Congratulations to the new board of

AOH Division 1 Monroe.

Billy Coffey - President

John O’Grady - Vice President

Brian Archer - Recording Secretary

Jack Graham - Financial Secretary

Tom McCarthy - Treasure

Kevin Gannon - Sentinel

Tom Keahon - Marshall 

George Anderson - Chairman

of the Standing Committee

Congratulations to all and I wish my brothers all the best through their terms in office. 

Neil O’Riordan, President

September2015

Greetings Brothers,

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer! The fall will be soon upon us, and we look forward to seeing everyone returning from vacation and once again attending our monthly meetings and events, and visiting the Hall.

Please note that this month, our General Membership Meeting with be held on Friday, September 11th at 8:00 PM at our Hall. Doors open by 7:00 PM. I will be away for the next meeting, and our Worthy Vice President will be officiating.

Some important things have been happening in connection with the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. As some may know, John Dunleavy was reportedly removed as Chairman and Director of the Parade Committee, and since that was made public, Mr. Dunleavy has contested the action and is in a public and legal battle with elements of the Parade Corporation Board of Directors. I have attached a communication to the newsletter which shows the two current sides of the story, but please be advised that things are changing daily in regards to this issue. Please rest assured that I and the Board are aware of the sensitivity and import of this issue and are in close communication with the Orange County President, other Division Presidents, and the "Metro Committee," a group of AOH Divisions from the Metro NY area, to stay abreast of the latest developments. Further information will be shared at the Division meeting, but the next Metro Committee meeting and OC Board Meeting will take place after our September meeting, so be on the lookout for emails updating you as needed, and this will be a topic of discussion at our October General Membership Meeting.

At our August meeting, we draped our Charter in memory of our deceased Brother John P. Wynne, father of Brother Jack Wynne. Please remember John in your prayers, and may he, and all our Faithfully Departed Brothers, through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace.

Happenings at the Division

After our September meeting on Friday, September 11th, here are the upcoming events:  

Sunday, September 13th - Orange County AOH Board Meeting, Division 2. 2 PM.

Saturday, September 19th - County Picnic at Division 2, Cornwall (See attached flyer.) 1 PM to 5

1. VOLUNTEERS TO WORK NEEDED, PLEASE SEE PRESIDENT ANDERSON. This is a great event, bring the wife and kids and you will not have a better time as we say goodbye to summer and hello to the fall!

Friday, October 2nd, Fleming Scholarship Committee Golf Outing at West Point Golf Course, 9 AM start, details to follow.

Sunday, October 18th - OC AOH Communion Breakfast at Sacred Heart Chapel, 9:30 AM, Breakfast at the Hall to follow, Division 4 Hosting. See attached flyer.

Happenings at the Celtic Lounge

Please note that effective September 1, there will be a PRICE DROP at the Celtic Lounge. Stout and Pub Ale $4; Tap Beer $3 except Mic Ultra, $2; Bottled Beer, Domestic, $2, Imported/Craft $3. Well Drink prices will also be reduced so come on down and enjoy the hospitality and fraternity of our own bar. Appetizers are available at all times. You can't find a better deal in Orange County!

In addition to Monday Dart Night, and Wednesday Pipe Band Practice, we have started an Open Mike Night at the Hall on alternate Thursdays. We have some great acts and I encourage you to stop by. The Schedule for September will be September 10th and 24th, 7:30 PM, so stop down for a great time!

Well, that is all for now, Brothers. May God Bless you and your families and may you have a wonderful end to summer. See you at the Hall and our September Meeting!        

In Our Motto of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity,  

George  

George W. Anderson  

President, AOH Orange County Division 1  

President’s Message July 2015

Greetings Brothers,

The summer is upon us, and I hope everyone enjoys their vacations and when you are looking for a cool place to spend an evening or a Sunday afternoon, come on over to the Hall!

Please note that this month, our July General Membership Meeting with be held on Sunday, July 19th at 2 PM at our Hall.

