Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
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Commodore John Barry
On September 13, 1803, 221 years ago last Friday, Commodore John Barry passed away from asthma at age 58. His last day of Naval Active Duty was March 6, 1801, and he passed away 18 months later.
John Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Ballysampson, County Wexford. His Catholic family was evicted from their home by their Anglo-Irish landlord, and they moved to Rosslare on the coast where his uncle worked a fishing skiff.
The Call of the Sea came early to young John Barry, and he signed on as a cabin boy on commercial vessels. Later he served in the Royal Navy gaining command experience. This helped John Barry when he immigrated to the American Colonies.
When the American Revolution began, he found he was sympathetic to the Patriot cause and volunteered his services. He was commissioned a Captain, and his warrant was signed by John Handcock, president of the Second Continental Congress. John Barry always began his day reading the Bible and his next task was ensuring the well-being of his crew making sure they were well provisioned at sea.
John Barry took command of the 14-gun USS Lexington on December 7, 1776, and promptly started giving the British heartburn. While in command of the USS Lexington, the USS Raleigh and the USS Alliance his successes kept mounting up.
He was so successful, the Britts offered John Barry a sizable amount of gold if he would become another Benedict Arnold, but the bribe failed. John Barry and his USS Alliance crew fought and won the final naval battle of the American Revolution on March 10, 1783, approximately 140 miles South of Cape Canaveral.
Friday 13, 2024, was an official AOH National Holiday honoring Commodore John Barry, the very first Officer of the US Navy. The AOH National Constitution – Article XXIII Hibernian Holidays, – Section 3 National Holidays, Says: “Commodore John Barry Day, September 13. . .shall be celebrated in an appropriate manner.” So far, this is the only person so honored by the AOH.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
September 19, 2024
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Grace Gifford
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Born in 1888 as the eleventh child (of twelve) in an Irish Mixed Marriage; her Catholic Father and her Protestant Mother raised their boy children as Catholics and their girl children as Protestants. The family of Grace Gifford was a living microcosm of the events shaping the daily lives of the Irish.
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Grace Gifford demonstrated a natural gift for drawing and a talent for caricature. As a sixteen-year-old at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, her abilities were developed. Further training at the Slade School of Art in London prepared her to return to Dublin and work for various publications. Working for The Irish Review was one of the many times Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett crossed paths.
After knowing each other for almost five years, they decided in December of 1915 to get married and set the date for the following April 23, Easter Sunday. In preparation for their marriage, Grace Gifford was baptized a Catholic on Aprill 7, but their plans for marriage were impacted by the Easter Rising on April 24, 1916.
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Joseph Plunkett was one of the seven signers of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The other signers were Padraig Pearse, James Connolly, Thomas Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh, Sean MacDermott and Eamonn Ceannt. Joseph Plunkett was the youngest of the seven.
Joseph Plunkett was sentences to death for his participation in the Easter Rising, but he was committed to being married to Grace Gifford. On May 3, 1916, Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett were married in the chapel in Kilmainham Gaol and witnessed only by British Soldiers with fixed Bayonets. Joseph Plunkett was executed a few hours later.
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Grace Gifford participated in many of the wars that were to follow and was arrested in February 1923 and imprisoned in Kilmainham for three months. She kept her sanity by painting religious pictures on her cell walls.
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In 1932 Grace Gifford received a pension from the Eamon de Valera government that sustained her for the rest of her life. When she died. Grace Gifford received a military burial with full honors and attended by the President. She died at age 67 on December 13, 1955; 68 years ago today.
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Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
December 13, 2023
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The Guildford Four
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On October 19, 1989, thirty-four years ago today, the Guildford Four were released from prison after serving fifteen years for a crime they did not commit. Guildford, Surry England was the location where a pub was bombed on October 4, 1974, killing four off duty British Soldiers, a civilian and injured another 60 victims. Of the 46 people arrested, the police decided to focus on four Irish petty thieves and drug users. In fact, the Guildford Four could not qualify as Irish Freedom Fighters.
