ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERIANS

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERIANS. A men's fraternal organization, A. O. H. was formed in Ireland in reaction to anti-Catholic bigotry and violence. Members of the group came to the United States in the early 19th century. A group of coal miners from Pennsylvania calling themselves the Hiberian Benevolent Society were part of the New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade. (1)

The Ancient Order of Hiberians was founded at New York's St. James Church on May 4, 1836. Representatives of the St. Patrick's Fraternal Society and the Hiberian Benevolent Society saw a need for Irish splinter groups to unite to defend against nativist groups. (2)

The first division of the A.O.H. in Dubuque County was established in 1891. The peak membership of the organization saw nine divisions in the county with six in the city of Dubuque. Each was usully associated with a parish with mainly Irish membership. (3)

With the growth of groups like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, interest in many fraternal groups fell between WORLD WAR I and WORLD WAR II. This was the case in Dubuque County where all of the divisions disappeared. (4)

A resurgence of the organization was due to John Gallagher who established a division in Atlanta, Georgia while serving in the military. Upon marrying a girl from Iowa and returning to the state, he helped re-establish an A. O. H. division in Dyersville in 2005. (5)

Divisions must have fifteen members and a priest as its chaplain. Members are expected to be at least one-eighth Irish and practicing Catholics. Dues are twenty-five dollars annually. (6)

The second division of the A.O.H. was established in Dubuque in February 2013 with Rob McCullough. In 2017 the president of the Dubuque division was Jim Siegert. In 2017 the Dubuque division had an estimated sixty members and met an estimated six times annually. Major activities of the organization included the Irish Hooley in Dubuque, St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dyersville, and a post-parade dinner in Dubuque. The main fundraiser was a raffle for a $3,000 travel voucher through CIE Tours, the leading tour operation in Ireland. In 2017 the designated charity for the Irish Hooley was Research for Kids supporting brain tumor and heart defect research programs at the University of Iowa Childrens' Hospital. (7)

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Source:

1. Cooper, Brian, "Hatching a Hibernian Herd," Tri-States' Irish Heritage, March 16, 2017, p. 58