Archbishop Addresses Men Of Hibernian Division

Published: November 6, 2003

ATLANTA—Archbishop John F. Donoghue spoke Sept. 23 at an initiation dinner for new members of the Tara Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of the United States.

The archbishop, who was the first member of the division at its founding meeting in 1997, has been a continual supporter of the division and its charitable goals. In his talk, he expressed appreciation for their support of the Hibernian Hunger Project, Project Saint Patrick, the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Theatre Gael, the Atlanta Celtic Festival, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and many other projects associated with the Atlanta Irish community. The division is comprised of over 80 Irish Catholic men, both lay and Religious, in the metropolitan area.

The AOH tradition dates back nearly 500 years in Ireland and since 1836 in America. The group was originally formed in Ireland to protect the priesthood from an oppressive foreign occupier that had made Catholicism illegal. It emerged in the United States in response to the anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant American movement. Today the order is primarily focused on charitable activities and support for Irish culture in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

“Our Irish heritage,” said division president Kevin Fitzpatrick, “is our most treasured inheritance. Yet with the influence of popular American culture, its imprint fades with each generation. If we, as Irish Catholic men, fail to take a leadership role in supporting Irish culture, we will have squandered that inheritance.”

Just last year, the Tara Division formed as a charitable corporation named Aesdana to further its charity goals.

The Tara Division meets monthly to hear a variety of prominent speakers address topics concerning Irish culture, politics and history. Speakers have included Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, James Flannery, director of the W.B. Yeats Foundation at Emory University, and Tom Clements, board chairman of Southern Catholic College.

There are also active divisions in Savannah and Augusta. Membership is open to practicing Catholic men of Irish descent, who value their Irish heritage and share the AOH motto of “friendship, unity and Christian charity.”

For information visit the Web site www.aohtara.com or call membership chairman Jim Gaffey at (770) 621-2503.