Sunday, June 28, 2015
The Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa Commemorative Sports Tournament
A.O.H. Sponsors O’Donovan Rossa Commemorative Event at Gaelic
Park
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| The O'Donovan Rossa Tournament Flyer |
The countdown to the 100th Anniversary of the
1916 Easter Rising began yesterday at Gaelic Park in the Bronx as a large cross
section the Irish Community hosted a Gaelic Football Tournament to commemorate
the Centenary of the death of Irish patriot Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa. Rossa,
who was instrumental in building support and momentum for what would
eventually lead to the 1916 Easter Rising died in New York City on June 29th
1915.
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| Barbara Jones, Dan Dennehy, and Williams Rossa Cole |
The tournament was sponsored by several Irish
organizations, including The Hudson Valley Irish Center, the County Cork Association
of New York, and The Ancient Order of Hibernians. Several dignitaries were in attendance as well,
including Barbara Jones - Irish Consular
General, Williams Rossa Cole – Great Grandson
of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, and Sophie Colgan – The 2015 New York Rose of Tralee.
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| The AOH was a proud sponsor of the O'Donovan Rossa Tournament |
A
stirring moment occurred just prior to the start of the event when Williams
Rossa Cole recited the words of Padraig Pearse’s oration that was made at the O’Donovan
Rossa funeral in Dublin in August of 1915.
“The fools, the fools, the fools, they have left us our Fenian dead!” said
Rossa, “while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland
unfree shall never be at peace.”
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| Williams Rossa Cole reads Pearse Oration |
There were several teams from
around the NYC area that participated in the tournament, including County Mayo,
Manhattan Gaels, and The Wolfe Tones, who traveled all the way from Detroit Michigan
to be there.
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| Teams assembled at the start of the O'Donovan Rossa Tournament |
Congratulations go to all who
worked very hard to make this event a great success, especially AOH National
Immigration Chairman Dan Dennehy, who worked tirelessly to make this event
a reality. AOH Division One of Yonkers was proud to sponsor such an important
cultural event!
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| AOH members attending the O'Donovan Rossa Tournament |
For more information of the
life and contributions of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, you can read this article
that was published in the Irish Echo Newspaper in 2003.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
AOH Historian's Report
A Disease That Haunted The Irish
By Mike McCormack
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| Cholera Outbreak in Athlone, Ireland 1832 |
Cholera is an infection of the human
intestine and is recognized as one of the most efficient killers of all time;
it works quickly to kill, often on the same day as infection. Cholera causes
violent vomiting, cramps and diarrhea and is spread by contaminated excrement
and handling clothing and bedding of infected people. In crowded cities,
sewage-contaminated water supplies were a major source of its spread, but no
one realized that until after 1854. Before that, it had arrived in America with
Irish and German immigrants, crowded below decks on coffin ships with little or
no fresh water or sanitary facilities for a rough six-to-eight-week passage
across the Atlantic.
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| Depiction of Cholera Outbreak in The Five Points, NYC in 1832 |
It decimated the polluted immigrant
slums into which many immigrants were forced to live. In June 1832, an outbreak
of cholera spread rapidly throughout the crowded, unsanitary dwellings of New
York’s Five Points neighborhood before spreading to the rest of the city
killing 3,500 in two months. Nativists blamed the disease on the life style of
the poor – namely Catholicism, poverty and drink until the disease spread
uptown, where well-to-do families kept the cause of death a secret. New York’s
Croton reservoir was completed in late 1842 to bring clean water to the city
for drinking and street cleaning, but the Croton Water Board objected to
wasting that clean water in the Five Points. A second major outbreak occurred
in 1849 killing 5,017. For the next 20 years, deaths in the Five Points area
was triple that of the rest of the city.
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| Cholera Cross in Clinton County, Illinois |
In 1842, cholera also broke out in
Saint Louis brought by German and Irish immigrants coming up the Mississippi
from New Orleans where upon arrival; dehydrated from the voyage they drank
great gulps of contaminated water. Like their countrymen in New York the Irish
were forced into a filthy slum area called the Kerry Patch. As a result, the
St. Louis death toll reached 4,500 in three months. The increase of immigrants
in 1849 fleeing Ireland’s Great Hunger led to a second major outbreak that took
more than 7,000 lives. In May 1849, the city took over Arsenal Island in the
Mississippi and renamed it Quarantine Island. All ships were stopped there for
inspection and those passengers who seemed ill remained in hastily built sheds
until they either recovered or died, just like Grosse Isle in Quebec. Thousands
were buried there before the island – cemetery and all – washed away in the
spring floods of the 1860s after the city built dykes on the west side of the
river and changed its flow.
