into a new groupof elected officers. Please be sure to sendyour form 9 immediately so the proper peo-ple receive information from the NationalBoard. State Secretaries should have theseforms and they can also be found atwww.aoh.com/pages/forms. html. Oursuccess comes from communication andknowing the proper contacts from aroundthe country. Follow up and follow throughare the most important issues in electroniccommunication.In closing I would like to thank all the

state presidents for doing a great job in pass-ing information from the National Board tothe local divisions. The feedback from yourpresidents has made our jobs easier. If youare not receiving information from thenational board be sure your state presidenthas you on his e-mail list. Thank you, DannyO’Connell 330-518-4450

Continuing on my pledge from the most recent edition of the Digest to highlight some ofthe great work from our many Veterans Affairs State Chairman, I will take this month’sreport to highlight a document brought to my attention by Danny Boy Crawford, the FloridaVeterans Affairs Chairman. As Danny Boy points out, this could affect thousands of our vet-erans. At issue is a letter issued by the Veterans Benefits Administration of the Departmentof Veterans Affairs. This document – Training Letter 10-06 – sent to all VA Regional Offices has the somewhat

lengthy title: Adjudicating Disability Claims Based on Herbicide Exposure from U.S. Navyand Coast Guard Veterans of the Vietnam Era. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regula-tions provide Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam with the presumption of her-bicide exposure due to widespread use of Agent Orange and other herbicides during U.S.military operations within the country. This allows for service connection on a presumptivebasis for certain diseases that are associated with such exposure. VA limits the presumptionof exposure to Veterans who served on the ground or on the inland waterways of Vietnamand excludes Veterans who served aboard ships operating on Vietnam’s offshore waters.However, VA has become increasingly aware of evidence showing that some offshore U.S.

Navy and Coast Guard ships also operated temporarily on Vietnam’s inland waterways ordocked to the shore. Additionally, the VA has recently acquired evidence showing that certain ships operated

primarily on the inland waterways rather than offshore. Veterans who served aboard theseships qualify for the presumption of herbicide exposure. Assisting Veterans who servedaboard these ships requires special claims processing steps, explained in this training letter.Bottom line – if you are a Navy or Coast Guard veteran who may be affected by herbiciderelated diseases and have not received proper compensation from the VA, go back to yourregional office and tell them they should refer to Training Letter 10-06 and follow the specialclaims processing steps.A quick update on the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Remember that AMS has the

mission of serving Catholics in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, VAMedical Centers and government service overseas. What a wonderful mission! As one canimagine, the need for clergy is great. In the past I have addressed the co-sponsored semi-narian program. I am happy to report that two of the co-sponsored seminarians wereordained in June, and there should be at least thirty in the seminary for the fall term! Ourprayers for more vocations, especially for service to the military must continue. Realize thathalf of the cost of educating and supporting these seminarians is the responsibility of theArchdiocese of the Military Services. I ask you to keep the AMS high on your list of placesto support, both prayerfully and financially.Finally, please remember to thank a vet or an active duty soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

They are a constant reminder that our cherished freedom is not free.


9National Hibernian Digest, July-August 2011

Well, National History Day is behind usfor another year and what an experience itwas. I was accompanied to the University ofMaryland by Suffolk County Historian, Dr.Dave Ring and George Lederer of DowlingCollege and once there, we teamed up withLAOH National Historian Pat O’Connell andLAOH National Secretary TheresaO’Connell, who experienced NHD as LAOHHistorian and was hooked. We five shouldhave been enough, but we had so manyentries to consider that we were forced to callfor assistance from the local DC Hibernians.AOH Div. 1 Historian John Hurley and Div. 1member (and author) Paul Belford were kindenough to join us and expand our ranks inadjudicating the entries. Paul is the author oftwo book on the Irish experience in DC. Oneis called Swampoodle which is the originalname for the Irish ghetto in Washington, DCand the other is St. Patrick’s Day, both are agood read. These two Brothers took time outon a moment’s notice to help us and it wasgreatly appreciated. Two remarkable young ladies, Lizzy

Manguso and Kayla Cata, from Pueblo,Colorado were presented the AOH Award oftwo round trip tickets to Ireland for their presentation on the Molly Maguires while twoequally talented young ladies, Jessica Hamacher and Jaime Kay, from Dunedin, Floridawere awarded the LAOH $1000 Scholarship Assistance for their performance entitled,Starvation in Ireland, An International Diplomatic Crisis. You can see their presentation onthe internet at http://dunedin.patch.com/articles/student-play-on-potato-famine-gets-national-attention.My nephew Craig sent me a photo from St. John’s Church in Montana’s Boulder

Valley which he found last winter. A stone in the churchyard noted that the church hadbeen hand built by emigrants in 1880 who were determined to practice the faith theyhad learned as children in Ireland. It was one of the oldest Catholic churches inMontana, but it was apparently closed. A call to the Montana diocese revealed that itwas a seasonal church which closed during the hard Montana winters and openedannually on Memorial Day and celebrated Mass throughout the summer months. Icalled National Director Mike O’Connor and he promised to check it out. AfterMemorial Day, Mike E-mailed me a stack of photos and raved about the wonderfulexperience he had attending the Memorial Day Mass with all the Montana IrishCowboys who were descended from the original builders and where his AOH embleminsured him a warm welcome. He even related one humorous incident that hadoccurred years ago when the pastor wanted to install a stained glass window showingthe Lamb of God. He was overruled by the cowboys who insisted “no sheep - this iscattle country.” The pastor eventually won out for the lamb can be seen in the arms ofthe statue of Jesus on the beautiful main altar guarded by a statue of St. Patrick. Thanksto my nephew Craig McCormack and to Mike O’Connor for the story. It’s great to findexamples of the faith that never dies! Until next time, keep well, keep the faith and keep the traditions alive.

Historical marker of Montana church.

Irish American Heritage MonthBy J J Kelly, Chairman

Brothers, the AOH continues to lead the way. I am still going through all thereports from the states, counties and divisions of the many activities you conductedduring the past March as part of Irish-American Heritage Month. What a great jobby all at every level.Our friend, Governor Martin O’Malley proclaimed March 2011 as IAHM in

Maryland. This makes sixteen consecutive years that Maryland Governors haveproclaimed March as IAHM. Also in Maryland, St. Brendan Division 3 in Towsoncarried a banner in the Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day parade with the words CELE-BRATE IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH. That makes two years in a rowthat they have done so. It is surprising how many people respond to signs like thatwith, “Oh, I didn’t know March was Irish-American Heritage Month.” Things likethis, although small, certainly help to spread the word.In Pennsylvania, members of Division 39 in Philadelphia got a head start by their

activities protesting Spencer’s Gifts at Franklin Mills Mall. Do you remember whatwe all pledged when we became Hibernians? “…I will not countenance…anythingthat may reasonably be interpreted as caricaturing or debasing the Irish people…”Spencer Gifts has been doing that for years. It’s great that we have members whohave made the effort to protest. Also, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter pro-claimed March as IAHM, as did Governor Tom Corbett. Finally, AOH members tookpart in a Wreath Laying Ceremony for the Irish patriots of the Revolutionary War.This took place at a plaque with the names of Irish patriots on the outside wall ofthe Philadelphia City Hall.California has also stepped up to the plate! In San Diego, Mayor Jerry Sanders

proclaimed one day honoring Irish-Americans. Okay, it’s a start. Governor JerryBrown, along with members of the California State Senate and Assembly pro-claimed the whole month of March as Irish Heritage Month. Edward McEntee,President of the AOH California State Board reports that particularly in SanFrancisco and surrounding communities, there is a team effort on IAHM activitieswith the San Francisco United Irish Societies. As a result, there are numerous greatactivities.In North Carolina, a Senate Resolution recognized March as Irish Heritage

Month. The Resolution cited the contributions of North Carolinians of Irish descentto include Presidents Andrew Jackson, James Knox Polk, and Andrew Johnson.In Connecticut, John P. Holland Division in New London sponsored a weekly

series of presentations on Irish and Irish-American culture, history and genealogy.There were four presentations at Connecticut College. I found the one on April 9thto be particularly interesting. April 11th was the 111th anniversary of the purchaseof the U.S. Navy’s first submarine. The presentation was an illustrated lecture aboutthe critical role of John P. Holland, Irish born “Father of the Modern Submarine.”The first US Navy submarine (SS-1) was named the “USS Holland.” So we haveIrish born Commodore Barry as the Father of the U.S. Navy, and John P. Holland as“Father of the Modern Submarine.” Pretty darn good!Finally, under the direction of IAHM committee member John Schell, we are

working with the U.S. Department of Education to begin including informationabout Irish-American heritage, history and culture onto their Federal Resources forEducational Excellence (FREE) programs. More to come in future issues.Thank you all for all you do to support and promote our Irish heritage, and to

support our goal of making Irish-American Heritage Month a permanent, recurringevent, not dependent upon an annual Presidential Proclamation.

Indiana News

On Saturday, June 11, members of Kevin Barry Div. 3 AOH helped landscape thegrounds of Seeds of Hope by planting trees, shrubs and flowers. Seeds of Hope is locat-ed at St. Joseph Parish, in Indianapolis, Indiana and is a transitional housing facility forwomen who are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Father Glenn O’Connor, ourAOH chaplain, is president of the Board of Directors of Seeds of Hope.

Pictured (L – R) Terry McGinley, John Noone, Brian Gallagher, Father Glenn O’Connor,Chris Meehan, Jim Lynch and Mark Steinmetz.


Patrick List Hughes,69, of Kansas City, MO,passed away June 15, 2011,at home. Pat was born toFrank and Catherine(Kilty) Hughes on July 25,1941, and attendedVisitation School,Rockhurst High School, and RegisCollege. Pat lived a full and active life. Hehad a long career in insurance mostnotably 25 years with Cretcher, Lynch &Company. He loved Kansas City, theDemocratic Party, the Kansas City RugbyClub, and all things Irish. He was the 6thWard Committee member for 35 years andorganized numerous St. Patrick’s DayParades (his nickname “The Boss”), serv-ing as Grand Marshal for the Kansas Cityand Brookside parades. He was an activemember of The Native Sons andDaughters of Kansas City, Ancient Orderof Hibernians, Visiting NursesAssociation, American Royal, and he wasthe first president of the Kansas CityClub’s 1212 Club. His warmth, boister-ous humor, and stories for any occasionwill be remembered and missed by allwho knew and loved him. Pat is sur-vived by his wife of 42 years, Susan, histwo children, Allison and Ted, of whomhe was so proud, and his siblings,Michael Hughes (Dana), Cathy Marx(John), and Sheila Weiford (Tom). AFuneral Mass was held on June 22, at St.Peter’s Catholic Church, in Kansas City.

John Kenny, retired from the U.S.Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, ofTampa, born November 25, 1934, in NewYork City, NY, passed away April 24,

2011. He was an Amalgamated TransitUnion member and an Ancient Order ofHibernians member, and retired from theCity of Tampa water department. John issurvived by his wife, Helga; sons, Steveand Mark; daughter, Nadine Miller andhusband, Allen; Avy Kenny and YasminKenny; grandchildren, James and JosephKenny, Sean Ryan and Amanda andErica Miller. John Kenny was one of themembers of AOH Pinellas 1. Later whenPinellas Division 2 was organized in1995, John transferred to our new divi-sion. He served briefly as the thirdDivision President during 1998-1999.

Michael P. Walsh ofDeerfield Beach, Fl. diedMonday, May 9, 2011 atHospice by the Sea, BocaRaton, Fl. Beloved husbandof Jennie Walsh. Lovingfather of Michael Walsh, Patrick Walsh,John Walsh, Desmond Walsh, BrigidFlanagan and Patricia Riggi. Also sur-vived by 13 grandchildren, 2 brothersand 3 sisters. A funeral mass was heldMay 12, 2011 at Our Lady of MercyParish 5201 North Military Trail,Pompano Beach, Fl. Michael was theFinancial Secretary of the AOH JamesComerford Pinellas Division 1. He alsoserved on the AOH FL State Board in thelate 1990s as a VP under State PresidentPatrick Gilligan. Michael and Jennieattended several National Conventions.He transferred to the Pasco County AOHDivision and finally the AOH BrevardDivision. He had friends still through-out Florida and many of us will miss ourBrother Hibernian Michael Walsh.

In Memoriam

Summer SnapshotsSummer is officially here! Kids are done with school. The weather is getting

warmer. The shore beckons us to come visit with its bright sun and enticing waves.With summertime comes a feeling in the air that encourages us to take a step back fromthe busyness of life. It is a time to move a little more slowly, to enjoy the lingering day-light hours, to recharge our batteries.Summer is also a time for taking pictures of activities and vacations, BBQs and

reunions. But summer does not have to be a time for taking only physical pictures. Itcan be a time to help others take mental snapshots of themselves. What are mentalsnapshots? They are “pictures” that you snap for others by telling them something youlove or admire about them. Perhaps you have a friend whose smile always makes youfeel at home, a child whose energy energizes you, or a loved one who is fighting coura-geously through a difficult circumstance. We all admire attributes and virtues in other people. Why is it that we rarely say

them out loud? This summer, let’s make it our goal to take time to tell people what weadmire about them. Let’s give people around us a “snapshot” of themselves at theirbest. As an extra challenge, why not provide a snapshot for someone with whom youmay not have the best relationship? Find something you admire in that person and tellhim or her. As you point out these attributes to others, you will become more aware ofhow special they are. And as people begin to collect these snapshots of themselves,they will begin to recognize their own value and uniqueness.

