Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Archbishop John Hughes Memorial Dedication
Cardinal
Timothy Dolan Dedicates Memorial to New York’s First Archbishop
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| Cardinal Dolan unveils Archbishop John Hughes Memorial |
The AOH of
greater New York took part in a historic moment this past weekend as
Timothy Cardinal Dolan visited The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral to unveil
a monument dedicated to the first Archbishop of New York, John Hughes.
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| Capacity Crowds at The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral |
The memorial
was unveiled and blessed during a Vespers Service in which a capacity crowd of
over 750 worshipers left standing room only inside the 200 year old church.
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| Rowan Gillespie with Hughes Monument |
The 12
foot tall memorial, which features a bust of Archbishop Hughes, was created by
renowned sculptor Rowan Gillespie. Funds
for the memorial were provided by The Knights of Columbus, Friendly Sons of St.
Patrick of Morris County, and The Ancient Order of
Hibernians of New York County.
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| AOH Members Re-enact 1844 Defense of The Cathedral before Vespers |
There was
an particularly proud moment before the Vespers Service began as members of The Ancient Order of Hibernians
surrounded the Basilica in a re-enactment of the events of 1844, where then
Archbishop John Hughes called out the members of the AOH to defend the church
from being burned to the ground by native No-Nothing mobs. Several members of the Myles Scully Division
#1 of Yonkers took part in the re-enactment and attended the Vespers
Service.
Here is a video of the Opening Procession
Cardinal
Dolan spoke of the historical importance of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, while
also speaking of the bright future for the church and its parishioners. “This
church is not a museum”, said
Dolan, “This is Old Cathedral is also a
living, breathing and vibrant parish!” Cardinal Dolan also noted that he was proud to
be wearing a cross that had belonged to Archbishop Hughes.
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| The AOH New York County Board helped raise funds for the monument |
The ceremonies
marked the completion of the 6 year long celebration marking the 200th
anniversary of the founding of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. Msgr. Sakano, the Pastor of the Basilica,
thanked the many people who made this day possible. “This Church will always be
your home” said Sakano when thanking the AOH.
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| Westchester County AOH Members Gather before Dedication Ceremonies |
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Irish Historian's Report November 2015
THE BATTLE OF YELLOW FORD
by Mike
McCormack
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| Map and Illustration of The Battle of Yellow Ford |
The
year was 1587, and the English were concerned about the Irish Chieftains whom they
had not yet brought under control – especially in Ulster. Something had to be done to insure their
non-interference with Crown activities.
One of the more powerful clans was the O'Donnell of Tyr Connail, the
present day Donegal. Doe Castle was the
seat of ‘The MacSweeney of the Battleaxe’ and the teenage son of ‘The
O’Donnell’, was sent there to be trained in the arts: literature, music,
swordsmanship, horsemanship and all the educational pursuits befitting a young
Irish prince. One day, a trading ship
sailed into Rathmullen on Lough Swilly, 24 miles from Doe Castle. They were offering Spanish wines, and fine
fabrics for the Donegal Chieftains and their ladies. Red Hugh O'Donnell, the 15-year old heir to
the Tyr Connail Chieftainship and two friends, Dan MacSweeney and Hugh
O’Gallagher, were invited aboard to see the merchandise. Once on board, they were overpowered and the
young prince was taken captive. The
kidnapping infuriated the Irish, but Lord Deputy Perrot reassured them that Red
Hugh would remain alive, as long as the O'Donnells remained passive. The young prince was taken to Dublin
Castle. The O’Donnells had been
harboring 25 survivors of the Spanish Armada who shipwrecked on the Donegal
coast in August 1588; they offered them to the English in exchange for Red
Hugh. The offer was accepted and the
Spaniards were marched to Dublin to make the exchange. When the English got the Spaniards, they
beheaded them on the spot and sent the O’Donnells home, refusing to honor the
agreement.
