DESALES UNIVERSITY
ALLENTOWN, PA

Host: Tir na Og Lehigh County Division 1

Contact: Ken Walsh

ROSEN CENTRE HOTEL
9840 International Drive

Host: Florida State Board / Florida State Convention

Contact: Greg Sean Canning

ARCHBISHOP HUGHES CENTER
32 Prince Street, Manhattan, NY 10012

Host: New York City County Board

Contact: Bill Lee

AOH HALL

Host: New Jersey State Board

Contact: Jeff Nisler

BAYSHORE CATHOLIC CENTER
12 Hwy 36, Middletown, NJ 07748

Host: New Jersey State Board

Contact: Leo Mcguire

EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL
204 Centreport Drive Greensboro, NC 27409

Host: North Carolina State Convention

Contact: Brian Kiernan

The Hartford Irish Road Bowling Tournament was held on Saturday, July 29 by the Hartford AOH Division 2, in conjunction with Riverfront Recapture. The event marked the third-straight year that Irish road bowling tournament returned to the area and attracted approximately 30 teams from Connecticut and Massachusetts. All proceeds from the event benefit Hartford AOH’s fight against hunger in the area.

On May 28th, members of the AOH in America participated in the “Annual Walk to the Stone” memorial ceremony that is organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Canada. The Black Rock Memorial is currently located in between two highway roads near the Victoria Bridge in the Point Saint Charles section of Montreal and is the site of a 6,000 person mass grave of coffin ship victims from 1847-1848.

Since the 1860s the AOH Canada has sought to protect the Irish immigrants that perished from typhoid (many of whom were children) from further desecration of their resting place as they fled The Great Hunger. The Black Rock Monument was created after Irish construction workers who were completing the Victoria Bridge in 1859-60 discovered several bodies from the mass grave. The workers refused to work and complete the bridge until there was a memorial on this site. The workers negotiated for a 40 ton granite rock to be placed in the cemetery with the inscription, “To Preserve from Descratation the remains of 6000 Immigrants Who died of Ship Fever A.D. 1847-48” They were not allowed to mention Irish in the inscription.

Over the years the AOH Canada has fought to fulfill the promise inscribed on the Black Rock Memorial by fighting development and encroachment on the site. In 2017, Hydro-Quebec purchased the land the Black Rock Memorial is on with plans to donate 3.65 acres to create a memorial park that is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

The 2023 Walk to the Stone started with a beautiful Mass on Pentecost at Saint Charles Church. After Mass, members of the parish, AOH, representatives from the City of Montreal and other Irish organizations; led by a piper, walked the mile to the Black Rock Memorial. Once at the memorial site, AOH Canada National President started the ceremony. The Irish, Canadian and United States National Anthems were performed beautifully by Esmé Cavanaugh and Lily MacLean of the band Gráinne. President Boyle went over the history of the Black Rock Memorial and the 6000 people that rest uneasily below. Memorial wreaths were placed on Black Rock by many organizations including the AOH in America National Board, the AOH NYS Board and Schenectady AOH JFK 1 (who hosted President Boyle at their Communion Breakfast the month prior). After the ceremony participants went back to the parish center at Saint Charles and shared some delicious Irish Stew and samosas along with some traditional Irish music.

This year’s event also coincided with the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. MP John Finnucane of Sinn Féin (Belfast North) participated in the ceremony and gave his remarks and paid his respects to the victims of The Great Hunger at that site. The day prior the Friends of Sinn Féin Canada hosted a 25th GFA Anniversary at Hurley’s Irish Pub where members of the U.S. AOH were able to meet MP Finnucane, Kevin Callahan from Friends of Sinn Féin Canada, Marion Mulvenna from Concordia University’s Irish Studies Program and AOH Canada National President Victor Boyle.

Overall the weekend was tremendously moving, and the people, especially President Boyle, were welcoming and gracious hosts. Walk to the Stone will take place in 2024 on May 26th, and members of the AOH and LAOH are most welcome to participate.

Brother Hibernians and Brother Paratroopers. LTC (Ret) Cole Slattery, past President of the Col. Thomas J. Cunningham Jr. Div., Loudoun County, VA (Left) and MAJ (Ret) Keith Kettell, current President of the Herbert /Cady Div. Alexandria. VA (Right), stand proudly before the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Old Town Alexandria in early March and meet up again in late March in Palatka, FL to close out Irish American Heritage month by jumping from the 80-year-old C-47, Tico Bell. The storied aircraft dropped Paratroopers into Normandy on D-Day June 6^th, 1944, and again during Operation Market Garden into Holland September 17, 1944. After the war, the Tico Bell flew missions of relief in support of the Berlin Airlift.  Presidents Slattery and Kettell served several tours of duty in the 82^nd Airborne Division in addition to other Airborne units throughout their military careers. 

National Purple Heart Registry.