Let’s Meet at Barry GateFor decades the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America has petitioned United

States Navy historians and many others in the United States government to honor atrue Irish American naval hero of the American Revolution. Commodore John Barryis part of the Constitution of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America as we askour Divisions and Boards to honor him on or about the 13th of September each year(the anniversary of Barry’s death).Brothers, two of our outstanding members from Washington, DC have accom-

plished something that many people from the AOH and graduates of the UnitedStates Naval Academy had never thought possible. Jack O’Brien and John McInerneyhave persuaded, through persistence and hard work, the United States NavalAcademy Oversight Committee to approve a John Barry Memorial at the Academyin Annapolis, Maryland to recognize a Revolutionary War hero and the man whosupervised the building of the first U.S. Navy ship in 1797: the frigate United States.As Jack and John stated one of their aims would be that students and visitors alikewould be able to say “Let’s Meet at Barry Gate”.Members of the AOH have accomplished what was once considered impossible by

Irish Catholics in the United States. We, the AOH, have perpetuated the memory ofCommodore John Barry for Irish America. First Mike Kearney of Brooklyn, NY, had the United States Congress recognize

John Barry of Philadelphia, PA and Wexford, Ireland as the “First Flag Officer” of theUnited State Navy. Then National Vice President Seamus Boyle has had the letters and papers of

Barry catalogued and digitalized at the Philadelphia Seaport Museum under the careof their historians. National Historian Mike McCormack has written constantly on Commodore John

Barry and recently made a substantial personal donation to the Commodore JohnBarry Gate and MemorialJohn Barry is buried in the graveyard at the rear of Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church

near the Penn’s Landing piers in Philadelphia from which he once sailed to attack theBritish Fleet during the American Revolution. An AOH/LAOH group from NYC hastraveled here every September to honor Barry and have a luncheon in Philadelphia.When the American Revolution ended the Naval heroes of that conflict were John

Paul Jones who was Scottish by birth and a Catholic Irishman John Barry now ofPhiladelphia. The fledgling American Navy, consisting mostly of merchant ships con-verted to warships, was decommissioned and the ships returned to civilian service asmerchant ships. Jones set out to continue as a naval officer under other flags and diedof natural causes while serving as an Admiral in the Russian Fleet. The Irishman John Barry returned to Philadelphia and his position as a successful

merchant sea captain at the end of the Revolutionary War, but soon Congress camecalling in 1794 and he was commissioned as First Captain in 1797 and he was askedto serve his country by supervising the building of the Six Frigates, which would bethe new Navy, as well as training of a U.S. Naval Officer Corp to command them. Hethus became Commodore John Barry, First Flag Officer of the United States Navy.There were no Admirals in the U.S. Navy at that time.

Fundraising for the Barry GateIf we are to honor Commodore John Barry at the United States Naval Academy in

Annapolis we will need to raise funds in two distinct stages for this to progress andhonor this Irish American Revolutionary War hero to take his rightful place at theUnited States Naval Academy.Stage #1: We must have $15,000 in donations to raise the Wrought Iron arch over

The Barry Gate and make an eternal historical representation of a man who remainedin the shadows of the history of the United States and the American Revolution. Wewill be contacting State Boards to achieve this goal.Stage #2: Will be the much larger project for the statue and the garden, the largest

we have undertaken since the project for the AOH/LAOH Victims of Katrina in NewOrleans. We do not have the final numbers but it will be somewhat in the neighbor-hood of $150,000 that we will need to have raised.Those figures may seem to be quite daunting for our Order and your Hibernian

Charity but we cannot fail when there is an opportunity to fulfill a promise to a man,Commodore John Barry, whose efforts for our shared adopted country, putting hisskill and daring as a seaman in service of the Continental Congress, when few hadthose skills so needed for the war, in its time of greatest need during the AmericanRevolution. In fact the British, recognizing what his skills meant to the colonists,attempted with money to have him become a Benedict Arnold and switch sides. Attimes during the most perilous moments of the American Revolution that would nothave seemed a poor choice to many but I’m sure not to Barry who as an Irish Catholicrealized that he never would have been a Sea Captain in an Ireland under British rule.Let this year’s “Holiday” for Commodore John Barry be a fundraiser to immor-

talize a very symbolic Irish American who has been honored by the AOH/LAOHthese many years. We would ask every Division and Board in the United States tomake a contribution of at least $100 (of larger groups of we are suggesting more than$100) to this long sought cause. Contributions can be mailed to:Frank Kearney, National Secretary Hibernian CharityP.O. Box 391 – 315 Chamberlain Highway – Meridan, CT 06451

Save the DateOctober 7-9, 2011

Join the 175th Anniversary Celebration and the

Bi-Annual President’s DinnerContact Joe Byrne 215-219-3779

Radisson Hotel Trevose NE Philadelphia 215-638-8300


Massachusetts AOH & LAOH just held their 96th Biennial State convention inSturbridge Mass. We were lucky to pull this off seeing that just 2 days before wewere to begin, a tornado touched down less than ¼ of a mile away from the Hosthotel where our convention was held. All went well just the same. Hibernians from across the Bay State gathered in Sturbridge, Massachusetts for

the 96 Biennial Convention of the AOH and LAOH Massachusetts State Boards onthe weekend of June 3 – 5, 2011. We had distinguished guests from out of townattend our convention, LAOH National President Margaret Hennessy and her hus-band Jack from New York, Jere Cole Jr. , National Director from New Jersey, DannyO’Connell, National Director from Ohio, Frank Kearney, former National Directorfrom CT. We were grateful that they took time out of their busy schedules to attend.Elected to lead the AOH over the next two years were: President: Richard Wall of

Div 10 in Lynn, Massachusetts; Vice President: Paul Hogan of Div 1 in Holyoke,Massachusetts; Secretary: Keith Murphy of Div 8 in Lawrence, Massachusetts andTreasurer: Francis A. O’Connor, also of Div 8 in Lawrence. Elected to lead theLAOH State Board for the next two years was Beverly Horowicz of Div 18 in Salem,Massachusetts. Delegates at the Convention approved a $500 donation for the BarryGate and Memorial Project.

Pictured (L – R) Mary B. Ryan (LAOH Missions & Charities), Anne-Marie Nyhan-Doherty(LAOH State Secretary), Paul Hogan (in back AOH Vice President), Paula Paoli (LAOH VicePresident), Dick Wall (AOH President), Jack Lahey (standing in for Keith Murphy AOHState Secretary), Beverly Horowitz (LAOH President), Margaret O’Connor (LAOHHistorian), Frank O’Connor (in back AOH Treasurer), Kathleen Hair (LAOH CatholicAction), and Mary Whidden (LAOH State Treasurer).

More from Massachusetts By Bill Sullivan

On Saturday, June 18th a large gathering of AOH and LAOH officers and mem-bers attended the annual John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial Exercises at HolyhoodCemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts. The Mass was celebrated by the Re. WilliamF. Waters OSA, Chaplain to the Essex County Board and Div 8 in Lawrence. JosephDowns, AOH State Historian and a member of Div 19 in Lowell, Massachusetts,was the speaker. A reception followed the Memorial Exercises at the home of Div14 in Watertown, Massachusetts. On Sunday, June 19th, AOH and LAOH State Officers and members attended

the annual Catholic Television Hibernian Mass which was broadcast across thestate. At the conclusion of the Mass, both State Boards made a very generous dona-tion to Boston Catholic Television. Other events of interest which recently took place in Massachusetts were:175th AOH Anniversary Commemoration: Hibernians from across

Massachusetts and New Hampshire gathered on Sunday, May 15, 2011 to com-memorate the 175th Anniversary of the founding of the AOH in America at OurLady of Good Counsel Chapel Mausoleum on the grounds of Saint Mary-Immaculate Conception Cemeteries in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The 1 pm Mass,which was celebrated in the Chapel Mausoleum by the Rev. William F. Waters OSAof Merrimack College and Chaplin to Div 8 and the Essex County Board, wasattended by a capacity crowd which included AOH and LAOH National, County,State, Division officers and members, civic and local leaders, as well as family andfriends of the AOH and LAOH. In his homily, Father Waters noted that the mem-bers of the AOH, which was founded by Irish immigrants, have made many greatcontributions to the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts and the nation as a whole. Following the Mass, a ceremony was held at the An Gorta Mor Memorial on the

grounds of the cemetery and in close proximity to the Chapel Mausoleum. At thecommemorative ceremony, Francis A. O’Connor, Div 8 AOH Vice President andimmediate Past AOH Essex County President, sang the National Anthems of theUnited States and the Republic of Ireland. Kathleen Rafuse of Div 10 LAOH in Lynnand LAOH Massachusetts State President, brought greetings from the LAOH StateBoard to those assembled. Richard Wall, also of Div 10 AOH of Lynn and AOHState Vice President, brought the greetings from the AOH Massachusetts StateBoard. Helen Mathison of Div 8 LAOH in Lawrence and LAOH Essex County VicePresident, brought the greetings from both the AOH and LAOH Essex CountyBoards. Div 8 AOH President and AOH National Board Officer, President William

J. Sullivan, brought the greetings from the AOH and LAOH National Boards andDiv 8 AOH and LAOH. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a tricolor wreath ofgreen, white and orange carnations was placed at the memorial, which was dedi-cated in 2006 to the victims of the great hunger in Ireland during the mid to late1840’s. A reception followed the ceremony at the Memorial.Major Degree: On Sunday, June 5th, a large delegation oh AOH members from

Lawrence, took their Major Degree at the Home of Div 1 in Newport, Rhode Islandthat was given by the Tara Court Degree Team. A coalition by Div 1 of Newport fol-lowed the ceremonies. Paul Hogan, newly elected AOH State Vice Presidentannounced that the Massachusetts State Board would sponsor the Major Degree thiscoming October at a location to be announced in the very near future.Scholarships: Robert A. Crowley, Chairman of Div 8 AOH’s Scholarship

Committee in Lawrence, on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 presented Div 8’s 2011Scholarship Awards.at the Claddagh Pub and Restaurant in Lawrence. Receivingthe awards were: Meghan Maloney Burke, daughter of Robert Burke of Andoverand granddaughter of Robert Burke of Lawrence; Anne-Marie Farrell, daughter ofBrian Farrell of Wilmington; Tonicia Gauthier, granddaughter of Robert A. Gauthierof North Andover and Julianne Jacobs, daughter of James Jacobs of Lawrence. Areception followed the presentation of the awards. This was the thirty-first continu-ous year that Div 8 has presented scholarships to the children and grandchildren ofits membersThat’s the word from AOH in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Stay well

and have a great summer. God Bless!

North Carolina News

On Friday, June 17th, Joe Dougherty, President of Mecklenburg County Div 2AOH and past National Director, along with Linda Dyer Hart, past President ofMecklenburg County Div 1, LAOH, met with Congressman Mick Mulvaney, repre-senting the Fifth District of South Carolina, regarding the inequities in the issuanceof green cards to Irish citizens. One of the reports we showed Mr. Mulvaney was justhow many green cards were issued in the year 2010, (1,047,000) and how few wentto the Irish, (1,637). Congressman Mulvaney was quite surprised by the low number.The Congressman stated that discussion on immigration issues will be addressed inthe very near future and he will make sure that the low Irish quota will be promi-nent in his remarks to Congress. Congressman Mulvaney was a member of the AOHwhen he attended Georgetown University and after hearing that, Joe Doughertyhanded him an application for reinstatement to the AOH in the Rock Hill, SCDivision.

Linda Dyer Hart, Congressman Mick Mulvaney (center) and Joe Dougherty.

Kentucky News

Brothers from the great state of Kentucky celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in style this yearstarting out at a Mass, marching in the Louisville parade and then helping to feed thehomeless.


unlawful imprisonment of innocent people. As wordspread in the area about Clara’s volunteer work with theALJ, our home quickly became the first port of call for dis-tressed families whose loved ones had been savagely beat-en and then hauled off to undisclosed locations. Our moth-er would offer a cup of tea and comforting words to thefamilies, before taking their statements and commencingher barrage of telephone calls to all the British barracks inan attempt to locate the missing person. She was relentlessin her pursuit – and the Brits quickly learned she would notcease until she had obtained accurate information on thevictims.The RUC soon took note of our mother’s human rights

work, as they did with anyone who challenged their tactics,and they certainly did not appreciate her persistence andher knowledge of British law. Her goal was to obtain infor-mation on detainees as well as to send a clear message thatthe community would not tolerate the violation of theirhuman rights and the perversion of law. Our Motherphoned the barracks so often the RUC started to recognizeher voice before she even introduced herself. On a fewoccasions she shamelessly had her daughter make the callanonymously, in her best attempt at a proper Englishaccent…..Hey, desperate times called for desperate mea-sures. In 1972 we lived in Turf Lodge, West Belfast. There had

been a lot of tension in the area and more so on one partic-ular day when the British Paratroopers, clad in full combatuniform, were patrolling the area with their tanks and guns,harassing and arresting residents. When our mother heardscreams from one of our neighbors as the soldiers set upontheir 14-year-old son, punching him and kicking him withtheir steel-toed boots, she ran to the scene in an attempt todefuse the situation. She quickly realized theseParatroopers were ruthless, dangerous thugs who showedno respect to human beings, least of all to Catholics. Thesoldiers spouted vulgarity towards the women. Witnessingtheir depravity, the ladies retorted with slogans of resis-tance. Suddenly, and without provocation, a soldier aimedhis weapon toward the women and fired a rubber bullet.(The British army murdered 3 Catholics with rubber bulletsbefore they upgraded to their “safer” plastic bullet whichhas claimed the lives of 17 people, 9 of them children.) Oneneighbor quickly assessed the situation and reported thatno one was hit. As soon as the Brits fled the street Mom col-lapsed to the ground. She had in fact been struck by thebullet! Thankfully she did not sustain any permanent phys-ical injuries. When questioned afterward as to why she didnot react immediately to being wounded, Clara answered,“I wouldn’t give those British bastards the pleasure ofknowing they had shot another Irish person.”By 1973, four of Clara’s brothers were interned in Long

