I thought many of you would like to know that on Sunday evening Frank Feighery, The National Hibernian Digest Editor has passed away. He will be waked on Thursday and Friday evening with the funeral on Saturday morning. Hibernians interested in attending services have been asked by AOH National President Ned McGinley to gather for our service on Friday evening.
Please keep Frank and his family in your thoughts and prayers. If you need more immediate information email Ned McGinley.
On an overcast, drizzling Monday, I needed a little something to "get my Irish up!" Enjoy one of the greatest rock anthems by one of the greatest rock bands ever...U2!
Andy Stewart Recognition Night takes place this Thursday, June 29th at Mullaney's Harp & Fiddle, 24th Street & Penn Ave. in The Strip.
At 5:00 p.m. the festivities begin with a Happy Hour & Free Appetizers and music with Laughrey Connolly, followed by Terry Griffith, Tony Egan, Mike Gallagher, Guaranteed Irish with Deke Kincade and Special Guest – Dave Hanner of the Corbin Hanner Band. All very exciting music!
The evening will also comprise a CD Release Party – "It's All In The Song – A Tribute to Andy M. Stewart.” There are 14 tracks of Andy's songs recorded by the above artists. An excellent recording.
There is $10.00 Donation at the Door. We’ll have a Cultural Basket with lots of music, a few biscuits & sweets, a few bottles of refreshment and some other goodies; Door Prizes – a lovely, large Framed Guinness Poster and the Andy M. Stewart Song Book, the CD ‘It’s All In The Song’, along with a special T-Shirt.
Due to the generosity of a serious benefactor, The man Himself, Andy M. Stewart will be with us as well, all the way from Scotland,
June 29th will be a very momentous evening of music by very talented people. They will be singing the songs of a marvelous song writer who has crossed many bridges of Irish and Scottish sentiment, life and living. And that song writer, Andy M. Stewart, will be sitting right there in the audience with the rest of us. An awesome evening - don’t miss it!
For more information or for questions call Diane at 412.781.6368.
A Note from AOH National President Ned McGinley...
The Government of Ireland Must Embrace Joint Stewardship in the Six Counties
National Board, AOH in America. Ned McGinley, President
If the present efforts to form a devolved government founder on the reef of Democratic Unionist Party political intransigence, then The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom must truly embrace Joint Stewardship as the most democratic method to move the process forward.
The ability to enter political dialogue with those you oppose would seem to be a phase of democratic maturity that has eluded the DUP and their leader, Ian Paisley, in the north of Ireland. They seem to lack the ability to articulate a political philosophy to the six county electorate, if such a message indeed exists, beyond “Ulster says no!” This lack of mature political thought appears to be the major stumbling block to a devolved government in the six counties of the north.
Not entering into a government with political parties that have a demonstrated an electoral mandate in a legally certified democratic election would seem to be the definition of a lack of democracy, yet the DUP continues to trumpet their defense of democracy. It is important that the government of the United Kingdom and the government of Ireland not allow this lack of democracy to freeze progress toward the political settlement embodied in the Good Friday Accords, and that they move to Joint Stewardship as rapidly as possible.
The threat of the loss of their “Protestant State for a Protestant people” if there were a devolved assembly would appear to be the only glue that holds the DUP political philosophy together. Having better education, roads, water rates, or other public services which would be more efficient under a local, devolved assembly does not appear to motivate the Paisleyites to enter the political process.
The sectarian, violent murder of a teenager in the heart of Democratic Unionism, the town of Ballymena north of Belfast, is not seen as a lesson on the need for political dialogue by those cynical politicians who would exploit the split in religions for political purposes. A supposed prayer by Paisley with the grieving family is followed by the remark “Catholics not going to heaven anyway” by another DUP Councilor, with the Reverend then unable to attend the Catholic funeral. Nowhere else in a democratic western democratic society would such blatant sectarian hypocrisy be rewarded by any Government?
The government in London rewards DUP behavior by making biased appointments to the Parades Committee and the Victims Rights Board, which it then defends in court. They convene a farce “talking points” assembly whose best moment for the DUP was a repeat of the old refrain, “Ulster says No!” when a government is offered. Again, the UK government cannot bring itself to carry out the full implementation of the Good Friday Accords because it might hurt the feelings of the DUP, who have no empathy even for the violent murder of a teenager.
It is time that both governments in London and Dublin that signed the Agreement move forward if the DUP refuses to engage in government with the full implementation of the GFA. The governments must stop rewarding the intransigence of the sectarian bigotry that is seemingly the only stock and trade of the Democratic Unionists. If they will not allow “a Catholic about the place,” then it is time that they lose control of the place. When Joint Stewardship is instituted reality will set in for all of Ireland.
Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein have shown the will to navigate every hurdle placed in their way by the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party previously, as well as the London government, to deliver the assembly for their constituents. The SDLP leader Mark Durkan has voiced the need for a democratic government, the completion of the Good Friday Accords, and a refusal to take part in the assembly if it is a farce. If sectarian unionists, who turn a blind eye to Loyalist violence in their community (some would say they encourage it!) forestall democracy in November or before, then the London and Dublin government must jointly take control to advance real democracy.
It is essential that the Dublin government assert itself as a full partner and add backbone to the London government’s move to reassert democracy in the north of Ireland. If the DUP continues to fail to embrace democracy, then they need to see that there are consequences for intransigence beyond static control from London.
We, the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, who have promoted the Peace Process and the subsequent Good Friday Accords, as well as encouraged the decommissioning of the weapons of the Irish Republican Army, request the immediate and full implementation of the agreement and the Patton Proposals by British and Irish governments. If the sectarian DUP refuse to enter democratic government then Joint Stewardship in November or even before must be seen as the only alternative.