As
Christmas neared in 1591, O’Donnell had been imprisoned and brutally treated
for near six years. So many wardens had
been replaced, it was doubtful if anyone remembered a red-haired boy in a cell
in the bowels of Dublin Castle. Then, on
Christmas night, 21-year old Red Hugh made a daring escape with Henry and Art
O’Neill, sons of the late Shane O’Neill, Chieftain of Tyrone. They fled into
the Wicklow Mountains where, days later, close to death, covered with snow and
embracing the lifeless body of Art O’Neill (Henry died during the escape) in an
attempt to keep him from freezing, Red Hugh was found by the great Munster
Chieftain, Fiach McHugh O'Byrne. Red
Hugh's escape sent a thrill through all of Ireland: the heir of Tir-Connaill was safe. He was brought to Hugh O’Neill at Dungannon,
who escorted him to Hugh Maguire, Lord of Fermanagh. The Maguire brought him to Tir-Connaill, where
in May, 1593, he stood on the Rock of Doone, the ancient crowning stone of Clan
O'Donnell, and received a title higher than any foreigner could give - that of
The O'Donnell, Prince of Tir-Connaill.
There were now two War Chiefs in Ulster ready to oppose the English.
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| Painting - "The Battle of Yellow Ford" by JB Vallely |
The
English, worried by the audacity of the northern Chieftains, captured The
Maguire's fort at Enniskillen which guarded the Gap of the Erne - one of the
two the main accesses to Ulster. Maguire
called on The O'Donnell for assistance, and O'Donnell rallied his clan. Thus began the great rising of the Ulster
Chieftains known as The Nine Years War.
O'Donnell swept through Ulster driving the English before him. By the time they reached Enniskillen, Hugh
O'Neill's brother, Cormac had joined them, and Enniskillen was recaptured. The English attacked Monaghan and again were
defeated, but in the battle, the banner of the Red Hand of O'Neill flew among
the Irish; Clan O'Neill had taken the field against the English, and at their
head was The O'Neill, England's trusted Earl of Tyrone. The English were now in trouble for, the
Irish had revealed their strength. The
three Hughs were in command of close to 1,000 horse-soldiers and 7,000 foot, at
a time when the entire English force in Ireland was less than 2,000. With Enniskillen safely in their hands, the
three Hughes moved toward the Blackwater where an English Fort controlled the
other main access to Ulster - the Gap of the North. The Crown sent Lord Ormond and a newly
arrived army of 4,000 foot and 300 horse to reinforce Blackwater. The Irish
decided to stop him at a ford in the Callan River known as the Yellow Ford.
The
O'Neill constructed defenses, The O'Donnell organized a cavalry and The Maguire
set to block an enemy retreat. What
happened next had never before happened in Ireland. On the morning of August 14, 1598, the
English were outmaneuvered, outgunned, outfought, and out-generaled by the
Irish. The Queen's army was destroyed,
Blackwater Fort was in Irish hands and all of Ireland stood open before their
army of liberation. Elizabeth was not on
the brink of losing Ireland; she had lost it, and would spend a fortune to
regain it. She raised the largest force
ever assembled – 25,000 troops – and sent her Earl of Essex to lead them. But Essex delayed, though Elizabeth demanded
he attack. In September, he finally
moved north. The two armies met in
Louth, and O'Neill called for a parlay.
The two leaders met on horseback in the middle of a stream at the Ford
of Bellaclynthe. What was said will
never be known, but when it was over, Essex turned his army south, and returned
to Dublin. In defiance of Elizabeth, he
had granted O'Neill a truce!
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| Hugh O’Neill and his Troops |
Essex
deserted his army and left for England to plot rebellion against her. Whether O'Neill had proposed such a strategy
during their meeting is unknown, but he was playing the politics of avoiding
conflict with Elizabeth. She was, after
all, an old woman and couldn't last much longer. He had been negotiating with her successor,
James Stuart of Scotland, and may well have offered Essex a position in the new
reign in return for a truce until Elizabeth's death. The only obstacle between O'Neill and the
Kingship of Ireland was a frail old woman who would not die. However, before she did, she had one more go
at taking Ireland – and she succeeded.
But that’s another story. For
now, Ireland was Irish.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
The 7th Annual Sean Tallon Tournament 2015
Yonkers AOH Sponsors 7th Annual
Sean
Tallon Tournament at Gaelic Park
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| Sean Tallon Tournament Opening Ceremony at Gaelic Park in The Bronx |
The Ancient Order of Hibernians of Greater
New York were proud to once again sponsor The 7th Annual Firefighter
Sean Tallon Memorial Gaelic Sports Tournament which was held at Gaelic Park in The Bronx on November 1st. The tournament is operated under the
jurisdiction of The New York GAA Minor Board.
The tournament is dedicated to the life and legacy of FDNY Firefighter
Sean Patrick Tallon of Yonkers, who lost his life responding to
the terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center on September
11, 2001.
