Brothers, the state board meeting will be held on Saturday May 31 from 11o’clock to 1 o’clock, at St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church located at 2715 Horse Pen Creek Rd, Greensboro NC. We have meeting rooms 9 and 10. Division Presidents and state board officers please forward reports to state secretary.

Brothers,

The Preamble in our AOH National Constitution, Item 7 states that a main purpose of our
To encourage an equitable U.S. immigration law for Ireland, and to cooperate with groups for a fair American Immigration Policy. I, like so many Hibernians before me, have spent much of my life working towards the day when we can fulfill the requirements of our Preamble. I am grateful for the opportunity of the past three years of working as your National Immigration Chairman as entrusted to me by National President Brendan Moore and previously by PNP Seamus Boyle.

During the past three years, a “Coalition on Irish Immigration Reform” was formed and comprised of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform, the Embassy of Ireland, Catholic clergy and the AOH, represented by me as your National Immigration Chairman. Together, we have worked to secure a legal path for Irelands’ undocumented and secure future flow for Irish immigrants. Much of this work was behind the scenes and without publicity due to the emotions and mood of the US on immigration. Many times we depended on individuals in our organizations to facilitate contact, meetings and dialog with legislators, labor leaders and other lobbyists to carve out an Irish element to immigration reform.

Earlier today the coalition of US Congressmen known as the Gang of 8 unveiled their Immigration Bill known as The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Act. Seen as a rare time of cooperation in a historically divided Congress, the Bill addresses sweeping changes to our outdated and arcane immigration laws and border security. Our Coalition worked hard to lobby the “Gang of 8” to keep a viable Irish component in Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Today, I can tell you that we were successful in that regard.

Many of the people that will benefit from the new bill are not from Ireland, but it does indeed address the future flow of Irish Immigrants. This will be provided by adding real visas for anyone from Ireland who has at least a high school education or its equivalent, or has, within 5 years, at least 2 years of work experience in an occupation which requires at least 2 years of training or experience.

The bill also removes the plight of the undocumented Irish by allowing them, an albeit slow, but legal path to US citizenship. The undocumented Irish will be allowed to travel home to visit Ireland, and live and work legally in the US while they await their green cards, and ultimately US citizenship. The undocumented must have been in the US before December 31, 2011 to qualify.

Brothers, don’t be confused by debates over immigrant and “non-immigrant” visas with regards to the Irish. The reform bill addresses many of our concerns on paths to citizenship that previous “stand alone” bills denied. Comprehensive Immigration Reform is now possible and Irish people will have a real opportunity from this legislation to create a new life for themselves in our great National and to continue to contribute to the important bonds between Ireland and the US.

Today is just the beginning of the future work of the Coalition and our Order on this great effort. I will be asking you, your appointed Immigration Chairmen and our Brothers and Sisters to help in attaining the successful passing of this reform in the coming months. Right now you can call your legislators and urge them to support this bill, the ‘‘Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act,’’ that provides future flow for Irish immigrants and ends the plight of our undocumented. Feel free to ask me any questions that you may have regarding the Bill or how you may help.

Yours in Our Motto of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity,

Dan Dennehy
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America Inc.
National Immigration

Cáisc shona duit
Happy Easter

April has a lot of significant events in Irish history. One very important one is the Easter Uprising of 1916, which laid the foundation for the Irish Republic. April 24th will mark the 97th anniversary of the Easter Uprising. Why Easter is special to the Irish, click on link; http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/Why-Easter-is-such-an-important-holiday-to-the-Irish-89037472.html

April 1, 1865, General Sheridan, wins the last battle of the Civil War at Five Forks; http://www.civilwaracademy.com/five-forks.html

April 1, 1919, Eamonn de Valera elected as President of Ireland’s First Dáil, click on link to read more on de Valera; http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/eamonn_de_valera.htm

April 1, 1914, Cumann na mBan (League of Women) was formed, a very secretive organization of women to help fight for Irelands freedom; http://www.triskelle.eu/history/cumannnamban.php

The Flag & Emblems Act of 1954, which gave the RUC the right to arrest, remove any article displayed publicly that didn’t support the British gov’t. Any display other than the Union Jack, was considered objectionable to the public peace, it was later repealed, you can read more about it at this link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_and_Emblems_Act

April 10, 1981, Bobby Sands is elected to English Parliament while on Hunger Strike; http://marcella.dreamwidth.org/7904.html

April 10, 1988, the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, establishing a multi-party gov’t in the north of Ireland; http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=335

April 12, 1847, the Jamestown a ship sent from America to help feed the hungry in Ireland arrives in Cobh, Co. Cork; http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18819/2329/2