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| Federal Mortality Census Report for 1850 |
However, the quarantining efforts
failed to stop bacteria from infecting St. Louis’ water supply. With no other
dumping site available, chamber pots were emptied into the streets and rain
washed the excrement into the limestone caves beneath the city where raw sewage
from the city was also dumped. It eventually overflowed into a low area near
the Kerry Patch creating a putrid pool angrily called Kayser’s Lake. Henry
Kayser was the city engineer who decided to divert the entire city’s waste
water into the limestone caves beneath the city rather than build sewers to
save money. In 1849, approximately one-tenth of the population of St. Louis
died from disease.
Not knowing the true source of the
disease, people blamed everything from sauerkraut to stench as thousands of new
immigrants joined the prospectors who stopped at St Louis – the gateway to the
west – to outfit for the journey to the recently discovered gold fields of
California. Typically, cholera swept through the poorest areas first and was
interpreted by the Nativist press as being due to the immigrants’ ignorance,
laziness, and moral laxity. By the third week of June, cholera was killing
roughly 100 people a day. Rev. John B. Druyts, Jesuit president of Saint Louis
College, told the frightened students to place themselves under protection of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Those who survived were to chip in and buy a silver
crown for her statue in the chapel. The effect of this holy resolution calmed
the students. In what was called a miracle, there were no deaths within the
school walls, although there were victims of the disease in almost every house
around the College. In October 1849, a silver crown was reverently carried on a
purple cushion to the statue.
On June 24, citizens crowded a
public meeting and demanded that city officials do something or resign. The
officials did what officials always do: they formed a committee. The committee
not knowing the cause, immediately ordered coal, tar and sulfur pots to be
burned in the streets. They banned fresh vegetables, especially cabbage
believing the smell of sauerkraut was a contributing factor. They also kept
public transportation out of the slums in case the disease might be airborne
and ordered churches to stop all that infernal bell-ringing at funerals since
it lowered the morale of the people. Then they spent $10,000 to buy slop carts
and hired street cleaners, telling them to collect and dump liquid filth into
the once lovely Chouteau’s Pond which had already become gray with industrial
waste, creating another source of infection.
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| Map Depicting Cholera Outbreak in Ireland |
More practical prevention came in
1850, when the city drained both Kayser’s Lake and Chouteau’s Pond – not
because it eliminated a cause of the disease, but because they finally
installed a sewer system – and that, unintentionally, was what finally did the
job. Cholera returned again before the end of the century, but it was never
again as lethal.
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| Cholera Localities Map - Belfast 1832 |
Many are the stories of sorrow in
the diaries of our immigrant ancestors who were forced to endure the squalor
imposed upon them as a result of the bigotry that condemned them to substandard
living conditions. There are also stories of resilience that allowed them to
not only survive, but to climb out of the derelict districts and set a course
for their sons and daughters that made them the major contributors that the
Irish are today in every field of endeavor. But while we celebrate their
accomplishments and contributions, we should never forget the hardships
suffered by those who laid the groundwork.
Monday, June 8, 2015
The 98th Biennial A.O.H. New York State Convention
N.Y. Ancient Order of Hibernians
to Gather in Uniondale for Biennial State
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| The 98th Biennial AOH New York State Convention Logo |
The New York
State Board of The Ancient Order of Hibernians has announced that they will
hold their 98th Biennial State Convention July 8th - 12th
at The Long Island Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Uniondale , NY
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| The Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, New York |
The 4 day
event will welcome AOH members from Buffalo New York
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| Current AOH New York State President James Burke (center) |
The
convention will feature focus groups and workshops that will focus on Irish and
Irish-American subjects and issues.
There will also be an election where delegates will select a new State
President as well as other state officers.
Jim Burke, from Nassau County
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| Members of Division One always enjoy The New York State Convention |
Of course, all work and no play makes for a dull event. There will be plenty of fun and enjoyable activities during the convention. Delegates will be able to take part in a golf outing, as well as a night time cruise with live music.