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The Surry Police were under pressure to solve this crime, and this may have caused them to make threats against the family members of the Guildford Four and torture confessions out of them. One of the Four did have his father arrested. His father later died in prison while his son was serving fifteen years of his life sentence. His events were later portrayed in the 1993 film “In the Name of the Father” that was nominated for seven Oscars in the 66th Academy Awards.
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During the trial of the Guildford Four, the police and the Prosecution deliberately failed to disclose evidence that would show them to be innocent. The convictions of the Guildford Four were only based on their torture induced confessions. Later court investigation would verify these findings.
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The interview team of three Surrey Police Officers were later tried and were acquitted in “curious Circumstances.” The Guildford Four trial was rife with perjured evidence and forgeries that involved no less than thirty-two Police Officers. The English Parliament had set up a public inquiry of the handling of the Guildford Four, but the documents needed for that inquiry suddenly became the property of the National Archives in 1994 with a requirement they remain closed to public scrutiny until January 2020, twenty-six years later.
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The January 2020 disclosure time has come and gone, and the records are still not being made public. Is there any reason to believe the current Northern Ireland Legacy Bill will deal honestly with over 1,000 unsolved killings of Irish Citizens?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
October 19, 2023
Eamonn Ceannt
On September 21, 1881, 142 years ago today, Edward Thomas Kent was born in Ballymo, a little village overlooking the Suck River in County Galway. Later in life he would change his name to the Irish translation, Eamonn Ceannt (C e a n n t). Eamonn’s father, James Kent, was an officer in the Royal Irish Constabulary and that caused this very religious Catholic family to be relocated often with his
assignments and promotions. While living in Louth, Eamonn Ceannt attended the De La Salle national school. Later, while living in Drogheda, Eamonn Ceannt attended the Christian Brother school. At another Christian Brother school in Dublin, Eamonn Ceannt was a classmate to some of those who would also become leaders in the 1916 Easter Rising.
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While in Dublin, Eamonn Ceannt joined the Galic League and was a founding member of the Pipers Club. The Pipers Club performed for Pope Pius X in 1905. Eamonn Ceannt earned a gold medal for his musical talents the following year. As an honor graduate from Christian Brother school, he was offered civil service
posts, but he felt that would be working for the British. Instead, Eamonn Ceannt joined the Sinn Fein and was active in trade unionism as a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Officers’ Association and later serving as its Chaiman.
In 1915, Eamonn Ceannt was a member of the military council planning the Easter Rising and one of seven to sign the Proclamation of Independence for the Irish Republic. During the conflict, Eamonn Ceannt’s battalion defended Dublin Castle, repelling a British force 20 times greater than his unit. The fighting only stopped
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When he was ordered to do so by Patrick Pearse, his superior officer. An interesting historical note is the death penalty could only be used by the British if the revolutionaries were found to be aiding an enemy. At that time, Germany was the only official British enemy. It wasn’t until it was discovered that Patrick Pearse had written to his mother about his discussions with the Germans, that the death penalty could be “legally” used against all the 1916 Irish Revolutionaries. Eamonn Ceannt was executed by firing squad May 8, 1916 at age thirty-five.
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Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
September 21, 2023
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St James the Apostle RC Church
“WHEN was the AOH in America founded?”
“WHERE was the AOH of America founded.”
We have all heard these questions at one time in our membership in the AOH of America. How many of us remembered that the AOH of America was founded on May 4th, 1836; 187 years ago (a month ago tomorrow). As for “where” the AOH of America was founded; it was at St James the Apostle RC Church, New York City.
Bishop John Dubois needed a church to ease the overcrowding at St Peter’s Parish and there was an Episcopal church available, but it needed to be rebuilt before it could become St James Parish Church. While that was happening, a Reformed Presbyterian church became available and that became the Church of the Transfiguration Parish. This was to accommodate those too far from St James.