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| FDNY Color Guard with FDNY Emerald Society Pipes & Drums |
The FDNY Ceremonial Color Guard along with
the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums led over 250 young athletes onto the
field as the event began. Over 22 teams
participated in this year’s tournament, making this the largest turnout in the
event’s 7 year history. The tournament that began in 2009 by the Myles Scully
Division of Yonkers with only 4 teams has grown each year and is now a major
event on the GAA calendar.
Opening Procession with FDNY at Gaelic Park
Sean Tallon’s Mother Eileen and sister
Rosaleen thanked the GAA Minor Board and the AOH for keeping his memory alive
at the tournament’s opening ceremony. A
moment of silence was then observed to remember Past AOH New York State
President John Egan, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident the
previous day. John was a big supporter
of the Sean Tallon Tournament and was planning on attending the event that day.
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| Fierce competition at The Sean Tallon Tournament |
The day was filled with action and
excitement as the young athletes competed in 3 Division Levels of Gaelic
Football and 2 Division Levels of Hurling.
The New York GAA Minor Board President, Denis Twomey, wished to thank
all the Hibernians for supporting Irish Culture through promoting Gaelic Games
for young people.
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| Under 10 & Under 8 Teams Compete in The Sean Tallon Tournament |
Thanks to all of the AOH County Boards and
individual Divisions who have joined together to make this event a
reality! The sponsoring AOH Units for
2015 are:
AOH Bronx County Board
AOH New York County Board
AOH
Queens County Board
AOH Westchester County Board
AOH
Division #5 Bronx
AOH
Division #3 Bronx
AOH
Division #4 Bronx
AOH
Division #18 Peekskill
AOH
Division #1 Yonkers
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| Four AOH County Boards & Five Divisions Teamed Up to Sponsor the Event |
You can view pictures of all the action on
the AOH New York State Board’s Flickr Social Media Site! Click the link below to view pictures from
the tournament.
Monday, November 2, 2015
President's Message November 2015
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
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| Division One President Kevin Ellis |
November
2015
Brothers,
I hope all
of you are enjoying this Indian summer weather we are enjoying at the present
moment. There are a few things to
mention that occurred during the past month.
Division
One was once again a proud sponsor of The Chili Hilly 5k Run/Walk that is
sponsored by The North Yonkers Scholarship Foundation. This year, there were over 380 runners and
they were able to raise over $10,000 for The Miracle League of Westchester. Thanks to all of our members who volunteered
to help man our water station that was located along the route.
The 7th
Annual Sean Tallon Tournament took place this past weekend and with over 22
teams and 250 young athletes, it was the biggest one yet! We are very fortunate to have the support of
so many different County Board and Divisions who have joined us
in sponsoring this event. Special thanks
to our good friend John Manning who was vital in arranging the FDNY Color Guard
& Pipe Band to take part in the tournament. This event is getting bigger every year and I
can tell all of you that our support is most appreciated by the leadership of
The NY GAA Minor Board.
Sadly, as
I write this, we are preparing to say goodbye to a tremendous member of our
organization, John Egan. John was tragically
killed over this past weekend in a car accident in East Durham. John was a Past AOH New York
State President and a good friend to Division One. Please remember John and the entire Egan
family in your prayers.
I plan on
attending the AOH New York State Board in Albany this Saturday and will have a full
report at our December Meeting. We are
also planning to participate in the Archbishop John Hughes Statue Dedication
ceremony that will take place at The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on
November 22nd. Further
details will be discussed at our November meeting.
All of you
are no doubt aware of the changing events that have taken place regarding The
NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Committee.
While we are concerned as to what is occurring within the parade
leadership, we will not make any official comments or statements as there is
now a lawsuit currently under litigation.
Please be assured that I along with the AOH leadership in New York are keeping a keen eye on this and
will keep you informed of any new developments as they occur, but until the
lawsuit is adjudicated, we cannot make any further comments or statements
regarding the parade or the details contained within the lawsuit.
We are
making preparations for our Division’s 125th Anniversary
celebrations that will take place in 2016!
Stay tuned for some important announcements!
Finally, I
will wish you and your family a very warm and Happy Thanksgiving. We all have many blessings to be thankful for. I for one am thankful for the tremendous
support and loyalty the membership has shown me all these years as President!
Yours in
our Motto,
Kevin
Ellis, President
Division
One, Yonkers
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