It is time for this macabre dance to end and for real democracy, with the accompanying political dialogue and democracy, to come to the six counties.
On June 4th was one of the very best days and Masses I've ever experienced.
That Sunday, AOH/LAOH faithful from throughout Allegheny County came to Old St. Patick's Church to celebrate, honor and thank the donors who funded the new stained glass windows in the church.
Fr. Jeremiah O'Shea and Fr. Harry Nichols co-celebrated the Mass. Others participating in the Mass were Tom Welch who along with Bern Donnelly organized a wonderful day and readers Jim Green, Devinney and Denny Donnelly.
Following Mass, we assembled at the church doors (a little rainy that day) to witness Fr. O'Shea and Fr. Nichols' blessing of our newly refinished St. Patrick statue in the courtyard. Many thanks to all the donors and to our good friend Nick Parrendo (or is it O'Parrendo? - note the green sweater) of Hunt Stained Glass Studio for creating and installing the windows and refurbishing the statue of St. Patrick - and is himself a donor too - a great man and dear friend of the AOH.
On April 30, over 150 Irish faithful attended a beautiful blessed Communion Breakfast Mass presided by our very own Fr. O'Shea. As usual the good Father's sermon was "spot on and short!" Tom Welch did another great job organizing the day's festivities and brother John Graf and his Grand Hall team made the day extra special in a lovely setting with excellent service and food.
After Mass, the second big highlight was the opening of our traditional Cash Bar followed the third and final highlight which was our annual awards ceremony.
Our Junior Diviion Scholarship winner was none other than Wesley Baker. Wesley is one of the founding members of our Junior Division, this past year's President and a graduating Bishop Canevin High School senior who is on his way to Villanova. Everyone who knows Wes, knows that he is well deserving of this award and has one very bright future.
Here is a picture of Wes and Jim "Bear" O'Connell - BC teacher and JR. Division Liaison.
Our Service Award Winner was Brian Walsh another excellent product of a Bishop Canevin education and long-time, valuable contributor of the Division. Not to be outdone, and an award long overdue, our Bob Carr Hibernian of the Year Award winner was one Central Catholic's finest, Tim Trant. (l - Time Trant, c - John Graf - President, r - Brian Walsh).
"IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD" BE PART OF A FILM SHOOT SATURDAY JULY 1, 2006 5:00 PM AT THE POINT
On Saturday July 1st at 5 p.m., Pittsburghers, past and present, near and far, are invited to join Mr. McFeely (David Newell) to sing "It's A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood" at The Point.
This once-in-a-lifetime event is part of the grand finale of "A TALE OF TWO CITIES", a movie being made about Pittsburgh-- the city which built America with its steel, cured polio and invented everything from aluminum to the Big Mac (and the birthplace of our own Mickey Abbott) which now is being challenged to reinvent itself.
For the film, the producers have tossed a football with Franco Harris and his son Dok on the North Side, shopped in the Strip with Teresa Heinz Kerry, and toured the new Alcoa building with Paul O'Neill, asking them and many other Pittsburghers how they see the city's future. (See www.thepittsburghmovie.com)
Now is your turn to be in the film. Come out and sing (like the city of Chicago did for "Ferris Bueller's Day Off")
Bring friends, family, co-workers and pass this email along to everyone in your address book. This is being done as part of the Three Rivers Regatta(http://www.pghregatta.com/entertainment.asp) which has a one dollar admission so come and make an afternoon or evening of it.
It is appropriate that its ending is taking place where the rivers meet as they have played a starring role in the film. They actually caught and ate a fish from Allegheny during ESPN’s Bassmaster Classic to show how Pittsburgh has changed, but not even a Hollywood screenwriter could script a third act like the Steelers winning the Super Bowl as a metaphor for city's comeback.
If you've always wanted to see a Notre Dame football game in person, now may be your best chance ever!
Here is some information about a Fall trip to Notre Dame November 3 - 5, 2006 and details:
- Round trip motor coach from Brownsville, PA to South Bend - 2 nights lodging, 4 to a room - Continental breakfast - Tickets to Notre Dame vs. North Carolina - Tailgate party at stadium
= $400 -- cost per person
If you wish, you can get the package without the game ticket - everything else included - for $235.
As you know, ND tickets are not easy to come by and the cost of fuel had to be taken into account.
Old St. Patrick's Church (corner of 17th St. and Liberty Ave. in Pittsburgh's Strip District) is celebrating a special Mass this Sunday, June 4 at 1:00 p.m. to honor the key donors of their beautiful new stained glass windows (see above). A reception will be held in the courtyard following Mass.
The next service for the first Allegheny County AOH President and Civil War Captain Daniel Dougherty will be held at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, June 18, 2006 (Father's Day) at St. Mary's Cemetery in Lawrenceville, PA. This will be a Civil War Military Service. For more information email Frank Kelly.
That Sunday, AOH/LAOH faithful from throughout Allegheny County came to Old St. Patick's Church to celebrate, honor and thank the donors who funded the new stained glass windows in the church.
Following Mass, we assembled at the church doors (a little rainy that day) to witness Fr. O'Shea and Fr. Nichols' blessing of our newly refinished St. Patrick statue in the courtyard. 
Many thanks to all the donors and to our good friend Nick Parrendo (or is it O'Parrendo? - note the green sweater) of Hunt Stained Glass Studio for creating and installing the windows and refurbishing the statue of St. Patrick - and is himself a donor too - a great man and dear friend of the AOH.