The first Mass was said in the basement of St James the Apostle RC Church on September 18, 1836 and the formal dedication happened the following January. But, wait, the AOH was founded May 4th; 1836 – over four months earlier.
While the construction of St James Church was happening, St James Parish was operating out of rental property on 33 Ann Street. Not much is known about the property on 33 Ann Street back then, but it is a DOT parking garage now. So, I guess it might be easier just to say that the AOH of America was founded at St James the Apostle RC Church in Manhattan and leave it at that.
St James Church was condemned by New York City in 1983 because the roof was falling and scheduled for demolition in 1986. The community and the AOH rallied and the building was saved. Later, a fire on January 11, 2011 caused significant damage to the building. St James Parish was previously merged with St Joseph Parish in 2007 and later with Transfiguration Parish in 2015. So, the future really doesn’t look good for the survival St James the Apostle Church building. And, I’m not hearing of another plan to rescue St James Church by the diocese OR the AOH.
As an example of the costs of this neighborhood; there is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment next to the 33 Ann Street parking garage that rents for $12,000/month, plus utilities. I’m betting the diocese is going to sell this time.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
June 3, 2023
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ShannonAirport
On this date, May 18, 1939, 84 years ago today,Rineanna Airfield received its first inbound aircraft. It was the Irish AirCorps operating an Aero Anson A43 (graphic below). I’ve never seen one, so I had to look it up.It looks like a miniature DC3. Less than two months later the first revenueflight landed at Rineanna Airfield. That was a non-stop from Brussels operatedby Sabina. They were operating a Savoia-Marchetti SM.73 (graphic below). I had to look that oneup, too. It looked like a low wing version of the Ford Tri-Motor.
The location chosen for Rineanna Airfield was dueto its close proximity to the Shannon River. The River Shannon has been used asthe destination for Eastbound airboat type planes from the United States andCanada since the 1930’s. The Aviation Community was struggling with the nameRineanna, so the name of that airfield was eventually changed to ShannonAirport.
The Shannon River was the ideal destination forthese planes because of the natural bay adjacent to the airport that was usedto park these seaplanes between flight operations. Pan Am had been operating theSikorsky S-40 (graphic below) from the US to Shannon since 1937 and later, in 1945, Pan Am startedoperating the Boeing 314 (graphic below) between the US and Shannon. The evolution of Shannon Airport grew at afaster pace than most other facilities in Europe because of the location closeto Ireland’s West Coast and ground transportation available. Every Aviator isvery aware of fuel use and the less time spent using fuel is appreciated byevery pilot in the Aviation Industry. And airlines know “If Pilots are happy,everybody’s happy!”
Shannon Airport also has a runway that is twomiles long. Next to “Fuel On Board” nothing pleases a Pilot more than longrunways. In fact, Shannon Airport has the longest runway in Ireland and thatfactored in when Shannon Airport became designated as an alternative landingsite for the U.S. Space Shuttle Program.
Many international carriers also appreciate thefacilities available at Shannon Airport. As an example, Aeroflot began serviceto Shannon in 1975 as a fueling stop on their way to the Western Hemisphere.Aeroflot even maintained their own fuel storage area there. And, they have beenknown to allow Shannon Airport to sell Russian fuel to other carriers. Businessis business.
Shannon Airport seemed to have a lot ofincidents involving aircraft. But, if you drill down a little, you will seethat most of these disasters were from Atlantic flights inbound to Europediverting to Shannon because they were already “running out of airspeed,altitude and ideas.”
Aer Lingus did lose a DC3 in 1946 when the leftengine failed on takeoff coming out of Shannon Airport. The DC3 was damagedbeyond repair, but there were no fatalities. That plane’s patron saint waswatching over them. And YES, Aer Lingus still baptizes each one of theiraircraft and gives it a Saint’s Name. In the mid 70’s my mother was pleased toknow she flew over to Ireland on St Patrick and back on St Columbkille, but shehad no idea what kind of planes they were.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
May18, 2023
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Jonathan Swift
Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day and the parade honoring St Patrick happened five days ago. Soon the Irish High Holy Days will be behind us and Lent will continue until Holy Week that will end with Easter Sunday. Sandwiched between these two notable events is another lesser event worth noting. That is April Fool’s Day.
