Nov. 14, 2018

Have you heard of AOH? It’s not texting shorthand. It stands for Ancient Order of Hibernians.

“We stand with our Irish Catholic brothers around the world,” said Sèan Hennessey, District 3 director and president of the Msgr. James Ruddy Division of AOH. “Our cause may be ancient, but we are young, growing and want new members like you to join our fold.”

The Ancient Order of Hibernians was founded back in 1836 to protect Catholic churches from being attacked and burned. Since that time, AOH has morphed from a defensive organization to a charitable one.

Today, the AOH focuses on charitable giving and advancing Irish American culture across the state and country. Thousands of men in New York and tens of thousands across the country call each other “brother” in this fraternal organization.

The National AOH has divisions in each of the 50 states, with the Msgr. James Ruddy Division operating out of Watertown. The local division has been in the North Country for over 35 years.

“This has been a busy year,” said Hennessey. “The local division made sizable donations to a number of local charities, including Habitat for Humanity, Project St. Patrick, North Country SPCA, Watertown Back Pack Program, Evans Mills Food Pantry and many more. The local division also brought to the North Country a new sport, Irish Road Bowling. Over the summer and fall, dozens of teams took part in this fun game and raised funds that are now being dispersed to charities right here in the North Country.”

AOH members are men of at least 18 years of age, who are Catholic with Irish ancestry.

“Are you someone who’s proud of our Irish Catholic culture? Do you like helping others? Do you like having fun? If so, we want to talk to you about the great work the AOH is doing right here in the North Country,” Hennessey said.

The local division will be visiting area parishes over the next several months to promote the work the AOH division has done in the North Country.

For more information, email nnyirish@gmail.com.