Or email the
convention committee at:
2015convention@nassauaoh.com
Friday, June 5, 2015
The Commodore John Barry Memorial Medal Program 2015
Hibernians Announce
Recipients of Annual Catholic Scholastic Medal Award
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| Commodore John Barry "Father of The United States Navy" |
The
Ancient Order of Hibernians, Myles Scully-Division #1 of Yonkers
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| The AOH dedicated The Commodore Barry Memorial in Annapolis in 2014 |
Commodore
Barry received Navy Commission #1 from President George Washington in 1798,
making him the first flag officer of the newly formed U.S. Navy. The Commodore Barry Medal is awarded to a
graduating student who has excelled in U.S. History/Social Studies. The award consists of a certificate of merit
along with a medal which is worn around the neck.
The awards will be presented to each student at their school graduation ceremonies beginning the week of June 12th.
The awards will be presented to each student at their school graduation ceremonies beginning the week of June 12th.
Congratulations to
this years winners!
Sacred Heart School
St. Ann’s School - Jena
Guilfoyle
St. Anthony’s School -
Jacqueline Feehan
St. Peter’s School - Rickay
Channer
St. Eugene’s School - Anthony
Nicolas Delfino Goncalves
Monday, June 1, 2015
President's Message June 2015
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
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| Division One President Kevin Ellis |
June 2015
Brothers,
The month
of June is traditionally the unofficial end of our Division’s “active” season, (there
are no meetings in July and August) and this is also the time when I look
back and reflect on what we have accomplished as a group since we convened last
September. I can not properly express in
word my pride and admiration of the hard work and dedication that was displayed
by our members this year. You all should
be very proud of yourselves! I have a
few things to mention from this past month.
Our Annual
Charity Golf Outing was a tremendous success once again! If all reports are correct, this years outing
will be the most successful in our Division’s history. The event will have raised just over $30,000!
This is due to our members who worked so hard all year. A special note of congratulations goes to our
Past Division President and Golf Committee Chairman Tom Allison,
who has managed to increase the amount of money raised each and every
year. Tom is stepping down as golf chairman this
year, and I along with the entire Division membership owe him a huge
debt of gratitude. Well Done Tom! Dennis O’Brien will be taking over
the golf
committee, and we wish him great success.
Dennis will know that he has our complete support going forward.
The AOH
Westchester County Board held its Convention at the Brazen Fox on May 19th. Aidan O’Kelly Lynch has returned for a second
term as County President, and I was humbled to have been
chosen to serve as County Vice-President.
I look forward to working with Aidan and the rest of the board to
further our organizations goals in Westchester County.
Thanks to all of the Division One members who attended the installation
ceremony!
June has
only a few events and items that need to be covered. The AOH along with other Irish organizations
in the NYC area will hold commemorative ceremonies marking the 100th
Anniversary of the death of Irish Patriot Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa. Events will include a Gaelic Football Tournament
in conjunction with the GAA, as well as a mass and ceremonies in Staten Island. Details will be provided at our
membership meeting June 3rd.
The other
big event will be the 98th Biennial AOH New York State Convention
that is scheduled for July 8-12 in Uniondale, New York.
I know that several members from Division One will be attending the
convention. Those members attending the
convention must make sure that I have their names so I can secure enough
delegate credentials. Please let me know
if you are going as soon as possible.
The Tara
Court Major Degree Team will exemplify The Major Degree of our Order at the Convention
on Saturday, July 11th at 10:00am.
Our Division unfortunately has many members who are in need of their
Major Degree. I will have registration
forms available. Please do not miss this
important opportunity to achieve your major degree!
In
conclusion, I would like to thank our outgoing NYS District #4 Director
Mike Flynn for his service over the past 2 years. Mike has always been a great supporter of
Division #1. Well Done Mike!
I also
would like to wish our good member Dave Miller farewell and good luck as
he will be retiring and moving to Florida this summer. Florida’s gain is truly our loss! Dave has been a tremendous Hibernian and
friend to everyone here. Good Luck Dave
and remember you are always welcome back to New York on St. Patrick’s Day to help carry
our banner!
I wish you
and your family a very enjoyable and relaxing summer. See you in September!
Yours in
our Motto,
Kevin
Ellis, President
Division
One, Yonkers
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