Kesh and served years behind bars without benefit of acourt trial, a basic legal right. One brother, Kevin, who hadnot yet been scooped, fled to the Free State for fear hewould be the next victim of British tyranny in theNationalist community. It was years before Kevin couldreturn to the North to be with his family. This was a diffi-cult time for Clara and her family. In 1974 Clara’s husband Joe intervened when he saw a

young lad being brutally assaulted by the British Army. Joewas subsequently beaten and arrested. He was sentencedto 9 months imprisonment for this incident. Six of thosemonths were served in solitary confinement, a harsh pun-ishment for an act of bravery. Our mother’s journeybecame more challenging as she struggled to maintainsome semblance of normalcy in a war zone.In 1976, on a quiet residential street in Turf Lodge, our

mother witnessed the murder of 13-year-old Brian Stewart.Brian was killed by a plastic bullet. To this day, the Britishsoldier who fired the shot has never been prosecuted forending this innocent boy’s life. It was after Brian’s deaththat Clara became a founding member of the UnitedCampaign Against Plastic Bullets. Then and now, she hasalways believed, with every fiber of her being, that wemust seek truth and justice, and has actively pursued both. Early one morning in 1977, the Reilly family awoke to

thunderous banging on their door. It was the Britisharmy’s “friendly” wake up call. The six children, whoseages ranged from 8 to 16, staggered sleepily out of bed.Our mother, who was well-versed in her legal rights, hadpassed some of her knowledge onto her children, includingthe fact that legally we were only required to provide the

soldiers with three pieces of information: our full name,where we were coming from, and where we were going to.One son answered: Joseph Reilly, bed, and hopefully backto bed.Apparently, the soldiers had orders to arrest Kieran

Reilly, who had recently turned 16 years old. (In the 1970’sit was common, albeit illegal, to arrest anyone over the ageof 16 for a 4-hour screening process, during which the per-son would be questioned, interrogated, and in many casesbeaten.) The soldiers, who could not pronounce the nameKieran and who thought it was a girl’s name, decided toarrest the only female child in the house, 13-year-oldColeen. (Hmmm…..Coleen, Kieran — close enough! Arresther!) A scuffle ensued when the family envisioned the hor-rific possibilities of allowing a 13-year-old girl to be releasedinto the hands of brutal thugs. Even the baker deliveringhis bread that morning joined in the protest. He loaded hisarms with his best ammunition and proceeded to fire fresh-ly baked Baps (Irish bread) at the soldiers. In hindsight itwas pretty funny……We believe we were fed that samebread for breakfast later that morning — Mother was alsovery resourceful! Finally, the soldiers abandoned their mis-sion, without an arrest. They realized they had botched upthe assignment and vowed they’d be back. In 1981 we received another wake-up call, this time to

arrest our Mother. The family braced themselves for anoth-er bread-tossing battle. But, our mother did not resist. Foryears she had taken statements from victims describingtheir brutality at the hands of the British government andnow she too would experience the infamous 4-hour screen-ing process. So, with a rifle pointed at her back, she wastaken to Springfield barracks where the Brits attemptedtheir routine interrogation techniques on her…...Fools!Didn’t they know Clara had documented these techniquesfor years? She could predict their every move. Needless tosay, the exasperated RUC soon released her. Clara, with thehelp of attorney Pat Finucane, subsequently took the Britishgovernment to court for wrongful arrest. Both Pat andClara sat side by side in High Court to hear the ruling: “Theprocess of interrogation the RUC called ‘screening’ wasILLEGAL.” Clara and Pat were elated; they both punchedthe air in delight. Finally, a small victory for justice.By this stage our mother had become a thorn in the sides

of both the RUC and British Army. When she wasn’t tend-ing to her family and work, she was campaigning vigor-ously for justice and basic human rights and equality for all.We feared for her life back then and even more so after themurders of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.During the early 1980’s, the unemployment rate was

very high in Catholic West Belfast, so it was with greatdelight that Clara’s son Terry informed his family that hehad been offered a job with the state-run Northern Irelandelectricity service and that he would soon receive a confir-mation letter. One Saturday morning Clara entered Terry’sbedroom with the letter in hand. Terry excitedly sat up inbed and ripped it open. His joy quickly turned to dismaywhen he discovered he had been rejected. He was devastat-ed. He couldn’t grasp what had happened since he hadbeen verbally notified he had been accepted. Clara sadlyexplained to her son the harsh reality of discrimination andinjustice. Clara fought the discrimination through legalchannels. However, she was blocked by the British estab-lishment. The Secretary of State had signed an order claim-ing Terry was a threat to national security. He was 16 yearsold and had never been in trouble with the law in his life.He was not alone. John Hume (MP) had later raised the fairemployment issue in the House of Commons that outlined

the discrimination toward applicants who were deniedemployment based on their religion or their family’s viewson British oppression. At this point the best our mothercould do to console Terry was to encourage him to neveraccept second best. She inspired Terry and all her childrento look at these discriminations merely as setbacks in life’smany challenges. Moreover, she taught us to never acceptthe unacceptable, to never allow injustices to go unchal-lenged and to never give up hope.Over the years our home had become an open door for

many people from all over the world who were interestedin learning the truth. Regrettably, we did not keep guestbooks of the hundreds of journalists, organizations, andconcerned individuals who were welcomed to our humblepad, who received a warm bed, a traditional Irish breakfast,and an ordinary chat with an extraordinary woman. There are many more stories we could share about our

mother, but not enough ink and paper to do them justicehere. Perhaps one day they will all be revealed in a book.But, for now, we hope the few memories we have impartedwill give you some insight into this remarkable Mother’spersonal life. An average working-class woman with a not-so-average resilience, perseverance and courage, who man-aged to pursue her passion for truth and equality withoutcomprising her family. They don’t make too many womanof this caliber anymore. In the words of our Mother’s favorite singer, Tina Turner,

she is “Simply the Best.” We are very proud and grateful to be the children of the

2011 AOH McBride award recipient, Clara Reilly, ar math-air.Go raibh maith agaibh. The Reilly Clan

SIMPLY THE BESTcontinued from page 1

Clara Reilly with Relatives for Justice standing in front of the RFJ Remembrance Quilt

Clara Reilly continuing her fight to ban plastic bullets.


Congratulations to Claraby Gerry Adams

I want to congratulate Clara Reilly on receiving theAOH 2011 Sean McBride Award. This is a prestigiousaward hugely deserved by Clara. Clara Reilly hasbeen a champion for justice for over four decades ofactivism in the north of Ireland.As a founding member of the Association for Legal

Justice in the early 1970s she gave unstintingly of hertime in defense of those citizens denied basic humanand civil rights in the north of Ireland.Following the pogroms of 1969, the serious milita-

rization of the north by the British state, the introduc-tion of new repressive laws and the introduction ofinternment Clara Reilly and a small number of humanrights workers, including Leo Wilson and Fr. BrianBrady and others, worked day and night providinglegal advice to families of citizens detained by the British forces.They also played a key role in exposing the torture and brutality of the British Army and

RUC toward detainees in the days after hundreds were arrested under the internment leg-islation.Clara has been centrally involved in key campaigns around shoot to kill actions by the

British state; demands for the right to inquests by victims’ families; the taking of cases tothe European Court of Human Rights; policing; institutionalized collusion between Britishstate forces and unionist paramilitaries and the use of plastic bullets by the British Armyand RUC.Despite having a young family, and receiving threats from the British state, Clara’s door

was always open to those in need. She traveled widely speaking out against state repres-sion.Her outrage at the murders and injuries, particularly on children, perpetrated by the use

of rubber and plastic bullets took her to Dublin, London, Washington and beyond in herfight to expose brutal reality of these deadly weapons.Through her work with the Relatives for Justice she has ably demonstrated the

hypocrisy and double standards of the “Hierarchy of Victims” attitude of the British gov-ernment and its allies.Clara’s clear and unequivocal demand for equal treatment for the victims and families

bereaved by the killings of their relatives by the British Army, the RUC and their agents andsurrogates has been heard in Ireland and around the world.Clara has shown enormous bravery, skill and determination in raising her voice in

demanding equality of treatment and dignity for victims and their families over very manyyears.I am pleased to extend my congratulations to Clara on the awarding of this significant

honor to her and to thank all of you for recognizing the importance of her work.

A Richly Deserved Honor By Andre Murphy - Relatives for Justice, Belfast Ireland

When the conflict began in Ireland Clara Reilly was blessed with a home and a youngfamily around her. When the abuses began she chose to stand up for the next family,despite the vulnerability in which it placed her own - this is courage of enormity that fewcan boast. Getting through the conflict with your own family intact was challenge enoughfor most. Mothers standing up for other mothers’ sons and daughters, no matter how seri-ous that threat – with full understanding of its magnitude - places a few of those womenapart in our recent history.This year’s recipient of the Seán MacBride Award is one of the few. In the tradition of

Sean MacBride’s own mother Maude Gonne, Clara Reilly stood up for those with novoice. Those being tortured, imprisoned without due process, being injured with norecourse and murdered with impunity Clara Reilly stood up and was counted, regardlessof the fear she felt for herself and her own young family.With others she stood against a tide of repression and censorship and demanded that

a light be shone on human rights abuses. She did it without fear or favor – challenging allabuses equally. She defended human rights and human life universally at a time whenthey had lost their value in the turmoil of our recent Irish conflict and she did this despitethe threats and repressive measures of the British state.There are homes across the North where people will state that when the worst of our

conflict came to their door, no one else did – but Clara Reilly. She and MonsignorRaymond Murray were a support at a time when no support was available. She did thisdespite her own grief losing her much loved brother Jim to a British state death squad in1981. That year she put her own trauma to one side as she traveled to the homes of oth-ers experiencing the worst of the traumas of that historic year.Following the death of John Downes with a Plastic Bullet in 1986 she and her great

friend Emma Groves (herself a mother blinded by a rubber bullet) with other familiesaffected by plastic bullets formed the United Campaign against Plastic Bullets. This cam-paign highlighted the terrible cost of these weapons on a defenseless civilian population– and what are more the injustices that surrounded these killings. Together they traveledfrom New York to Moscow, to the very factories where they were made, to highlight theweapons of torture that they are. She fights this battle at every opportunity to this day.In 1991 she was in the room when Relatives for Justice was formed. This group which

from its formation challenged the hierarchy and focused on universal human rights, dis-missed the anti-republican propaganda that placed culpability on the victims. This was afiercely dangerous time. Her friend and colleague Pat Finucane whose practice with PeterMadden she supported from its founding – was murdered only 2 years earlier. There weredirect state assassinations and assassinations by proxy at a hither to unseen scale – withthe importation of South African weapons to loyalists. And yet she stood demandinginternational attention for all the victims no matter where they came from.Without the documentation of the abuses of the 1970s and 1980s, without the cam-

paigning throughout those decades and without the gentle and secure support she gave,there would be no focus on victims needs today. There would be a diminished capacityfor families to establish the truth. The complexion of our conflict would not have beenestablished. She is Relatives for Justice spine, heart and soul. She is much loved, deeplyrespected and this honor is richly deserved.

Gerry Adams TD, Sinn FeinPresident

Bagpipe Bands • Marching Bands • School BandsVeteran, Civic, Ethnic, Religious Organiz ations in the Line of March

Irish Concessions • Entertainment • Games • Rides • Music and Dance

Sat., October 1, 2011Festival Starts at 10 a.m. • Parade starts at 12 Noon - SHARP!

MORE INFO AT: WWW.SBNAOH.ORG

St. Brendan The NavigatorSt. Brendan The NavigatorDivision 17, Long Beach, New YorkProudly Presents Our 22nd Annaul

Long Beach Irish Heritage DayParade & Festival

GRAND MARSHALNoreen O’Keefe Costello

Corporate Council of the City of Long Beach President of the Sprite Regatta

AIDESDonner Jacobellis, Member of LAOH Division 17

John Gallagher, Member of AOH Division 17Proprietor of Minnesota Restaurant Long Beach

Eamon Donohoe, Member of Division 17and Property of the Saloon Restaurant Long Beach

Dan MacPhee, Commander of the Long Beach VFW


Recently your National Board entered anew phase of intensity on the issues sur-rounding immigration reform. Led byPresident Seamus Boyle and organized byour National PEC Chairs Joe Roche andNed McGinley, a delegation met withMembers of Congress who were given anoutline on our issues. The National Boardalso met with Irish Ambassador MichaelCollins and Irish National CaucusPresident Fr. Sean McManus on a varietyof issues. As National Immigration Chairman, I

have enjoyed speaking to AOH StateConventions in New Jersey and Ohio,along with my home state of NY. I havealso worked with many young Irish peo-ple who contact members about J1 jobplacement and other issues. I am gratifiedto see the work of Linda Dyer Hart, whomet with newly elected Rep. MickMulvaney as part of a South CarolinaAOH delegation. These initial contactswith legislators often create lasting rela-tionships and great cooperation. As manyof our legislators are planning to be in theirhome Districts for the summer, this affordsall informed AOH members an opportuni-ty to approach them on several issues.Therefore, I have provided some:Talking Points on Immigration - Ask

the Legislator to consider a new bill to helpwith the inequity of why the Irish are notgetting a fair shake and only received1,678 green cards in 2010 of over 1 millionissued. The number 1,678 is a combinednumber for the Irish: some get visasthrough corporate sponsorship, mostthrough the adjustment of status through

marriage, and a very small number is fromthe DV lottery, less than 100! A total of1,637 Irish-born became lawful permanentresidents. 1,066 of Irish got green cardsthrough an immediate relative (which iseither sponsorship by marriage to a U.S.Citizen; a USC child over 21, or a USC par-ent if they are minor children).Homeland Security and Ireland -