We lost another great Hibernian this past month in Pat Earley. Pat was a frequent visitor to the Hall and attended our meetings, even as his health challenged him. His beautiful granddaughter would bring him to the Hall and pick him up, and Pat always had a kind word for us all and a kiss for the ladies on his way out the door. We join with Mary his wonderful wife and all his family in mourning his passing. I want to thank all Hibernians who attended Pat's wake and services. May he Rest in Peace. We will be draping our Charter in Pat's memory on July 19th.

We had our annual Joseph Duelk Jr. Mass on June 14th at St. Mary's in Washingtonville. We had around a dozen Brothers in attendance and I thank them for attending this wonderful Mass celebrated by Father Jeff. A beautiful homily was delivered by Father, and we were the readers and brought up the gifts. Afterward, we traveled to his gravesite where we laid a wreath and said our prayers, giving thanks for his service and sacrifice and asking our Lord to grant Eternal Rest to him. We then returned to our Hall for a toast to his memory. An added feature of our remembrance of Joe this year, thanks to Brother John J. O'Brien, was the presence of a videographer who captured the entire service and following events. I have seen his first draft of the video and Brothers, I think you will be very moved to see it. I hope to screen an initial viewing of the video at our July meeting.

I will not belabor the point that in a Division of almost 200 members, this turnout for a Mass on a Sunday is a bit disappointing. So, I ask you all who read this again to consider what being a Hibernian means to you, and prayerfully consider how you might join us in celebrating our Catholic faith in a real way, by participating in events such as these. When 40 or 50 Green Jackets process into a church here in Orange County, and the faces are old ones like mine, and those of our younger members who have recently joined us, it says to others, here are men who live their faith. In our world today, with all we face as a faith and a country, we need to demonstrate our commitment, not just to those who do not believe or practice their faith, but to those who go to Church on Sunday, to give them hope that others share their commitment. 'Nuff said, and I will put away my soapbox now. On a lighter note, we had a fantastic day at the First Palaia Vineyard Celtic Festival! This first of its kind event here in this part of Orange County drew 380 attendees, and if the weather had been better, I bet we would have had 1,000 attend. I am waiting to hear from Jan and Craig, the leadership team at Palaia that we worked with to put the event together, about their plans for next year, but I believe this will be an annual event, so look for it next year. I want to thank a whole bunch of Brothers, and Sisters from the La-dies AOH, for coming out to help make this event a reality and a success. First, Tom Keahon and Neil O'Riordan who worked with me over the last few months in our planning meetings with Palaia. Second, The Orange County AOH Division 1 Pipes and Drums, and in particular Jason Bourne and Chris DeBold who, along with 4 other pipers and a drummer, came to the festival at noon to pipe us all in, and then re-turned with the rest of the band under the leadership of Mike Tully to give a great set of tunes to the de-light of all in attendance. The entrance tent was staffed with Tom K, Neil, Kate and Paul Moloney, Eileen and Keri Keane, Maureen Morse, Jack Graham, Eileen Walsh and Briege DeBold, who all braved the elements and were a great help to us. And we did raise some funds for the Division at this event, and congratulations to Paul Moloney who won the 50/50! And of course, great food was provided by Brother Oliver Cassals, proprietor of Rambler's Rest, ably assisted by his staff including our new Sentinel, John DeCorucey, Jr. A special thanks to Una Sheehan-Gormley and the Rose of Tralee NY NJ Centers for their attendance and performance at the festival. If I missed anyone my apologies in advance, and thanks to all the Brothers, Sisters and Friends of our organization who attended and enjoyed the festival!

Please remember the NYS Convention will be held July 8th to the 11th in Uniondale, NY. On July 11th, a bus will be going down to the convention and we still have a couple of seats left and need delegates. If you can attend, please reach out to our Worthy Vice President Tommy Flynn (just call the Funeral Home in Monroe and leave a message with a call back number and Tommy will get back to you.) After our July meeting on Sunday, July 19th, here are the upcoming events: Friday, August 14th August General Membership Meeting Saturday, September 19th - County Picnic at Division 2, Cornwall Sunday, October 18th - OC AOH Communion Breakfast at Sacred Heart Chapel, 9:30 AM, Breakfast at the Hall to follow, Division 4 Hosting Well, that is all for now, Brothers. May God Bless you and your families and may you have a wonderful summer. See you at the Hall and hopefully at our July and August meetings, if your summer schedule permits.

