​ DUES

The AOH 2023 membership cards have arrived. Please ensure you pay your dues. The dues are $40.00. Drop your payment off at the hall or mail to: AOH – 148 Main St. – Binghamton, NY 13905. Attn: Mark Kadlecik.

Once again, we’d like to thank all the members who have paid their 2023 dues. All those who were in arrears received a reminder letter back in early April. We currently have approximately 25-30 members with outstanding dues. We’d appreciate you taking action and bring your dues up-to-date as soon as possible. These monies are needed to support our charitable contributions and offset some of our operating costs. This will also ensure you won’t be removed from our member- ship roster and mailing lists. Let us know of any address change.

Please let any AOH officer know if you have any problems paying your dues.

​ CORPORATION NEWS

Corporation News- Thanks to everyone who purchased tickets for the Luck of the Irish Raffle. We sold out. Winners are posted at the hall. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Tom Kelly Corporation President.

2023 Event Pictures, click here.

 Parade Committee.

Parade Day 2024 is March 2, 2024

Parade Committee News- Plans are being made for the 2024 parade. AOH/LAOH members wishing to place a new business or new personal ad. In the Ad. Journal-contact-Debbie at 607-772-0280.Previous advertisers will be contacted by mail. Thank you. The 2024 “parade day” is March 2.

DECEMBER;  2023 HISTORY - Bill Burke

Wild Bill Donovan was an underappreciated Irish American whose clandestine service to America is still greatly underappreciated. Bill Donovan’s father was born in County Cork, Ireland. Bill was born in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1883. Taking advantage of the opportunities of America, Bill attended Columbia University where he was a star football player and a classmate of Franklin Roosevelt. Donovan became a lawyer but grew restless with the law business, so he and friends formed a National Guard cavalry troop known as the Silk-Stocking Boys which was sent to Mexico to chase Pancho Villa.

Donovan never caught Pancho, however when America entered the WWI, “the war to end all wars”, he was commissioned as a major in the “Fighting 69th”, a regiment of poor Irish soldiers. (The regiment was famous for its heroism in the Civil War.) While fighting in Europe, Donovan was wounded but continued fighting, for this he was awarded the Medal of Honor. At the time he was the most decorated soldier in U.S. history. After the war, Donovan and the fighting 69th returned to a hero’s welcome with a ticker tape parade down New York’s Fifth Avenue.

After the war Bill moved to Washington D.C. where he along with Teddy Roosevelt Jr., started the American Legion. He also became a federal assistant attorney general. However, his career was blocked by anti-Catholic discrimination. So, in 1932 he moved to NYC where he unsuccessfully ran for governor of New York. Despite losing the governorship, he became rich from his legal business. Still, being restless, he decided to leave for Europe and Asia where he wrote reports for clients on the investment climate of the world. He also gathered intelligence for a secret private organization. Due to this experience President Franklin Roosevelt asked him to become director of the new office of the Coordination of Information. Which then became the Office of Strategics Services, which later became the CIA. When he died in 1959, President Eisenhower cabled all CIA station chiefs around the world: “The man more responsible than any other for the existence of the Central Intelligence Agency has passed away”. Today, Donovan’s statue stands in the lobby of the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, a tribute to the Irish American war hero who single-handedly created America’s foreign intelligence capability. – source Irish America Magazine 2019, ThoughtCo .com, CIA website 11.11.20- submitted by Bill Burke.

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.