Ireland has been a great ally to the U.S. inthe war against terror. Ireland welcomesour troops as they enter and exit the vari-ous theaters of conflict. Often the last, orfirst, friendly civilian face a soldier sees isin Shannon Airport. Ireland, its ports and airports are also

instrumental in aiding the development ofcustoms and immigration innovations forHomeland Security and ICE. Australiaand other countries have been rewardedwith special immigration visas for theirsupport of the U.S. in similar matters, nowit should be Ireland's turn.The Peace Dividend - The Good Friday

Agreement should be used as a pretext fora visa for Irish people to come to the USA,a renewable E3 visa for rather than the cur-rent 3 months or 1 year of the “J” Program.As I have mentioned in previous letters,similar program is working quite well inCanada according to Ray Bassett, IrishAmbassador to Canada. According to theAmbassador, Toronto is experiencing an“Irish Renaissance” in culture, sport andcommerce thanks to the 5,000 annual visasallotted to the Irish. The experience and goodwill generated

by future flow of Irish from both Catholicand Protestant traditions to the U.S.,

would benefit the entire population, helpto end negative perceptions from andtowards both communities and bring aUnited Ireland closer to reality.Our Irish American and Catholic

Identify - Our culture and heritage as IrishAmericans and Irish Catholic Americansdepends on a flow of Irish born immi-grants coming to the U.S. legally. In turn,the Irish learn our great democratic waysand decide for themselves whether theywould like to stay and become proud U.S.citizens or bring their experiences back toIreland and continue to grow and enrichthe amazing goodwill and bonds that ourtwo nations have always shared.Past Success - The last time a visa

specifically for the Irish was passed, TheMorrison Visa, Irish America experienceda renaissance that we still feel the effects oftoday. Many of those 60,000 Morrisonrecipients returned to Ireland with whatthey had learned here and helped to create"The Celtic Tiger" and made Ireland aneconomic and cultural wonder.One of the things that killed the Celtic

Tiger was that the Morrison was a tempo-rary fix and since 1995, Ireland has onceagain almost no legal path to immigrationto the U.S.Time to repair this 44 year long dispar-

ity once and for all - In 1967, we lost a fixedquota of 18,000 annual visas to Ireland thatdisparity remains to this day! The Irishneed a steady and renewable future flowof visas to continue to enrich the relation-ship between Ireland and the U.S. A mod-ified E-3, an annual renewable visa couldyield well over 100,000 visas for Irish peo-ple in the next decade.A Congressional Success Story -

Encourage your Representatives to focuson the Congressional AdHoc Committeeon Irish Affairs, a bi-partisan co-chaired byReps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Joe Crowley (D-NY), and Eliot Engel (D-NY), This 30 yearold committee has been instrumental in

aiding the AOH and other groups onmany issues surrounding Ireland, like thatof the detainees. The AOH continues to work with Thar

Saile (http://www.tharsaile.org) and TharSaile President Matt Morrison. The men ofThar Saile were willing participants in thepeaceful measures attained by the GoodFriday Agreement yet, they remain in abureaucratic limbo. The AOH is commit-ted to working with Thar Saile and theinterests of all former detainees, like ourBrother Malachy McAllister and his fami-ly, who have yet to achieve green cardsand U.S. citizenship and still await theirpeace dividendFinally, become an AOH Immigration

Chairman for your Division, county andState - The AOH Preamble states that thepurpose of the AOH is “to encourage anequitable U.S. Immigration law forIreland, and cooperate with all groups fora fair American Immigration Policy.” Animmigration chair never uses the chair as aplatform or “bully pulpit” to decry otherethnic groups use or abuse of U.S. immi-gration policy. Rather, become familiarwith information about Dual Citizenship,Irish Heritage Certificates, education,career and retirement opportunities inIreland, and advice on the visas currentlyavailable and future immigration legisla-tion to aid future flow from Ireland, theundocumented Irish and put an end to thedetainees long fight. Do not hesitate tocontact me with any questions aboutimmigration, citizenship or legislation atDan Dennehy, 22 Andre Lane, CortlandtManor, NY 10567, by email: [email protected] or phone (914) 588-2710.

Coalition of Irish Immigration Centerswww.ciic-usa.org, Emerald Isle ImmigrationCenter www.eiic.org, Cross Care www.migrant-project.ie/emigrating_from_ireland_usa.htm, IrishLobby for Immigration Reform www.irishlob-byusa.org, Thar Saile www.tharsaile.org

On Sunday, June 5, 2011 The AOHNassau County Board held theirconvention. The newly elect -ed slate of officers are pictured (L –R) Seated: Vice President SeanO’Rourke; NY State President ChipMcLean; President Michael Byrne;NY State Secretary Jim Burke;Recording Secretary Tim Myles.Standing: Sentinal Ken Ferguson;Standing Committee Peter Begley;Financial Secretary Bill McGough;Treasurer Jack Ryan; Marshal RichO’Neill.

New York News

Condolences go out to the Families of JohnKenny and Mike Walsh both whom passed awaylast month. Mike was a State VP and John was apast Division President for Pinellas 2. Both wereofficers in the defunct AOH Pinellas 1 when I firstjoined in ‘92. We will miss these great Hibernians.The AOH FL State Board is having a State

Convention on October 29th, 2011. The locationwill be at Cocoa Beach, FL. The address and datehave been posted on the State Website. COMFORTINN & SUITE RESORT, 3901 North AtlanticAvenue, Cocoa Beach, Florida 32931 Phone: (321)

783-2221 www.comfortinncocoabeach.com Our AOH South Florida Organizer John Pesce and I represented the State of Florida

and our Noble Order in New York City on May 21st for the Anniversary Mass. We hada great time in New York City on May 19-22, 2011 celebrating the 175th anniversary.Upon arrival at the Metro Doubletree Hilton Hotel on Thursday May 19, I went to theEmpire State Building, walked through Central Park, and stopped and said a prayer atthe New St. Patrick’s Cathedral. On Friday, I took a Ferry Boat to Liberty Island andwalked up the 304 steps to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty. Then I walked throughthe museum in the pedestal of the Statue. The Ferry Boat took us to Ellis Island and Icould look up a couple of my ancestors. Friday evening, all the AOH/LAOH NationalBoard Officers and State Presidents were guests at a reception given by Noel & NoraKilkenny at their Penthouse Apartment. Noel Kilkenny is the Consul General toIreland. On Saturday, we met in Little Italy to warm up for a parade to march to theBasilica of the Cathedral of Old St. Patrick’s for the 175th Anniversary of the AOH. Thatwas a great Mass and afterwards a reception at the school across the street. There wasfood and music within a crowded open-air terrace.

Florida President Sean Denny withNora and Noel Kilkenny at the NewYork reception. Bronx County AOH marches in the NYC 250th St. Partick's Day Parade

On May 18th the following wordsregarding the relationship betweenEngland and Ireland were spoken by theQueen of England at the historic state din-ner held in her honor at Dublin Castle:“…the relationship has not always beenstraightforward; nor has the record over the centuries been entirely benign. It is a sad andregrettable reality that through history ourislands have experienced more than their fairshare of heartache, turbulence and loss. Theseevents have touched us all, many of us personal-ly, and are a painful legacy. We can never forgetthose who have died or been injured, and theirfamilies. To all those who have suffered as a con-sequence of our troubled past I extend my sin-cere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the ben-efit of historical hindsight we can all see thingswhich we would wish had been done differentlyor not at all.”Less than a year earlier we had heard

English Prime Minister David Cameron say“What happened on Bloody Sunday wasboth unjustified and unjustifiable. It waswrong….And for that, on behalf of theGovernment – and indeed our country – Iam deeply sorry.” Could it be the Queen’sremarks might continue us on the path of atruthful review of the legacy issues that stilllinger in the North? These words broughthope and anticipation for further justice butthe acts of the following days and weeksproved that they were just words withoutany real sincerity and no doubt wellplanned words spoken for effect only. Consider the recent results of these three

cases: Rosemary Nelson was a prominenthuman rights lawyer in the North who waskilled by a loyalist paramilitary group in1999. Twelve years after her murder onMay 23,, 2011 the results of the inquiry intoher murder was released. At the release inthe House of Commons, Northern Ireland

Secretary of State Owen Patterson said:“Mr. Speaker, those who are looking for evi-dence that the state conspired in or plannedthe death of Rosemary Nelson will not findit in this report.” It seemed as if Patersonhoped that people would only rememberhis opening statement and not read theresults of the inquiry which concluded:“The combined effect of these omissions bythe RUC (police) and the NIO (govern-ment) was that the state failed to takeresponsible and proportionate steps to safe-guard the life of Rosemary Nelson.” Whenquestioned about the inquiry’s failure touse the word collusion in its conclusions,Rosemary Nelson’s brother aptly summedup the thoughts of so many when he said:“If it sounds like a duck and it walks like aduck, well, the chances are...” A total of 34 men, women and children,

including an unborn baby, died in the loy-alist attacks on Dublin and Monaghan onMay 17, 1974. The queen actually arrived inDublin on the 37th anniversary of thatattack. On May 24th days after she leftIreland, the following statement appearedon the BBC regarding the Dublin govern-ment request to the British government torelease all files related to the DublinMonaghan bombings:

“The information supplied by the Britishgovernment on the Dublin-Monaghan bomb-ings is all the relevant information they intendto supply. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kennymade the announcement to the Dail (Irish par-liament) on Tuesday. He said he did not have theauthority to instruct Britain to supply any otherfiles they hold”http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ire-land-13532868The Loughinisland massacre took place

on June 18, 1994 in the small village ofLoughinisland. The attack killed six and

wounded five. A loyalist paramilitarygroup attacked a crowded bar whosepatrons were watching the Ireland – ItalyWorld Cup match. On June 23rd, 2011 thePolice Ombudsman office report on theLoughlinisland Massacre stated:

Since the killings, 16 people have been arrest-ed – some more than once – but there have beenno convictions. The report found that the carused by the gunmen was destroyed when itshould not have been, that records are missing,and that links between the killings and otheratrocities in which one of the same weapons wasused were not sufficiently examined. It alsoreveals that the original senior investigatingofficer did not co-operate with the new investi-gation. Ombudsman Al Hutchinson said:“These cumulatively indicate a lack of cohesiveand focused effort over the years. The families [ofthe victims] have been failed.” But he continued:“While there is reason to be suspicious over cer-tain police actions, I consider there is insuffi-cient evidence to establish that collusion tookplace.” http://www.thejournal.ie/police-

failed-victims-families-while-investigating-loughinisland-massacre-162476-Jun2011/So much for nice speeches by old

women who doesn’t like Guinness, but thepity of the matter is that most people willonly remember what the Queen said andnot the above reprehensible and cowardlyacts by her majesty’s servants after she left.Upon further review one could argue thatthe only portion of the speech that was

forthright was her remarks stating that theEnglish-Irish relationship “has not alwaysbeen straightforward” The legacy issues pertaining to truth in

the North of Ireland are not beingaddressed and until there is a centralizedvehicle that will truthfully address theseissues we will continue to have a peace thatis merely the absence of war in the North.Until there is justice there will not be apeace that can serve as a foundation for allthe people of the North of Ireland. Actionsnot speeches are needed. Notes: Thanks to all who have sent con-

gratulations regarding my recent electionas NJ AOH State President. Many thanksfor the warm welcome and reception that Ireceived at the Connecticut AOH andLAOH convention. As part of the NationalBoard contingent that visited Washingtonin June it was an honor to represent ourmembers and speak to important AOHissues to members of the Senate, House andthe Irish Ambassador. Full details on 2011Christmas Appeal should arrive in mail byearly September to all divisions and boardsand will be included in my next article.Preliminary discussions are taken placeregarding a tour of the North to once againcoincide with the anniversary of BloodySunday and to present Christmas appealdonations, if interested email me at [email protected]


Pictured (L - R) National Director Jere Cole, New CT President William Flannery, CRPresident Emeritus Robert O’Sullivan, FFAI Chair Sean Pender

Michigan NewsMichigan held its 78th Biennial State

Convention in Brighton, on Saturday,May 20, 2011. Hosted by the Statesnewest AOH Division, the Tom KellyDivision and co-hosted by the LAOHSarah Regan Division of LivingstonCounty. The gathering convened at theAmerican Spirit Centre beginning withan ice breaker on Friday evening. TheConvention was attended by membersfrom across the entire State who wereafford the hospitality of one of the State’spremier VFW/American Legion facili-ties. The Convention was dedicated to allVeterans of the United States Military.National Director and National

Organizer, Brother Danny O’Connellwas in attendance, representing theAOH National Board. He displayed an

impressive “power point” presentationon the importance of retention and orga-nizing and was able to distribute infor-mation this subject to all present. Theelection of a new Board of AOH StateOfficers included Brother Patrick Sturdyto the office of State President. Roundingout the new State Board were BrothersKevin Burke, Vice president, MarchJefferies, Recording Secretary and GerryMato to the Office of Treasurer. Thisyear’s State Convention was judged tobe one of the best and the largest in yearsand is a tribute to the combined efforts ofthe AOH/LAOH Convention Com -mittee who brought it to completion. The Michigan Hibernian Rifles were

present for the dedication of a monu-ment to the twenty-two Union Soldiers,of the Michigan Regiments of the famous“Iron Brigade”, who perished during theCivil War, from the City of Royal Oak.The dedication was a part of the cere-monies connected with the annualMemorial Day Parade in that City. AOHBrothers Steve Zannetti, NormanO’Brien Division President and GregO’Sullivan, Division Financial Secretarywere on the Parade Committee andinvited the AOH to participate.The summer AOH golf outings com-

menced with the Daniel P. O’KennedyDivision hosting their outing at theRomeo Golf Club on June 11th. The

monies raised by over 80 golfers weredonated to Operation KINDNESS (KidsIn Need Deserve Necessary andEssential Surgical Services), founded bylocal physician Michael Busuito. Dr. Busuito was in attendance and

explained to the golfers how he andother physicians working with Oper -ation KINDNESS travel to foreign coun-tries to provide surgical care to childrensuffering from severe deformities (most-ly cleft lips and palates) that would oth-erwise go untreated due to lack of medi-cal care and technology in their home-land. The children treated by OperationKINDNESS are the poorest of the poor –without its services, these kids wouldhave little to no chance of leading a nor-mal life. Operation KINDNESS travels to areas

where the need is greatest and continuereturning until all the children are treat-ed. For the past seven years, OperationKINDNESS has been traveling to south-ern Mexico near Guatemala despite thedangers presented by the ongoing drugwar and violence in Mexico. The second of this summer’s AOH

Division golf outings took place inGrand Blanc, Michigan, on a beautifulSaturday morning on June 18th. Hostedby the AOH Sullivan and O’SullivanDivision of Flint. The event raised sig-nificant monies for the Division charities

in the Flint area. Over 80 golfers partici-pated in the annual “Shillelagh Swing”held at the Jewel on the River Golf andCountry Club.