In Our Motto of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity,

George W. Anderson President,

President, AOH Orange County Division 1

 [TM1]

 [TM2]

May 2015

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Greetings Brothers,  

Well, it appears Spring has finally sprung, and I know we are all happy about that. Our next meeting will be on Fri-day, May 8th, 2015. I will be out of town on business but I know you have a seasoned hand at the tiller with our Wor-thy Vice President, Tom Flynn. Please come out to the May meeting and get updated on upcoming events!

During April, we had a great monthly meeting that was well attended. Our Night at the Races to benefit the Fleming Scholarship Fund was a success, a great time had by all and $700 raised for the Fund. Thanks to Chris Debold for his continued great work! We also had a SELL OUT for our Ireland's 32 Raffle! Thanks to Dennis Browne and Billy O'Donnell for their hard work and to all who participated. Congratulations to all the winners!

Our Bethel Woods Raffle looks to be a sell out. As I am coordinating the raffle and will be away May 8th, the raffle drawing will take place in conjunction with the LAOH Mother's Day Brunch at our Hall on Sunday, May 10th. Please support both events!

Congratulations to our newly elected JDJ Board Members, Neil O'Riordan, Ken Quinn and Jimmy McLaughlin and our returning member Rob Ronayne, who join myself, Tom Keahon and Charlie Bohan on the Board. There will be some upcoming projects in our Hall and building that will require some sweat equity, so if you are able and willing to help, please let us know at the May Meeting, there will be a sign up sheet for you to add you contact information so we can reach out to you.

Speaking of help wanted and ALL IRISH NEED APPLY: Our County Convention will be on Saturday, May 16th. We need:

1. A work party to assist in preparing the Hall on Friday May 15th, please see John DeCourcey.

2. We need THREE additional delegates. If you are not already committed as a delegate, please add you name to the sign up sheet at the May meeting. Let's not show up short and lose votes, if you are available May 16th from 11 to 2 please help represent the Division!

When you attend the Convention, please remember you will need to have in your possession your 2015 AOH membership card and be a member in good standing, having paid your dues for 2015.

There will be a fund raiser for Brother Dennis Griffin's children on May 30th at he Washingtonville Knights of Columbus. Tickets for $25 are at the bar, they enter you into a raffle for 2 round trip Jet Blue Tickets and other prizes and serve as your admission ticket to the fundraiser, which starts at 4PM.

Sunday, June 14th will be the Joseph Duelk Mass at St. Mary's Church in Washingtonville. Assembly at 11:40 for a 12 Noon Mass and Wreath Laying to follow at Joe's grave. Collation at the Hall thereaf-ter. Please support this event, a remember Joe's sacrifice for his Country.

Saturday, June 20th is the Celtic Festival at Palaia Vineyards in Highland Mills, Route 32. Come out and support this event! We need volunteers to sell tickets, sell 50/50 raffles to benefit the OC AOH and all the Divisions, and we need two young men interested in making $50 to work the parking lot. Please see the sign up sheet at the May Meeting.

Long Range Planning:

July 8th to the 11th - NYS Convention, Uniondale, NY

September 19th - County Picnic at Division 2, Cornwall

October 18th - OC AOH Communion Breakfast at Sacred Heart Chapel, 9:30 AM, Breakfast at the Hall to follow, Division 4 Hosting

Remember, the Celtic Lounge is open every evening except Tuesday (Monday = Darts; Wednesday = Band Practice; Thursday = Pub Poker; Friday = Great Craic and Celebrate the End of the Work Week; Saturday = Why Not Come Out On Saturday Night and finally, Sunday = Recorded Irish Music, Sports and General Mayhem starting about 1 or 2 in the afternoon! Come on Down After Mass!!) Our great barmen await your patronage, so visit often for a beer, a spirit, and great times. Remember, light snacks available at all times!

As you can see, the Division is alive and kicking! Meetings, raffles, work parties, solemn masses and great fraternal events are all available. The Division is only as strong as the Brothers who make it come to life, so come on down, help out or just sit back and enjoy what we have all created, through the help of our faith and camaraderie.

In our Motto of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity, George George W. Anderson President AOH Division 1