April 13, 1829, Catholic Emancipation Act is passed in Parliament; http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A26353604

April 14, 1922, IRA dissidents seize the Four Courts in Dublin to protest the treaty granting only 26 Counties freedom; http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Battle_of_Dublin

April 17, 1969, Bernadette Devlin, elected youngest female to British Parliament; http://www.bookrags.com/biography/bernadette-devlin/

April 18, 1949, Republic of Ireland Act of 1948 is enacted; http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/history/wiki.php?title=Republic_of_Ireland_Act_1948

April 21, 1916 Sir Roger Casement is arrested on the Banna Strand, Co. Kerry, for treason, http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/casement.htm

April 25, 1938, Eamonn de Velera, declares Irelands neutrality in WWII; http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Irish_neutrality_during_World_War_II

April 28, 1901 Fenian founder James Stephens dies; http://www.answers.com/topic/james-stephens-irish-nationalist

April 28, 1927, 2 time Medal of Honor Awardee, Dan Daly dies; http://www.usmarinesbirthplace.com/DALY.html

April 30, 1798, US Navy is founded, John Barry of Co. Wexford gets first commission of the Navy, becomes Father of the American Navy; http://www.ushistory.org/people/commodorebarry.htm

I hope that this helps you in your history reports for April and Thank you for “Keeping that Irish Tradition Alive!”
Dan Callaghan
NC AOH Historian

Brothers, March is just about over, a lot of us still be thinking of St. Patrick and his contributions to the Irish worldwide and I do encourage that as well. Not only is he the Patron Saint of Ireland, but of our Order as well. Other possible themes you might want to consider is;

March 1, 1981, Bobby Sands begins his start of a 66 day Hunger Strike, for return of Political Status for Political Prisoners of War in Long Kesh Prison. Click on the links to learn more about him; http://bobby-sands.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands

March 3, 1957, Mairéad Farrell, is born this day; http://www.dublinnorthcentral.com/campaign/2121

March 4, 1778, Robert Emmett, Irish Republican is born; http://www.ireland-information.com/articles/robertemmet.htm

March 4, 1888, Grace Gifford, future wife of Joseph Plunkett is born; http://randombios.blogspot.com/2009/07/grace-gifford-plunkett-18881955.html

March 5, 1942, Irish Republican George Plant is executed by Irish Free State; http://fethard.com/reports/george_plant.html

March 6, 1831, Civil War General Philip Sheridan, is born; http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1800sarmybiographies/p/sheridan.htm

March 8, 1966, Pillar of Lord Nelson is blown up by IRA; http://irishdancedresscanada.homestead.com/ImagesofNelsonsPillar.html

March 11, 1926, Eamonn DeValera resigns as President of Sinn Fein, forms new party, Fianna Fail; http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/eamon.htm

March 14, 1981, Francis Hughes starts Hunger Strike; http://www.irishhungerstrike.com/francishughes.html

March 15, 1920, Tomás Mac Curtain, Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Cork, shot by British forces, you can read more on this by clicking on the link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_Mac_Curtain

March 15, 1767, Irish-American President Andrew Jackson, is born; http://www.answers.com/topic/andrew-jackson

March 16, 1766, Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, is hanged for protesting tithes and taxation; http://www.libraryireland.com/HistoryIreland/Father-Nicholas-Sheehy.php

March 17, 461, St. Patrick dies, many different reports as to the actual date exist; http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm

March 21, 1886, Irish Republican Oscar Traynor is born; http://www.belfastceltic.org/oscartraynor.html

March 22, 1981, Patsy O’Hara and Ray McCreesh begin their Hunger Strike; http://www.irishfreedomcommittee.net/HISTORY/bios/Patsy%20O’Hara.doc

March 31, 1871, Arthur Griffith, founder of Sinn Fein, first leader of Dáil Éireann, is born; http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Arthur_Griffith

Irish-American William Donovan, was America’s first spymaster, during WWI; http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20110225/NEWS01/102250333/Buffalo-spymaster-s-exploits-subject-new-biography?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

In the Penal Days of Ireland, Priests and going to Mass was considered a crime, so Priests were on the run and said Mass in fields, they used large rocks as the altar, thus the term “Mass Rock” was formed,
http://www.lmi.utvinternet.com/massrock.htm

WWII Super Spy in Ireland; http://www.irishemigrant.com/ie/go.asp?p=story&storyID=8406

Is féidir ár stair, ár dtodhchaí a thógáil

(May our history, build our future)

Dan Callaghan

NC AOH Historian