New elected Michigan State PresidentPatrick Sturdy, Peter Hogan, Jim Odea andKevin Burke.

Sullivan and O’Sullivan Division Memberswho participated in the golf outing.

All submissions for

the Sept.-Oct. edition

MUST be received by

the National Editor at

[email protected] LATER than

August 27, 2011


Thursday September 22rdA.O.H. Golf Tournament - 7:30 AM

$90.00 fee before 9/15 and $100.00 after 9/15Avalon Golf Course - Route 9 – Swainton

Live Amateur Boxing

Friday September 23thVENDORS - 8 AM to 7 PM Olde New Jersey Avenue

LIVE IRISH ENTERTAINMENT 12 PM to 10:30 PM Olde New Jersey Avenue

Saturday September 24th5K Run - 8 AM SIGN-UP - $15.00 fee Olde New Jersey Avenue (prizes awarded)

VENDORS - 8 AM to 7 PM Olde New Jersey AvenueLIVE IRISH ENTERTAINMENT 12 PM to 10:30 PM Olde New Jersey AvenueBRIAN RILEY PIPE EXHIBITION - 10 AM Sports Field 8 & Central Avenues

Featuring some of the best pipe bands on the East CoastIRISH DANCE LESSONS – FREE – 11 AM to 1 PM –

CEILI Anglesea Firehouse – Olde New Jersey Avenue

Sunday September 25thMASS - 10:30 AM Saint Ann’s R.C. Church Glenwood & Atlantic Avenues

Protectors of the Faith Guards, the Emerald Society Color Guard andBag Pipers including a liturgical bag pipe soloist

PARADE - 1 PM Starting at 24 & Surf to Spruce & Olde New Jersey Avenues

Featuring SEAMUS BOYLE – VENDORS - 8 AM to 7 PM Olde New Jersey Avenue

THE OFFICIAL IRISH MUSIC TENTCONTINUOUS IRISH ENTERTAINMENT ALL WEEKEND LONG

1-800-IRISH-91 or www.cmcaoh.com

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The AOH/LAOH Virginia State Board State Convention was held on July 22-24, 2011at the Holiday Inn Select – Koger Convention Center, Richmond, Virginia.Congratulations to Our newly elected State Officers and we look forward to continuingLeadership of our Order. We thank our National Vice President Brendan and EileenMoore for joining us and for his inspiring remarks at our Convention Banquet.As I complete my term as State President of the AOH Virginia State Board I thank

everyone for their support and we will continue to assist our new State Officers andChairman.Dooley Division Donates $4,000 to Catholic Schools The Major James H. Dooley Division of the Richmond recently donated $4,000 to

Catholic Schools, Parish Christian Formation Programs and Parish Needs for variousParishes in the Richmond, VA area. Donations were made from the proceeds of their 9thAnnual “Trip for Two to Ireland” 2011 Raffle. The winner of the raffle was Betty Cipoletti.Betty bought her ticket after a Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and is planning ondonating part of the proceeds to St. Mary’s Building Fund. Betty and her husband had atrip to Ireland already planned, so they’ll use her winnings to fund the trip. Since 2007,the AOH Dooley Division has donated $15,450 in total to Catholic Schools andEducation. Over the past 9 years of the raffle, the AOH Dooley Division has donated over$30,000 in total to local Charities. For more information, please visit their website atwww.aohrichmond.org

Pictured (L - R) Chad Costello (Dooley Raffle Co-Chairman); Sean Cruess (Principal atSt. Benedict School, Richmond, VA); Tim McDonnell (Dooley Raffle Co-Chairman);Francine Conway (Superintendent of Catholic Diocese of Richmond Schools); MiramCotton (Asst. Superintendent of Catholic Diocese of Richmond Schools); William Burrisand Robert Burris (Students at St. Benedict School); Daniel Caffrey (President of AOHDooley Division); Jennifer Taylor (Student at St. Benedict School).

Georgia NewsAlong with many other Catholic dioceses in the United States, the two Georgia dioce-

ses, the Diocese of Savannah and the Archdiocese of Atlanta, began promoting theCatholics Come Home program beginning in December 2010 during Advent to encouragelapsed and inactive Catholics to return to the practice of their faith. (Seehttp://www.catholicscomehome.org for more details)AOH Richmond Div. 1 in Augusta, Georgia, had discussed this as an opportunity to

serve their local community and the Church, when an opportunity for collaboration witha local merchants group arose. The merchants of Monte Sano Avenue in Augusta hadbegun presenting “First Thursday on Monte Sano” on the first Thursday of each month asan evening open house with food and beverages to attract more customers to their variousshops and businesses. Since Saint Mary on the Hill Catholic Church is located in the midstof the commercial section of Monte Sano Avenue, and Carroll Kelly with the merchantsgroup was from a Saint Mary’s family, she discussed with the AOH how to include theparish in the First Thursday event.The AOH membership discussed what they could do and decided that this was a won-

derful opportunity not only for recruitment but also to promote the Catholics Come Homeprogram at Saint Mary on the Hill. With the blessing of Father Jerry Ragan, pastor of SaintMary on the Hill as well as our AOH Chaplain, AOH Div. 1 undertook this outreach, alongwith the ladies of LAOH Div. 1.Our first First Thursday was in February 2011, located in front of Saint Mary on the Hill

church. We prepared Irish bangers (sausages) and beverages to give away. On anothertable, we had pamphlets of Catholic prayers and information about the church. We had acollection of videos for Catholics Come Home looped for continuous playing on a televisionbeside the table. We wanted to be a positive first impression and let people know that weare ready to serve them when they approach us. It doesn’t matter what their story is, whatmatters is that they want to know what they need to do to come back to the CatholicChurch. Our first night, four people approached us. One of our parish priests, Father Edward

Frank, was with us. He took them in the church, talked with them and heard their confes-sion. One person had been estranged from the church for 30 years. It was so exciting toknow that people are watching and waiting for the opportunity to Come Back Home.We have decided that even after the Catholics Come Home campaign officially ends we

in the AOH and LAOH will continue what we are doing each month on First Thursday tobring our lapsed and inactive Catholic brothers and sisters back home to the church.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has foundit, he lays it on his shoulder, rejoicing.” Luke 15:4-5

Alabama NewsGreetings from Alabama. The spring

has seen great joy and tragedy. On March 7 many members of the Fr.

James E. Coyle Division participated in adiocesan-sponsored men’s gather -ing “Strong Men, Strong Faith”. AuthorPat Lencioni and Scholar Jeff Cavins high-lighted the evening, providing inspirationto the more than 1,000 men who gathered,including fellow Hibernian, BirminghamBishop Robert J. Baker. The Division marched in the annual

Birmingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade onMarch 12, and participated in a GaelicFair after the parade. Later that evening we joined together with a number ofBirmingham’s finest Irish dancers and the local rebel band, Jasper Coal, to celebrate ourheritage. Again, attendance was good and a fine time was had by all. April 27 brought tragic loss of life and property to our great state. Thankfully, no mem-

bers of our Division were impacted. The Division wishes to express heartfelt gratitude toso many in the order who offered their prayers and financial support. Our special thanksgo out to our National Board and the Louisiana State Board for their generous donations.Again, the outpouring of support is humbling, in part because we are a new division. June saw the initiation of two new members. We welcomed Bernie Brannan and Mickey

Duggan to our brotherhood and family. We look to add more members to our group in thenear future. Our new website will be an asset as we grow. The high point of our year approaches, the Memorial Mass for Father James Coyle, for

whom our Division is named. Father Coyle, a native of County Roscommon, was martyredfor the faith 90 years ago on August 11, 1921. We will partner with the Cathedral of St. Pauland the Father Coyle Project to sponsor the Mass and reception that will follow. Finally, but not least, special thanks go to JC Sullivan for sharing his research on the Irish

contribution to the Confederacy. We appreciate the opportunity to learn more about thosewho came before us here in Alabama. Congratulations to the Runge, Casey, Green and Naylor families on their new additions

this year (with another this year to the Ayers family, God willing). May God continue tobless their families.

Fr. James E Coyle Div.1 initiation of June 16, 2011.Pictured (L – R) Division Vice Pres. Robert Naylor,new members Mickey Duggan and BernieBrannan and Division Pres. Marc Ayers.


NJ AOH Convention chairman Ray Barnes, ablyassisted by Nick Mullaney, Kevin Weldon and JohnKeane planned and hosted in Belmar and Spring Lake,NJ the 2011 NJ AOH convention. The theme for theconvention was “One Island, One Ireland”. The con-vention was opened at the Friendly Sons of theShillelagh hall in Belmar. The Shillelagh’s hospitalityand welcome are legendary. At the start of business, Sean Pender was nominated for

President by his good friend and Msgr. Crean Divisionbrother Malachy McAllister and seconded by his father inlaw Jim McLoughlin a Hibernian for over 50 years. Otherofficers nominated for the 2011-2013 executive board wereVice President Kevin Weldon of Monmouth 32, TreasurerSean Hughes of Bergen 32 and Secretary Bob Carr of Ocean4. The slate which represents the four corners of NJ waselected without opposition. Brothers from throughout thestate spent the evening catching up on past acquaintancesand a enjoying a night at the Jersey Shore.Saturday brought with it a full day of business meet-

ings, mass and closed with a memorable dinner program.Successful NJ AOH Division programs were highlighted atthe convention meeting. Presentations were given by: JimShaw of Monmouth 2 on their highly successful “PolarBear Plunge” which last year raised over $100,000 forCatholic Education, Gerry O’Rahilly of Mercer 10 on theirinspiring Gael Scoil program which has been a highly suc-cessful program that teaches children in Mercer CountyIrish history, language, sport and culture. Their success

may yield NJ’s first junior division; Michael Breen ofBergen 32 presented on Mary’s Gift: the 501c3 that hefounded which promotes Irish language schools in theNorth of Ireland. Mary’s Gift has been recipient of FFAIChristmas Appeal funds over the last couple of years. SeanPender presented on Home for our Troops a very deserv-ing charity that the NJAOH hopes to help fund in 2011-2013; National Board members Director/NationalOrganizer Danny O’Connell and National ImmigrationChairman Dan Dennehy also gave very informative pre-sentations. Recognized for their great work were outgoing

President Jere Cole and outgoing treasurer Jack Nosti. Theprestigious Curtin and Torphy awards were bestowedupon NJAOH Veteran’s Chairman Bernie Snyder and out-going secretary and past NJ AOH President Bill Young.After a two fine presentations from divisions in Mercer andGloucester County, Msgr. Crean Mercer County was cho-sen to host the 2013 NJ AOH convention. In honor of the95th anniversary of 1916 Monmouth County Div 2 mem-ber Brain Sloan read the proclamation of 1916 to close thebusiness meeting. Mass was concelebrated by FathersCahill and Nolan and the ten hunger strikers of 1981 wereremembered during the opening of mass. National officersDennehy, Cole and O’Connell installed the new board. Theclosing dinner and program was first class and held atDoolan’s Shore Club in Spring Lake, NJ. Mayor of Belmarand AOH brother Matt Doherty welcomed all delegates,members and guests to the Jersey Shore. Recognized fortheir support for a United Ireland were NJ State SenatorSean Kean and Congressman Frank Pallone. The featured

speaker was U.S. Sinn Fein representative Rita O’Hare whothanked the NJ AOH for making NJ the first state in theUnion to pass the United Ireland resolution.

New Jersey News

Ken Adam, Malachy McAllister, Jim McLoughlin, SeanPender and Michael Glass

National Immigration Chair Dan Dennehy, CongressmanFrank Pallone, Sinn Fein U.S. Representative Rita O’Hare,NJ State President Sean Pender and NJ State SenatorSean Kean.

As we head into summer, theMaryland divisions continue to remainbusy planning fundraising and fun eventseven through the summer break. Themembers of the Ocean City division aredonating a statue of St. Patrick to SacredHeart School in Berlin, Maryland in honorof Bishop Malooly of the Wilmington dio-cese. The Division celebrated their 3rdAnnual Day of Recollection with a Massand outing at a local park and will be busythis summer with the many Irish studentsthat flock to the Ocean City seaside forwork in the summer. The Division is a bigsupporter of the Irish Outreach Programwhich helps the students with housingand legal issues. In September the mem-bers will be manning the beer truck at theOcean City Fall Fest. This is a majorfundraiser for the division and is rotatedeach year amongst a number of organiza-tions in Ocean City. This year the AOHwon out. Tough work, but someone has todo it.The Baltimore area divisions are no

less busy. All are planning for theMaryland Irish Festival the weekend ofNovember 11-13 at the Timonium FairGrounds. The Catonsville Division willhave their famous “Irish Pub Starter Kit”raffle while all the area divisions will bemanning booths to feed the masses.Catonsville division President CarbraMcDonnell is shown here presenting aflag holder to Andy Brown of Troop 456 atSt. Mark’s Church. Troop 456 has for anumber of years carried the flags and ban-ner for the division during the St. Patrick’sparade. When a troop leader mentionedthat they did not have holders for theirown use, the division purchased holdersand presented them to Scout LeaderAndy Brown.