The first literary mention of April Fool’s Day was in the year 1392 in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, but nothing serious happened for another 316 years when John Partridge got on the wrong side of Jonathan Swift. This 1708 world class prank took a few days of preparation to get everything lined up.
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin and is recognized as the foremost satirist for the English language. For this event, Jonathan Swift wrote and published an article under the pseudonym of “Isaac Bickerstaff” and the article predicted the death John Partridge on March 29th at 1100 p.m. All of London held their breath.
On April 1st Jonathan Swift (still writing as “Isaac Bickerstaff”) published a moving obituary announcing the death of John Partridge at 7:05 p.m. (four hours earlier than predicted). John Partridge was more than outraged at these articles and for the crowd gathered outside his house to mourn his passing.
This is a good lesson for all of us. Remember, never get mad when you are slighted, Instead, be creative. So, if you have someone in mind who might need your creativity, remember, you only have a little more than two weeks to prepare to make it happen.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
March 16,2023
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John King
On December 15, 1838, 184 years ago today, John King was born in County Tyrone. Before his 10th birthday, he was sent to the Royal Hibernian Military School in Dublin. He later celebrated his 15th birthday in 1854 in India serving with the 70th Regiment. There he suffered a severe unspecified illness and spent sixteen months convalescing before he was ready to travel.
A twenty-one-year-old John King arrived in Melbourne, Australia in June of 1860 and joined the Burke and Wills Expedition two months later. That group was commissioned to explore the Australian Interior. His frail physical condition almost caused him to be rejected for this adventure. But he became one of nineteen men, twenty-seven camels and twenty-three horses assembled for this task.
The prize offered was 2.000 British Pounds. And the trek was from Melbourne in the South of Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the North of Australia; a distance of approximately 2,000 miles or like driving from Pittsburgh to Phoenix.
Robert O’Hara Burke was an Irish soldier and police officer who was born in Galway, while Willian John Wills was British surveyor and a trained surgeon. They were selected to head up this exploration of the Australian interior by the Exploration Committee of the Royal Society of Victoria.
The expedition experienced plagues of rats, fleas and mosquitoes and there was an attrition of men, camels and horses that severely crippled their ability to make progress. By the time they were returning from the Gulf of Carpentaria and arrived at Coopers Creek; Robert Burke, William Wills and John King were the only survivors. But they were only surviving off of the kindness of the Aborigines.
They were doing somewhat Ok until Burke fired his pistol at a local and that caused the Aborigines to flee. Burke and Wills perished in less than a month from malnutrition and dehydration and John King became the last survivor of the doomed expedition. He arrived back in Melbourne as an ill twenty-eight-year-old, and died less than five years later. Christmas time is another time to be thankful and I’m sure each one of us are thankful we did not lead a life like John King.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
December 15. 2022
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William Cosgrave
American politics is in an acute state of turmoil, but it pales in comparison to the politics of Ireland after the 1916 Rising. Most of Ireland’s leaders were in prison awaiting their executions. One of these leaders was William Cosgrave, former Captain at the South Dublin Union, who was sentenced to death, but was later sentenced to penal servitude.
While in prison, William Cosgrave was elected in 1917 to be a Member of Parliament for the City of Kilkenny. He was later reelected to represent North Kilkenny in 1918. He and the other 26 Sinn Fein Members of Parliament refused to go to Westminster and chose to create the First Dail. William Cosgrave could finally take his seat in the First Dail when he was released from prison in 1919.
In 1920, 28 of the 33 local councils pledged loyalty to the Ministry of Local Government established by the Dail and cut their links to the British Government. The turmoil that ensued would ultimately lead to the Irish Civil War that began on September 27, 1922.
