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Ancient Order of Hibernians
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The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) is an Irish-Catholic fraternal organization. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New York in 1836. Its original purpose in the United States was to assist Irish Catholic immigrants, especially those who faced discrimination or harsh coal mining working conditions. Many members had a Molly Maguire background.
Its mixture of religion and politics (similar to that of the Protestant Orange Order) has led its critics to accuse it of sectarianism and anti-Protestantism. Members contend that this blend is necessary to defend against others considered to be anti-Catholic. In historical context, the Order may have emerged in America as a Catholic response to Freemasonry, which the Papacy forbade Catholics from joining.
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The use of the name in Ireland goes back as far as 1565[1], when it was founded by an Irish chieftain, Rory O'Moore, to protect Roman Catholics against the religious persecution by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Thomas Radclyffe, founded "The Defenders".[1] His part of Ireland was called Laois, and had been settled by the Catholic Queen Mary in the 1550s. Accordingly O'Moore's revolt against this settlement in the next decade took on a religious aspect. The AOH had a historical concept of itself as a continuation of the 1641 rebellion, a Catholic uprising which attempted to wipe out the Protestant Plantations of Ireland and to extirpate heresy (by which was meant Protestantism) in Ireland.[citation needed] These goals prevailed in its ranks into the 20th century, by which time it had developed into a militant lay-Catholic mass movement of Ribbon tradition.
At the end of the 19th century the AOH was reorganised (some will say, founded) under its Grandmaster Joseph Devlin (later Member of Parliament) of Belfast. The AOH was closely associated with the Irish Parliamentary Party [2], its members mainly members of the party. The AOH was against all secular idologies, such as those of the Irish Republican Brotherhood who, in turn, regarded the AOH as an old rival 'right-wing' nationalist society.[3]. As a vehicle for Irish nationalism, the AOH greatly influenced the sectarian aspect of Irish politics in the early twentieth century and by 1914 had saturated the entire island [4].
After the 1916 Easter Rising the AOH melted away outside Ulster, its members absorbed into Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army [5]. In many areas the organisation provided by the AOH was the nearest thing to a paramilitary force. Many republican leaders in the 1916-1923 period, among them Sean MacDermott and Rory O'Connor, had been "Hibs" before the formation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 [6].
During the late 1990s, the AOH was an active force in the annual controversies surrounding the summer "marching season". The AOH also has a large number of branches in Ireland itself, especially in Ulster. An annual parade in the predominantly Protestant town of Ballymena has seen violent protests.[citation needed]
When speaking at a conference on the legal status of same-sex couples in Dublin 25 May 2006, the Irish Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said he was intent on introducing legislation in accordance with the emerging "political consensus". Strong opposition to such legislation was displayed by what he later denounced as a miniature riot, when several members of the "AOH" shouted him down, throwing various objects at him, including a copy of the Irish Constitution, before being made to leave the conference [7] .
When it was first founded in the United States, its existence and activities were concealed for some years. Its motto is, "Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity."
- The Ladies Auxiliary of the AOH was formed in 1894 in Omaha, Nebraska.
- The Molly Maguires used the AOH as a front to conduct a campaign for fair working conditions against anthracite coal mine and railroad managers in Northeastern Pennsylvania- Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania USA, known as hard Coal Region or Anthracite Coal Region in the 19th century. As forefathers to the American Labour Movement their objective was to improve the harsh working conditions that existed at the time.
- The Ancient Order of Hibernians coordinates the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City where they have been accused of banning gay organizations from participating.[8]
- Tom Garvin: The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics Gill & Macmillan (2005) ISBN 0-7171-3967-0 : Pages 105-110: The Rise of the Hibernians.
- Prof. R.V. Comerford: Ireland Inventing the Nation (Hodder 2003).
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia website.
- ^ Tom Garvin: The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics (2005) pp. 107-110: The Rise of the Hibernians
- ^ Tom Garvin: The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics (2005) pp. 106-107: The Rise of the Hibernians
- ^ Tom Garvin: The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics (2005) pp. 108: The Rise of the Hibernians
- ^ Tom Garvin: The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics (2005) pp. 109: The Rise of the Hibernians
- ^ Tom Garvin: The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics (2005) pp. 109: The Rise of the Hibernians
- ^ Irish Independent 26 May 2006
- ^ Gays banned from St Patrick's Day, PinkNews.co.uk, dated 2006-03-16, retreived 2007-03-09