The Towson division will join withother Irish groups to host a “Day at theRaces “at Timonium during the MarylandState Fair on August 27th. The divisiongets to name a race and present the win-ning cup. The members will then cometogether again on September 16th for theirAnnual Crab Feast for crabs, beer, musicand silent auction. This is always a niceevening with friends to enjoy the famousMaryland steamed blue crabs.On August 13th, Baltimore City Div 5

will be hosting one of the first fundraisersfor the Barry Memorial to be erected at theU.S. Naval Academy. The event will be onthe grounds of the Irish Shrine & RailroadWorkers Museum on Lemmon Street inBaltimore. The division is working with anumber of the area Irish organizations totry and raise funds for the memorial. OnSeptember 24th the division will holdtheir annual Pig Roast at the museumwhich is located in an area known asPigtowne. Hope everyone has a fun,active and safe summer season.

Catonsville President Carbra McDonnellpresenting a flag holder to Andy Brownof Troop 456.

Connecticut NewsPast State AOH President Bob O’Sullivan completed his four years in office in

style as He presided over a very successful State Convention at Waterbury, whichwas held over the weekend of June 10-12. Vice-President Bill Flannery a formerPresident of the Stamford AOH succeeds Bob as President. Bill has been an enthu-siastic Hibernian for many years and the State Board will be in fine shape underBill’s leadership. Other newly elected officers include John Wiehn of Naugatuck asVice President, Steve Fako of Danbury as State Secretary and former State PresidentBill Scully of Waterbury as Treasurer. Waterbury Hibernians under the Chairmanship of Emmett McSweeney ran a

great convention, which saw Waterbury’s own Helene Kelly chosen as StatePresident of the LAOH.Connecticut Hibernians were pleased that National President Seamus Boyle,

National Director Jere Cole and National Freedom for all Ireland Chairman SeanPender were in attendance and actively participated in the Convention proceedingsin a very informative way. President Boyle spoke of the AOH’s success in obtain-ing permission to erect a monument to Commodore John Barry on the grounds ofthe Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and the need to raise the money toerect a suitable one. Chairman Pender gave an excellent and very detailed account-ing of how the money raised in the annual Christmas Appeal is expended in theNorth of Ireland.The men of the Connecticut AOH are very excited about the first annual State

softball bash that will be hosted by the JFK Division of Bridgeport on August 27, atFoote Field in Milford. As we go to press at least five Divisions have agreed to par-ticipate. Another date to keep in mind is the annual Greater Danbury Irish Festival spon-

sored by the AOH & LAOH of Danbury that will be held at the Ives Center ofWestern Connecticut State University on the weekend of September 23-25.The New London AOH has been asked to participate in an Irish Heritage night

by the Connecticut Tigers Baseball Team on the night of August 17 at DoddStadium. Meriden continued its tradition of promoting Irish Culture by holding a Ceili on

Sunday June 27.The Waterbury AOH Veterans Committee led by Brian Houlihan, John Sullivan

and Rob Griffin have been doing great things in aiding needy Veterans to get backon their feet again. Kudos to these brothers for spearheading this splendid cause.

Pictured (L - R) Bob O’Sullivan, Steve Fako, Bill Scully, John Wiehn, Bill Flannery


On a fine spring day, May 1st, 2011, theShamrock Division of the AOH met to cel-ebrate Founders Day, admit new membersto our Order and award scholarships.Established 31 years ago, the Shamrock

Division has been celebrating FoundersDay annually at St. Thomas Church inJessenland, Minnesota. Jessenland, beingthe site of the oldest Irish settlement inMinnesota, gives a sense of history andstruggle that befits the celebration ofFounders Day. The day was well attendedby our local members and clergy.The Scholarship Committee inter-

viewed scholarship candidates andawarded $500 AOH Scholarships each toJeff Leary, Anne Gramling, Curtney Klehrand Mollie O’Brien. Scholarship selectionwas based on the applicant’s Irish her-itage, education plans and how they planto promote their Irish heritage in thefuture.Induction of new members through the

Induction Ceremony was overseen byChapter President Shawn Kirby. Newmembers included: Scott McDonald ofHenderson, Mike Kirby of Sioux Falls, SD,John Devins of Chanhassen, Rob O’Brienof Shakopee and Todd Coryell of Le Sueur.Following the Induction Ceremony,Catholic Mass was celebrated by Fr.Hession and Fr. Salsburg and Fr. Berger.Pictures and more information about

the Shamrock Division can be obtained byvisiting our web site at hibernians-sham-rock.com

Division 4 Announces Name Change The AOH Div. 4 based in Saint Paul,

Minnesota, is proud to announce a namechange. Our division has long beencalled, Ramsey County Div 4 of AOH,whereas from now on it will be officiallyknown as, ARCHBISHOP JOHN IRE-LAND Div 4. We are most pleased to havethe approbation of the Archdiocesan See,for this name change.Archbishop John Ireland (1838 - 1918),

a native of Burnchurch, County Kilkenny,Ireland, came to Saint Paul on May 19,1852, after having immigrated to NorthAmerica by way of Montreal, Canada andthen Burlington, VT. He embracedAmerica, Minnesota and Saint Paul byserving as chaplain of the First MinnesotaVolunteers in the Civil War. FatherIreland, ordained in 1861, was consecratedthe third Bishop of Saint Paul and thenfirst Archbishop of Saint Paul andMinneapolis.

He was a renowned leader in theRoman Catholic Church both locally andinternationally, a staunch American patri-ot, and champion of all immigrants espe-cially those who followed him fromIreland to Minnesota, providing many ofthem settlements in the western countiesof the young state. Among ArchbishopJohn Ireland’s many legacies are threeenduring institutions: The Saint PaulSeminary, The University of SaintThomas, and The Cathedral of Saint Paul— all of which he founded, led andinspired. The first Mass scheduled for adesignated group at the then newCathedral of Saint Paul, was at 8 o’clockthe morning of March 28, 1915, celebratedfor the Ancient Order of Hibernians inAmerica and its sister organization, theLadies Auxiliary of the AOH (now theLAOH).We are honored to have our AOH Div

4 newly named after our illustrious firstArchbishop, fellow American Patriot, fel-low proud Irishman, and devotedCatholic leader, Archbishop John Ireland.Our not-for-profit organization holdsfund-raising activities each year in theSaint Paul area such as at the MinnesotaIrish Fair of Minnesota, Grand Old Day onGrand Avenue, the Hibernian GolfChallenge at Keller Golf Course and SaintPatrick’s Day Mass and pancake breakfastat the Cathedral. The funds raised inthose endeavors provide scholarships todeserving students at Saint Paul-areaCatholic High Schools, as well as for otherworthy, charitable causes in keeping withthe motto of the AOH in America:Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity.For more information on the ARCH-

BISHOP JOHN IRELAND Div 4 or theAOH in general, please go to our websiteat, www.aoh.mn.com , or contact our pres-ident, Mr. Brian O’Donnell at, (952) 445-3908; or Dick Warren at, (651) 340-4279.Inquiries from prospective new membersare most welcomed.

Gathered in front of the Cathedral of SaintPaul, which was inspired and put in place —finished in 1915 — by Archbishop JohnIreland. Pictured (L – R) Tom Cullen, MikeO’Donnell, Dan Murphy, Treasurer TimCourtney, Jay Kelly, Tom Radke, PresidentBrian O’Donnell, Bob McGarry, VinceCourtney, Dick Warren, Hugh O’Kane, VicePresident Charlie Callaghan.

Minnesota News

Pictured (L – R) Scott McDonald of Henderson,Mike Kirby of Sioux Falls, SD, John Devins ofChanhassen, Rob O’Brien of Shakopee andTodd Coryell of Le Sueur.

Here in our Nation’s Capital, summer is upon us. In DC it really is true, if you don’tlike the weather wait an hour. I sit down now to what could be my last digest article, atleast for a while as I will be leaving office in the Fall. So much has occurred since my lastarticle. The DC State Convention will be held September 10, 2011, at the K of C Hall in Bowie,

MD. The State LAOH has been invited to join us in installing their new officers along withours at the banquet which will follow an afternoon Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie.All proceeds generated from the convention will be donated to the Commodore BarryProject.Great things are happening with the Commodore John Barry Memorial Project. Thanks

especially to the work of Brothers Jack O’Brien and John McInerney and the DC StateBoard, the Commodore John Barry Memorial will now be brought to fruition. The projectis fully approved by the United States Naval Academy and Ball boards concerned, butneeds funding entirely from outside sources for sustenance and maintenance. To enablethis, Hibernian Charity is the fundraising arm of the AOH. Hibernian Charity is collect-ing all donations for the John Barry Memorial Project and will pay for all the constructionexpenses. All donations are fully tax deductible since it is a 501(c)3. Brothers, It is up tous to make this memorial to a great Irish American Patriot a reality. Div 3 MonsignorThomas Wells has already donated $300 specifically to the “Barry Gate” as part of the pro-ject. Div 2 Charles Carrolton has also donated $500 to this charity and has issued a chal-lenge to all divisions nationwide to match. (We’ll be keeping track!!!)Speaking about divisions, our newest, Div. 4 Sons of Aidan, based at the Catholic

University of America have donated many man-hours to St. Jerome School’ssocial/fundraiser in addition to donating beverages. The event raised more than $1,500for the school. Father James Stack, Pastor, was most appreciative of their work and dedi-cation. Div 4 plans on holding poker tournaments and other fundraisers to help CatholicSchools in the Archdiocese of Washington. This is very important to our great order as itis the duty of every Catholic to promote Catholic education in America.Div 2 is also sponsoring a Seminarian from their division who is currently assigned to

ministry at a local parish in Ireland this summer. Mr. Christopher Seith will be in the“other” Holy Land for his summer break from the North American College in Rome. Alsokeeping up their work in Hibernia, Div 2 donated funds to the Sister Servants of the Lord(the Blue Nuns) who are operating a school in County Wexford. These American Sisterscontinue their charism of evangelization by living the Gospel and teaching in Ireland. TheDC State Board also donated $1,500 to the Sisters to erect a statue of St. Joseph at theirNovitiate house outside of Washington, DC. Div 5 John F. Kennedy had two of their sponsored seminarians ordained this June.

Father Michael Paris of DC and Father Michael Roche of Pittsburgh were supported overthe past years with donations to offset the many costs associated with their education. Weare very proud of them and pray for their ministries. I want to thank all the Hibernians, local and nationwide who helped make these past

two years most enjoyable and successful. They really have flown by. I am sure I will seeyou all in various other duties as the Good Lord will call and assign me. I would be remissif I did not give special thanks to our National Director and Editor, Keith Carney. Keithdoes so much that is unseen and unsung for our great organization. I also want to thankPast Presidents, Brothers John McInerney and George Rogers, for their help, guidance andsupport. I Hope to see everyone at the next National Convention in upstate New York.God Bless you all.

DC Division Celebrates Ordination of 2 MembersTwo members of the DC John F. Kennedy Div. 5 were ordained priests in June. Both

priests joined the AOH in 2010.Father Michael S. Paris was ordained a priest by Cardinal Wuerl for the Archdiocese of

Washington. The ordination was at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the ImmaculateConception on June 18th. Eight years ago as part of Project St. Patrick, the John F. Kennedy Div. adopted Michael

Paris and financially helped him at least twice a year. “He became a part of our division’slife,” said division president John E. McInerney, “and we encouraged and prayed for him.”He attended our social events and got to know the Hibernians well. He studied Theologyat Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmetsburg, MD. LAOH and AOH division membersattended the ordination and first Mass and received his priestly blessing. As a special giftto Father Paris, the division presented him with a set of green Mass vestments.Father Michael J. Roche was ordained June 26th Bishop David Zubik at St. Paul’s

Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA. He studied at Catholic University’s Theological College, andwill be serving as a priest for the Pittsburgh Diocese. President McInerney is a friendFather Roche. McInerney’s brother Jim was his Godfather in baptism. The division wasrepresented at his ordination and first Mass. Before he returned to Pittsburgh, the divisionraised funds to help with his chalice.

Biking for Charity

Congratulations to Larry Squires and Paul Lockard of AOH Div. 17 in Monroeville, PA,

who undertook a bicycle ride of more than 300 miles for the Veterans Wheelchair Games and the Sisters of Charity.

Their trip took them from Pittsburgh to NY through DC and home again. The full story is in the Digital Digest.com


Deadly Tornado in Joplin MissouriNot much remains of St. Mary’s

Catholic Church in Joplin, Missouri exceptfor the Cross. Joplin, Mo., a town ofroughly 50,000, was steam-rolled May 22by a powerful tornado. It has resulted in154 deaths to date.One of the lucky ones who escaped rel-

atively unscathed was the Rev. JustinMonaghan, a 70-year-old pastor at St.Mary’s Catholic Church. The Church,however, was flattened during the torna-do’s onslaught, which cut a path one-and-a-half miles wide, while leveling a third ofthe town’s structures. Fr. Monaghan, who is from Mullingar,

County Westmeath in Ireland, no doubthad a little luck of the Irish on his side thatSunday afternoon of May 22. When heheard the wrath being unleashed by thetornado, he jumped into a bathtub at theChurch, face down, and prayed.In addition to St. Mary’s Church, the

200-mile-an-hour twister also destroyedthe St. Mary’s school and parish buildings.The padre was badly shaken, but other-wise unharmed. The residents of Joplin

will forever reflect on that Sunday, andhope to somehow learn from the past, ifthere is a message in the offing. “Godallows things to happen that we don’tknow why,” Fr. Monaghan told a CNNreporter, adding “but when we look back,we always hear the good things that hap-pen as a result.”In the days following the deadly torna-

do, parishioners and volunteers havepulled together and sifted through thedebris looking for items to salvage. Asluck would have it, they found Rev.Monaghan’s Bible, and his golf clubs.The call went out from Catholic

Charities in Springfield, Missouri after thetornado for help and assistance, their“Mission isn’t just to help Catholics. It’s tohelp anybody and everybody,” OurHibernian Brothers and Sisters fromaround the country have sent donations,and I want to thank each and everyone fortheir support. The Household Impact• 30% of all households weredestroyed in Joplin with the tornadoevent.