Veteran Services Spotlight: VA MISSION Act and the Asset & Infrastructure Review Commission The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission was established by the 2018 MISSION Act. The MISSION Act required VA to conduct periodic and intensive reviews of facility usage, veteran enrollment, and veteran population trends to determine where it made sense to close or revise the use of facilities, expand existing facilities, or build new facilities.
As required by the MISSION Act, the VA prepared and published their first report in March 2022 to outline their findings and recommendations. Those recommendations were to be considered by an AIR Commission appointed, at least in part, by the United States Senate. When published, the recommendations caused a predictable amount of consternation among veterans in those communities where specific VA facilities were proposed for reduction in size, service, or would be closed entirely.
Following further Congressional reviews, including bi-partisan Senate meetings with VA Secretary Denis McDonough, national Veteran Organizations, and local veterans, Senate leaders decided NOT to appoint their delegates to the AIR Commission itself. This administrative action by the US Senate will bring this iteration of the MISSION Act AIR process to an end and renders the recommendations contained in the March 2022 AIR Commission Report moot. Veterans across the US can remain confident that their local VA facilities will be there to support their care for years to come.

Veterans Affairs Committee Member Feature: Leo McGuire, New Jersey

In this edition of the Digest, we recognize Brother Leo P. McGuire of New Jersey. Leo served as an Army Military Policeman, joining right after high school, eventually serving in Germany with the 3rd Battalion, 71st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, during the Cold War. After his military service, he entered a career in law enforcement culminating his career as Sheriff of Bergen County, the largest county in the State of New Jersey. Leo was honored as an Irish Echo Belfast International Ambassador and he maintains significant relationships with local leaders in the north of Ireland. He also devotes his time as the New Jersey State Vice Chair for the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, a DOD Program that helps ensure Reserve and Guard military members can maintain their civilian careers through multiple deployment and training requirements. Leo is a long-time AOH Brother and serves as Vice President for the New Jersey State Board. For all his work in support of the AOH and the military/veteran community: Thank you, Brother McGuire!

All members, especially veterans and VA Chairs, are encouraged to participate in VA Committee meetings held online the third Tuesday of the month at 7pm ET. Please contact me directly for details. Also, check out the resources listed on the AOH Veterans Affairs website at www.aoh.gov/veterans- affairs. GARRYOWEN!

VETERANS AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN: Section 22. Shall: Serve to provide information and advice for members of the Order who currently serve, or who have served, in the United States military. The chairman shall focus primarily in areas pertaining to Veteran’s benefits, advocacy, and the development and maintenance of a historical record of Hibernians that have served. The individual appointed to this position shall be an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Armed Forces or an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces

Provide Information & Advice

Written monthly reports distributed via email as part of your report process are the best means to fulfill this responsibility. Each month I file a report to my division and state boards that are published statewide and locally. My division reports are published by email as part of our monthly meeting notices distributed by the division President. My state reports are distributed statewide via email by the State Board Secretary and as part of the State Newsletter. I strongly encourage all state, county, and division leaders and VA chairs to distribute information in those reports as broadly to the membership as possible. Non-veteran members of our Order often have family members or friends who are veterans and are in a good position to share benefits or support information to those they care for. It is also important for your VA Chairman to be an active member of the division to be visible and available to help not only our veteran brothers, but also advise members who have veterans in their families.

Maintain a Historical Record of Hibernians That Have Served

The National AOH Veteran Lapel Pin and Membership Card Identifier was implemented by the National Board in 2019. The express purpose of these two initiatives is to encourage veterans in our Order to identify themselves so that their service can be honored, and divisions can record their veteran status as part of the AOH membership database. It is important that Financial Secretaries work with their division leadership to identify the veteran status of prospective members on their application and ensure that information is included as their details are reported to the National Secretary. The online Form 41 member application form includes the veteran status identifier on the form, but there may be old PDF/paper versions of that form used that do not have the latest updates. Therefore, it is important for Financial Secretaries, Standing Committee Chairs, and Presidents remain proactive in “asking in the question” to potential members re. their veteran status. Divisions should also work to identify current members who have not been previously identified as veterans. Recognition events and the annual membership renewal process are opportunities to accomplish this task.

National AOH Veterans Affairs Committee & Website

The National VA Committee has been established and meets via Zoom every third Tuesday of each month at 7pm ET. Any brother, veteran or civilian, is encouraged to attend and VA Chairs are strongly encouraged to attend. Anyone interested in receiving regular updates regarding those committee meetings should contact me directly. The National Board also maintains a section dedicated to AOH Veterans Affairs on the national website at www.aoh.com/veterans-affairs. The site includes key links to veteran benefits and services resources. Garryowen!

ANACONDA AOH CLUBHOUSE
321-323 Commercial Street Anaconda, MT 59711

Host: Montana State Board

Contact: Bobby Mehrens

UPPER MERION VENTURA ACADEMY SCHOOL
633 East 4th Street, Bridgeport, PA 19405

Host: Notre Dame Montgomery Co. Division 1

Contact: Jack Schneider <jack1515@aol.com> 215-361-3327

TBD
MONTANA

Contact: Bobby Mehrens