Monsignor Lawrence E. Giblin Division One
Broome County, NY - August 2025

 IRISH HISTORY

IRISH HISTORY -  WHAT HAPPENED AT DUFFY’S CUT?

About 30 miles west of Philadelphia at a place called Duffy’s Cut lies a mass grave of Irish immigrants. The Irishmen came to America from Donegal, Tyrone, and Derry. They had been hired by Irish native and railroad contractor Philip Duffy. They arrived in June of 1832, most were in their early twenties, and desperately poor. Sadly, by August of the same year, all fifty-seven of the workers had perished.

  ​That summer of 1832 a cholera epidemic had arrived in the Philadelphia area. It is thought to have killed over a thousand people. It also reached the workers’ camp.  Cholera was (and still is) a disease that can be fatal within hours if not treated. In the 1830s, cholera treatment was primitive. Today, treatment includes intravenous fluids, oral rehydration, and antibiotics. Presently, we don’t hear much about the disease because access to safe water, basic sanitation, and good hygiene prevent the spread. In 1832 the chief solution to the disease was quarantine. Locals shunned the camp and perhaps enforced the quarantine. It is believed now that some of the workers attempted to flee the camp and may have been murdered by those trying to maintain the quarantine. Archaeological excavations and forensic analyses conducted between 2009 and 2012 showed that some workers had sustained blows to their skulls, and one had a close-range bullet hole in the head.  

A Pennsylvania state historical marker now stands at the site stating, “Nearby is the mass grave of fifty-seven Irish immigrant workers who died in August 1832, of cholera. They had recently arrived in the United States and were employed by a construction contractor, named Duffy, for the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. Prejudice against Irish Catholics contributed to the denial of care to the workers. Their illness and death typified the hazards faced by many 19th-century immigrant industrial workers.”

​ University of Pennsylvania professor William E. Watson writes that the events at Duffy’s Cut provide an example of the pervasive fear of contagion and what historian Alan Kraut has called “the immigrant menace” in early America. What happened at Duffy’s Cut is still being researched, but for sure, ignorance and prejudice played a role.  - Bill Burke

Sources: Encyclopedia of Greater Phila. -William E. Watson / W.H.O.-Cholera 12.5.24  

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS

  Membership in the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc. is confined to men 16 years and older who are practicing Roman Catholics of Irish birth or descent and who are citizens of United States of America or who have declared their intentions to become citizens of the United States of America.

Associate memberships are also available to those who do not meet the aforementioned qualification.

It is a standing rule that Applications for Membership that languish without action for longer than 6 months are discarded.

Notifications for induction dates and times, through the Shamrock Degree, are sent to all applicants.
Those who have applied prior to this 6 month period, and are serious about joining the A.O.H., need to reapply for admission and make arrangements to attend a Shamrock Degree ceremony within the next six month.

Those interested in membership must stop into the Hall to submit an application as they must have an active member sponsor them and sign the form.

Please check the Bartender Schedule page here for days and times the hall is open.

AOH FINANCIAL NEWS

The 2025 AOH membership cards will be arriving shortly. We’d appreciate you paying your dues at your earliest convenience. The dues are $40.00. Drop off or mail your payment to: AOH Hall, 148 Main St., Binghamton, NY 13905. Attn: Mark Kadlecik. If you have an address change, please let us know. It’s the only way we can keep our records straight and ensure you’ll get all the mailings.

LAOH Juniors & LAOH County Board Notices

are now located on the LAOH page of this website. 

 Parade Committee.

Parade Day 2026 is March 7, 2026

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​ CORPORATION NEWS

  Corporation News: The air conditioning is working great in the hall. Stop in for a cool refreshment with your brother and sister Hibernians. The walk-in cooler is experiencing some difficulties (but still working) and is being evaluated.

Corporation President Bill Burke.

2024 Event Pictures, click here.