• More than 25% of Joplin residents areover the age of 65

• 13% of residents are female head ofhouseholds

• Joplin’s median income is 32% lessthan the US average at $32,535.

• To date, more than 3,600 individualassistance applications have beenapproved by FEMA

There is still much work to be done anddonations are still needed. Please send to:Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri

, Attention “Joplin”, 601 S. Jefferson Ave.,Springfield, MO 65806“Conscious of the tragic loss of life and

the immensity of the work of rebuildingthat lies ahead, he asks God the Father ofmercies to grant eternal rest to the depart-ed, consolation to the grieving, andstrength and hope to the homeless and theinjured,” Pope Benedict XVI to the peopleof Joplin, Missouri.A Division’s Cross to BearRecently elected Div 2 President

Michael O’Shea had the occasion of dis-cussing their beautiful Celtic Cross. Thiswork of art was made by Irish politicalprisoners in the infamous Long Keshprison and originally obtained in 1996,through a small donation and the work ofGeorge Clough, long a champion of the

prisoner’s causes. The body of thecross was constructed from one large handcarved piece of fine wood, and embel-lished with a finely detailed Celtic knotdesign and zoomorphic accents. It washand carved by hands not in control oftheir own destiny and under the worst ofconditions. It should be viewed as notonly a symbol of our Catholic faith, Irishheritage and a work of art, but also a sym-bol of the long struggle for Irish freedom

Missouri News

Past National President and NationalCounsel George Clough posses withrecently elected Michael O’Shea withthe Division’s Celtic Cross.

California NewsEdward Casey Award CeremonyA great turnout of Orange County and Long Beach, California Brothers turned out

to support the 7th annual AOH Edward Casey Award ceremony at the Fenians con-cert at Muldoon’s, Newport Beach. This prestigious AOH award was presented toFather Michael Hanifin, AOH Div 3 Chaplain for his outstanding leadership andspiritual guidance for the AOH of Orange County. Father Hanifin is in the process ofhelping to build the newest Catholic Church in Orange County, Santa Clara de Asis.Keep up the good work Father! This AOH award is named in honor of the lateEdward Casey,(Father of Terry Casey, lead singer of the Fenians), a Hibernian leaderfrom the early 1960’s in Orange County. Edward Casey was the inspiration and men-tor to early Hibernians organizing the AOH in Orange County.

Supporting Santa Clara de Asis Catholic ChurchOn June 10th, Orange County AOH&LAOH Hibernians came out in full force to

support the 3rd Annual Brewfest at Santa Clara de Asis Catholic Church in YorbaLinda. Many thanks to Div 3 Chaplain Father Michael Hanifin for inviting us toattend. The proceeds from the worthy event go toward building the newest CatholicChurch in Orange County, Santa Clara de Asis. The event was a complete successwith 1000 parishioners in attendance to enjoy great food, live music, and of course,the beer tasting from local micro breweries and home brews. We are already lookingforward to next years’ event.

CA State ConventionOrange County Hibernians are also in the process of planning the 2011

AOH/LAOH State Convention to be held on September 16th-18th at the EmbassySuites, Santa Ana. Complete details can be located on the AOH California State Boardwebsite at www.aohca.org All AOH/LAOH members are invited to attend.

Pictured (L – R) front: Eric Reiss, David McKenna, Mick O’Keefe, and Ken Jamieson. Backrow: Daniel McGowan, Jerry O’Keefe, Michael Histon, Kieran Scott, Father MichaelHanifin, Daniel Murphy, Mark Mowen, Paul Mowen (from Sydney Australia), MichaelShorey, and Jay Treanor.

Pennsylvania NewsAvoca Division held a Night at the Races on May 14, 2011. Over 125 people attend-

ed and had a great time. All proceeds will go towards our scholarship program.

Changing of the FlagsEvery year for the past four years the P.O. Danny Boyle Division has paid for and

changed the Irish and American Flags at the Irish Memorial at Penn’s Landing inPhiladelphia. They are raised on St. Patrick’s Day, and then retired on the day of the startof the Irish Festival at Penn’s Landing, being on June 5th of this year. The Division is cel-ebrating their 20th year and always attends this event with their professional honorguard.

The members of the AOH Div.88 honor guard pictured (L - R)Jim Coolen, Ed Greene, DaveSchofield, Bobby Joyce, JoeSheck, Dave McDonough, MikeFox, and Frank Brassell.

Thunder Hits Dingle!!The Notre Dame Division in Montgomery County, PA Irish Thunder Pipes and

Drums that hit Dingle in time for the Pan Celtic Festival. A total of seventy relatives andfriends accompanied the band to Ireland.For about half of the group on the trip was the first time to cross the pond to Emerald

Isle. Several tours were set up on their six day stay and they were enjoyed by everyonein the group. And you talk about rain in Ireland. Well the weather was 60’s with onlytwo spots of rain all week. People were getting sunburned. The Irish Thunder together with the AOH Notre Dame Color Guard participated in

the Pan Celtic Parade in Dingle were they were warmly welcomed back to the DinglePub. And the Best St. Patrick also came on the trip to parade in Dingle too! During theirstay on one of the later nights, a wedding was going on at the hotel pub and the groomasked if the band could play at the reception. They got a taste of the band the nightbefore so at around 1:15 a.m. the band came marching into the wedding party for a greatnight for everyone.

Pictured (L – R) are the guys who worked hard all night taking bets. Mike Hopkins, PatHopkins, Jon McHale, James Brogan, James Doran, Robert Schwartz and Gene Philbin.


Ladies AOH National BoardRev. John V. Ahern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]. Phylis O’Down, OP . . . . . . . . . .Deputy Chaplain . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Hennessy . . . . . . . . . . . . .President . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Shelton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Hogan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] O’Connell . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] A. O’Connell . . . . . . . . . . . .Irish Historian . . . . . . . . [email protected] Mains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Missions & Charities . . . . . [email protected] J. Sheyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Catholic Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Conway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Asst. Digest Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Nyhan-Doherty . . . . . . . .Immigration & Legislation. . . . . [email protected] Rattigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FFAI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] E. Doyle, Esq . . . . . . . . . . .Legal Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elizabeth Colgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LAOH Webmaster . . . . . . . [email protected] O’Leary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fundraising Chair . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Comish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Supply Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Lynch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Auditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Ellen Pelletier . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jewelry Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

PAST NATIONAL PRESIDENTSMary Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marlboro, MADorothy Weldon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monongahela, PA Mary T. Leathem . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Convention Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Troy, NYEleonore Grimley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexandria, VAMary B. Dolan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .North Brookfield, MAPeggy Cooney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pittsburgh, PAMary Paglione . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Lucie West, FL Kathie Linton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Notre Dame Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Uniontown, OHTerry Kelleher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Notre Dame Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . Redwood City, CAMary B. McEnery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Providence, RISheila M. Clifford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Waterbury, CT

Ladies Hibernian NewsLadies Hibernian NewsPresident’s Greetings from …Margaret Hennessy

On behalf of theNational Board, I wisheveryone a happy,healthy, and safe sum-mer. Thank you foryour many invitationsto attend your StateConven tions, I am try-ing to attend as manyas possible. May ourHeavenly Father guide you in your deliber-ations and on behalf of the National Board,I send congratulations to your newly elect-ed officers and thank the outgoing officersfor a job well done.

I recently attended the Massachusettsand Connecticut Conventions and I thankthe Ladies for their hospitality and friend-ship. It is great to meet the women that youhave corresponded with as you moved upthe chairs as well as the many sisters whoform our membership. Please remember toforward the list of elected officers to theNational Secretary.

I attended the AOH Celebration of their175th anniversary along with several of ourNational Board we had the pleasure ofmeeting Irish Council General NoelKilkenny and his lovely wife Hanora asthey hosted a reception in their home forthe Anniversary Celebration. It was a mov-ing and exciting weekend and I extend ourcongratulations and our thanks to our

brothers of the AOH for the invitation aswell as being able to participate in thisbeautiful weekend. The AOH NationalHistorian has informed me that anAnniversary Commemorative Journal willbe distributed in October at the AOHNational President’s Dinner. The Journalwill contain a history of the Order and youcan still sponsor a page of that history foronly $100.

The Commodore John Barry Memorialhas been approved by the United StatesNaval Academy and fundraising efforts arenow underway. Both the AOH and theLAOH have worked hard over the years tohave Commodore John Barry recognized.The Barry Memorial Project will be com-pleted in two phases. The project’s firstphase will be placing an arching sign overthe Academy’s new pedestrian gate andformally naming it the “Commodore JohnBarry Gate.” The second phase will be theconstruction of an 8-foot granite memorialhonoring Commodore Barry. The memori-al will be positioned inside the Barry Gateand the adjoining area will be called “BarryPlaza.” The work will be concluded in late2012. The Commodore John BarryMemorial will be built through privateindividual donations. A National fundrais-ing effort is now underway. Donations willbe collected thru the Hibernian Charity; alldonations should be mailed to HibernianCharity Barry Project, PO Box 391,Meriden, Connecticut 06450. Please writechecks out the “Hibernian Charity” andinclude “Barry Memorial” in the memo lineof your check.

Margaret Hennessy

The National Board and many members of the Ladies Ancient Order werehonored to be present at the 175th AOH Anniversary Celebration in NewYork. Pictured is Margaret Hennessy presenting an award to NationalPresident Seamus Boyle. Also present is Mary Hogan, National Secretaryand Maureen Shelton, National Vice President.

Vice Presidentby Maureen Shelton

This is a busy time of year with so many of our State Conventions taking place. I wouldlike to thank the Ladies who have been doing such a wonderful job serving on their StateBoards and congratulate the newly elected State Officers. It is a serious commitment tohold any office and to take on the responsibilities that go with it. I look forward to work-ing with the new State Vice Presidents. I will be attending some State Conventions andhope to see many of my LAOH sisters once again.

I attended the AOH 175th Anniversary Mass in New York with the LAOH NationalBoard. What a proud moment as we marched together with our Hibernian brothers andsisters to Mass. The get together after mass was very festive. I must say that being pipedinto the Sunday Memorial Mass by the NYFD Pipe Band with some NYPD, NYFD and afire engine was very moving. The other very moving event was the wreath lying at thecross that had been constructed from some of the structure of the World Trade Center. Thewreath was placed in honor of our Hibernian Brothers, Sisters and the responders to 9/11.We walked together to the Famine Memorial and it turned out to be a soft Irish morning,how appropriate. It was so emotional to walk up the memorial and look out over thewater and remember how our ancestors came to these same shores while leaving behindso many of their own, many never to return home to Ireland and their loved ones. TheAOH National President, Seamus Boyle, included the LAOH in both ceremonies. I wasso honored and proud to be a representative of the LAOH on this very special weekend.

We are in the process of getting the Junior Newsletter on our National Website. TheJuniors have been busy around the country. I will be meeting with some of the Juniors inOhio this July, and observing the Degree Ceremony at the Ohio State Convention.

Finally, the additional good news is that South Carolina now boasts of our newestDegree Team, “Daughters of Erin”.

Washington DCby Peggy Dee

The Ladies of the District of Columbia offer their sincere congratulations to JohnMcInerney, the President of the AOH, John F. Kennedy, Division 5, for being named theHibernian of the Year. This recognition was richly deserved. John has been a tirelessworker and has labored very hard to keep the lines of communication open between themen and the women. John, along with Jack O’Brien, heads the Committee to Build aMemorial to John Barry at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. The Ladies of DC are proudto lend their full support to both John and Jack for this worthy project. LAOH Div. 9 hada grand welcome for Spring, by hosting their annual Spring Tea. Each member wore anoriginal hat with a teacup to match. Congratulations to Maria Humphries who is the newPresident of this Division. The Rev. Sean McManus has written his memoirs in a bookentitled “My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland.” The book was launched onMay 1, at the Phoenix Park Hotel, DC. Father McManus has chaired the Irish NationalCaucus for over 40 years and we were happy to have served on the Committee and lendhim support. He also had several book launches in Ireland, Boston, Philadelphia andNew York. The Ladies of the DC Board conducted our spring meeting at the newLimerick Pub, located in Wheaton, Maryland. Neal O’Donoughe, who is a native ofLimerick, is the proud owner and we wish him the very best. We had a beautiful day onSunday, May 15, for our annual “Nuns of the Battlefield” Mass, ceremonies and lun-cheon. After the 11:30 a.m. Mass at the historic St. Matthew’s Church, we processedacross the street to the monument, where we placed the tri-color basket of flowers.This monument was dedicated in 1924 to the various orders of nuns who served asnurses during the Civil War. The monument has a very interesting background andit had special meaning this year, as it is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

The John F. Kennedy, Div 5, enjoyed their annual picnic and crabfeast onSaturday, June 4, at the beautiful home of Bill “Wink” and Roisin Lowry.


Catholic Actionby Carol Sheyer

I would like to ask every Catholic Action Officer tomake sure that “Project St. Patrick” and “SOAR” arereviewed at your meetings. I am aware that manyrequests for donations are made at your meetings butplease keep these two projects in mind.

Every dollar donated to Project St. Patrick makes itpossible for someone studying for the religious life toanswer God’s call. This year we received 126 applicationsfor grants, by the generous donations of the LAOH andAOH the Project St. Patrick Committee was able to award78 grants of $500.00 each. By increasing our efforts, some-day we will be able to award a grant to every applicant.

At this time, I would like to talk about SOAR. After anarticle, by John Fialka, which exposed the severity of theretirement crisis for religious appeared in the Wall StreetJournal on May 19, 1986 a group of Catholic and non-Catholic lay people came together to plan strategies toresolve the economic crisis for religious. The article, based

on the research of Foundations and Donors Interested inCatholic Activities (FADICA), resulted in an outpouringof public concern. John Fialka and FADICA’s Frank Butleragreed that there was a potential to establish a nationalnetwork of concerned donors who would educate thepublic about the retirement challenges facing religious.

The mission of SOAR not only helps to ensure the safe-ty and comfort of our aging religious but also enables allmembers of those congregations to continue in theiractive ministries. SOAR seeks to accomplish this missionby raising and providing funds for congregations to meetimmediate needs of their retired members, educating thepublic about the serious retirement needs confrontingelderly religious and developing a national network ofconcerned individuals who wish to respond to this need.Close to 900 grants totaling almost $10 million have beenawarded to religious congregations in 43 states andPuerto Rico. Donations help to renovate space for handi-capped accessibility; purchase electric beds and handi-capped accessible vans; and install fire alarm, nurse call,and wandering systems. These grants have ensured thepersonal security and safety of many elderly and infirm

religious and their caregivers.Charitable donations are the foundation SOAR’s work.

When you invest in SOAR, you unite with so many oth-ers who care about the needs of aged and infirm religious.You maximize the resources designated for grants. Youlift grateful hearts and inspire religious congregations inneed with hope and peace. The special intentions of allthe benefactors are remembered by the grant recipientsthrough the Prayer Partners Program.

The LAOH still has two different car decals for sale.One decal is a picture of the Holy Rosary in the shape ofan unborn child with a message to pray for the unbornand the other is a Celtic Cross. The decals sell for $8.00and ALL proceeds benefit the prolife movement. For anyquestions or to order the decals, please contact me [email protected].

Finally, remember that the August feast of Our Lady ofKnock is approaching. Please remember to celebrate thefeast of the apparition at Knock together with yourDivision or County.

Connecticut NewsCongratulations to the new

Connecticut LAOH State Board,President Hilda Kelly, VicePresident, Joann Flynn Noonan,Recording Secretary DoreenRoddy, Treasurer Debbie Lynch-Fako, Historian Nancy Sullivan-Wiart, Missions & CharitiesChair Mary Kelly, CatholicAction Chair Sharon Karrass.President Kelly appointedBrother Thomas FaheyChaplain and Kay Egan as FFAIChair. The Ladies were honoredto be sworn in by or NationalPresident Margaret Hennessy.She was an added bonus to ourConvention and we wereextremely pleased to have herjoin us. The Meriden LAOH had two essay winners on the County and State level –Christian King (second place on both) and Ashley St. Pierre (third place on both). TheWaterbury LAOH had the first place winner on County and State – Elizabeth Frenis.Well done to all the contestants. On a very sad note, we lost a very devoted member,Roberta Morton Grieco. Roberta was a member of the Meriden Division for over 40years and was made a National Life Member at the National Convention that was heldin Connecticut. She will be missed by all who knew her.

The Waterbury Divisions hosted the Connecticut State Convention June 10 to June 12.The weekend started with a Pub Night on Friday with entertainment by Rock of Cashel,and ended with buffet after the close of business on Sunday.

New Haven County held its convention in Waterbury on May 15. Congratulations tothe Officers for the 2011-2013 term, President Joann Flynn Noonan, Vice President KerryTutolo, Recording Secretary Doreen Roddy, Treasurer Dorothy Kasey, Historian HildaKelly, Missions & Charities Chair Sarah Curry, Catholic Action Chair GeraldineCosgrove-Reynolds, Chaplain Brother Thomas Fahey, FFAI Arline Lacey, and Press &Publicity Maureen Flynn.

Newly elected Connecticut State Board Members pictured (L – R) DoreenRoddy, Sharon Karrass, Nancy Sullivan-Wiart, Hilda Kelly, Joann FlynnNoonan, Roni Kudeg – immediate Past President, Debbie Lynch-Fako,Margaret Hennessy, National President, and Mary Kelly. Missing areChaplain Brother Fahey and FFAI Chair Kay Egan.

Newly elected New Haven County Officers for2011-2013 pictured (L – R) Front row: SharonKarrass, Kerry Tutolo, Brother Thomas Fahey(seated), Joann Noonan, Doreen Roddy. Backrow: Sarah Curry, Arline Conroy, GeraldineCosgrove-Reynolds, Maureen Flynn, Hilda Kelly

Irish Historianby Patricia O’Connell

National Irish History Writing Contest Winners have been announced! Ninety-five stu-dent papers were received from 16 states to be judged at the National Level. Fifty-four stu-dent papers were submitted at Level 1 and 41 student papers were submitted at Level 2. Acongratulatory letter, certificate, and the monetary award were forwarded to each StateIrish Historian to be given to each student in recognition of his/her outstanding achieve-ment. Congratulations to our 2010-2011 National Irish History Writing Contest Winnerswho represent eight states: Level 1 (Grades 6-8): First Place—Joey Minneci (IL), Second Place—Jacob Versaggi

(NJ), Third Place—Christopher Roche (NJ), Honorable Mention—Hannah Gorman (MO),Honorable Mention—Molly Behan (PA) Level 2 (Grades 9-12): First Place—Taressa R. Bartholomew (VA), Second Place—

Brendan Hogan (NC), Third Place—Meghan Bade (MI), Honorable Mention—NickFleming (MD), Honorable Mention—Katie Krawczyk (MI)

Thanks and praise are given to all of our Sister Hibernians and the many others whospent their time not only to get the LAOH National Irish Writing Contest information intotheir communities, but also for their work at the Division, County, State Levels. Also, spe-cial kudos go to the many persons who willingly spent their time to judge the studentpapers at the Division, County, State, and National Levels.

National History Day EventFor the last few years, the LAOH has provided a special Second Place Award to students

who demonstrate their in-depth understanding of an Irish or Irish American History event,topic, or issue at the National History Day (NHD) Finals held on the University ofMaryland Campus in College Park, MD. The students participating in this national eventhave been successful at their local, regional, district, and state levels. Each year the NHDorganization selects a broad-based theme that must be addressed by the students as theyselect their own topic and manner of presentation. According to NHD staff, “over 2,500students compete at the national level each year.”

The 2011 Theme was “Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures,Consequences.” Students are able to present their researched topic in one of the followingcategories: Individual Documentary or Small Group Documentary, Individual Exhibit orSmall Group Exhibit, Individual Paper, Individual Performance or Small GroupPerformance, or Individual Website or Small Group Website. NHD has standardized rulesand guidelines that must be adhered to in each of the above-named categories.

The LAOH awarded Silver Medals to Jessica Hamacher and Jaime Kay, from DunedinHighland Middle School, Dunedin FL, for their Junior Group Performance: “Starvation inIreland: An International Diplomatic Crisis.” In addition to their Silver Medals, studentseach received a $500 scholarship assistance from the LAOH.

You may learn more about the recently completed 2011 NHD event by going to theNHD website: www.nhd.org. The 2012 NHD Theme is “Revolution, Reaction, Reform inHistory.” Plan ahead!

Pictured at the National History Day Awards Ceremony in the Cole FieldHouse on the University of Maryland Campus are (L – R) Patricia A.O’Connell, LAOH National Irish Historian, Jessica Hamacher, Jaime Kay,Teacher Teresa Bergstrom & Jaime Kay’s mother Heidi Kay.


Freedom For All Irelandby Patricia Rattigan

Since our last publication, it has been a busy time inIreland. There were major elections in the North ofIreland where Sinn Fein gained some seats and is themajor Belfast party. The Irish Government had success-ful visits by President Obama, Queen Elizabeth, andPrime Minister Cameron with everyone agreeing tomove forward, keep the economy moving. May 5thwas the 30th Anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands.The people of his constituency showed the power oftheir vote when over 30,000 came out and electedBobby as their MP. A democratic action shaped thecourse of history. I think that one of Bobby’s quotesembodied what is trying to be achieved in the North

today… “Our revenge will be the laughter of our chil-dren.” It is a shame with the resurgence in violence inthe North that their sacrifices that brought us to theGood Friday Agreement are forgotten and the peaceprocess has been tested.

I had the privilege on June 23rd to attend the book-ing signing in New York City of Fr. Sean McManusauthor of “My American Struggle For Justice inNorthern Ireland”. It was interesting to listen to Fr. McManus recalling what he encountered in the early 70’sin getting help from the U.S Congressional Leaders forHuman Rights in Northern Ireland. Fr. Mc Manus isthe founder of the Irish National Caucus and I urgeeveryone to purchase Fr. Mc Manus’ book because it isan important part of our Irish History. The book isavailable on Amazon.com and will be coming to Barnesand Noble shortly. Enjoy a great and safe summer!

Mary Hogan, National Secretary, Pat Rattigan,National Freedom for All Ireland, Bridie Mitchell,NY State Catholic Action, Joanne Gunderson,Kings County NY, Father Sean McManus

Ohio NewsThe Juniors of Div 6, Mahoning County Ohio have enjoyed a busy couple of

months. They eagerly participated in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life2011 embracing the theme “Star Wars.” Despite drenching rains and cool tempera-tures, 13 girls aged 10 to 19, committed to helping rid the world of Cancer, spent 24hours taking turns walking the Relay For life track at Boardman Center MiddleSchool. The generous support of family and friends buoyed the girls’ spirits andmade the walks in the rain more purposeful and rewarding. Next day, “Team Burke”received numerous prizes at the Boardman, Ohio “Relay for Life”. The team ofjuniors, members of Golden Rose Queen of Ireland Junior Division is students of theTheresa Burke School of Irish Dance in Youngstown, Ohio. Their team, supported bytwo honorary members, won “Best Relay Theme”, “Most Spirited Award”, “TheAdvocacy Award,” plus first place in their division and second place over all fordonations totaling $8,861.80! Donations are still being counted and the 2011 Relayevent has raised over $200,000 for the American Cancer society!

Participating in the Relay for Life 2011, Juniors Division 6, MahoningCounty Ohio are pictured in their Star Wars Relay Tee shirts they designedwith a Claddagh on the front stating “Steppers Strike Back” and on the back“A Cure We Will Find.”

Press and Publicityby Kathleen Conway

Please keep the news coming! We need to hear about the good works that the Ladiesdo all over the country. Adhere to the time schedule, every two months. I usuallyremind the State President and/or the Publicity Chair each time. If you don’t hear fromme, then I don’t have your correct e-mail address.

Include those pictures too - high quality pictures in jpg format and NOT embeddedinto the e-mail or the attached Word Documents. If you are using a digital camera, thisshould be no problem. Just attach the photo to the e-mail message, and then include theinformation in the message OR in a separate Word document. Thanks for helping out,since this is the only way the material will be printed. It is best if the Word document isusing the Times Roman font and the size is 12.

Also, encourage all members subscribe to the Hibernian Digest. I will be glad to sendthe form for new or existing subscriptions.

Missions and Charitiesby Sarah Mains

Saint Columba, the patron of the Columban Fathers and Sisters, lived from 543 to 615A.D. A monk and a Missionary, he left Ireland to proclaim Christ and His Gospel to thepeople on the continent of Europe who had fallen into barbarism. Amid hardships andpersecutions, he and his followers founded monasteries throughout France, Germany,Switzerland and Italy He was described as ‘traveling through Europe like a flaming torchkindling the fire of God’s love in the hearts of men.’ His greatness stems mainly fromthe fact that he established a new sprit in European monasticism, a spirit of total com-mitment to Christ and to Gospel values. He founded his last monastery at Bobbio in Italywhere he died on November 23, 615.

Today the Columban Missionary Society is carrying on the work of St. Columba. TheSociety seeks to establish the Catholic Church where the “the Gospel has not beenpreached and spread the Catholic faith around the world

The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc helps in this missionary work by con-tributing the funds to help them spread the word of Christ’s love. Please remember togive to our Missions and Charity fund.

Maryland News

New Jersey News

Maryland State Board Educational Assistance Program winner, MadelineBlakely, granddaughter of Rita Hundley of Baltimore County, Division 14,receives her award at the June State Board meeting. A check for $1000 isbeing sent to Stevenson University where Madeline will be pursuing a nurs-ing degree. Pictured are Carol Probst, Chairman, Madeline, MaureenShettle, Committee member, and State Board President, Kathy Lay.

Three generations of Hibernians! Pictured (L – R) Kathleen Chasarik, StateTreasurer (daughter), JoAnne Goodman, Imm. Past State President (daugh-ter), Anne Sullivan, recipient of the NJ LAOH, Inc. 2011 HumanitarianAward, Bernadette Sullivan, State Webmaster (daughter) and JenniferGoodman, State Historian (granddaughter). Anne’s husband is the lateJoseph Sullivan. She has been a member of Division 4, Union County for57 years and is a National Life Member of the LAOH.

Testimonial Dinner honoring National LAOH President

Margaret HennessySaturday - September 10, 2011 - Melville Marriott Long Island, NY

Mass 5 PM followed by Cocktail Hour - Dinner and DancingDeadline for Reservations - Sept 5th

Reservations: Pat Rattigan Commemorative Journal: Kathleen Conway 631-581-7231