William Cosgrave became the Chairman of the Provisional Government on August 30, 1922 and President of the Dail Eirean on September 9, 1922. He held both offices until December 6, 1922, when the Irish Free State came into being.
December 6, 1922 was also the date William Cosgrave was elected by the Dail to be President of the Executive Council. This was an office he held for the better part of ten years. In February of 1932 William Cosgrave called for elections even though they were not required until December of 1932. William Cosgrave lost that election, but history records him as the Free State’s first head of government.
William Cosgrave died 57 years ago today on November 16, 1965 at the age of 85. He was given a state funeral where he was eulogized by Richard Mulcahy, who said: “It is in terms of the Nation and its needs and its potential that I praise God who gave us in our dangerous days the gentle but steel-like spirit of rectitude, courage and humble self-sacrifice, that was William T. Cosgrave”.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
November 16, 2022
Settling Grievances
He killed puppies. He mooched off his parents for a half century. He is a foreigner. He let crime run rampant. He wants to defund the police. He voted to increase taxes. Anyone else tired of all this political nonsense?
What we are seeing has been going on for many, many years. However, how it was handled may have differed in many ways through the ages.
Back in 1794, Sir John Gustavus Crosbie was running for re-election to become a Member of Parliament representing Co. Kerry. This was the same office that was once held by his father, Sir Lancelot Crosbie.
Another Member of Parliament, Sir Barry Denny, 2nd Baronet, had pledged to remain neutral in the three-way scramble to represent Co. Kerry in Parliament. Sir Barry Denny, 2nd Baronet succeeded his father, Sir Barry Denny, 1st Baronet as a Member of Parliament. It should be noted that the 2nd Baronet Barry Denny couldn’t resist getting involved with the contest for Member of Parliament for Co. Kerry. This bothered Sir John Crosbie to the point where he challenged Sir Barry Denny to a Duel. That was the way aristocrats settled their grievances in those day.
They met for a Duel 228 years ago tomorrow, and Sir Barry Denny, 2nd Baronet took one in the head, thus ending his career in Parliament. In fact, this one event made Sir Barry Denny, 2nd Baronet worthy of mention in history.
Meanwhile, Sir John Crosbie went on the represent Co. Kerry for the next three years, that is, until he died from injuries after falling from his horse. There is speculation that he might have been poisoned by the Denny family in revenge.
Have faith that the political nonsense will soon be over. Too bad they don’t settle their differences like the did in the old days; for it would make for less politicians.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr
October 19, 2022
Pat O’Callaghan
“Today in Irish History” says that 117 years ago today (1905) Patrick O’Callaghan was born in County Cork to Paddy O’Callaghan, a farmer, and his wife, Jane Healy. (Wikipedia lists a different date) Patrick was the second of three sons in a family that was very involved in sports.
Older brother Con and younger brother Sean were excellent runners and Partick excelled in Gaelic Football and Hurling. At University in Dublin Patrick joined a senior rugby club and he developed an interest in hammer throwing.
In 1926 Patrick built his own hammer and practiced on his family farm. His work paid off when he won the Irish national championship in 1927 with a throw of 142 ft. 3 in. Then in 1928 he won again with his hammer throw of 162 ft. 6 in. This also qualified him to participate in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam representing the Republic of Ireland.
The three O’Callaghan brothers paid their own way to the Olympic Games in Amsterdam where Patrick’s first throw was not noteworthy, but his second hammer throw had him in second place behind a Swede (Oissian Skoeld), but ahead of the favored Britt (Malcolm Nokes). For his third throw, Patrick used the Swede’s hammer and recorded a throw 168 ft. 7 in. beating the Swede by 4 in. and winning the first Olympic gold medal for the Republic of Ireland.
The podium presentation was a real significant day in Irish History when Patrick O’Callaghan received his gold and the Irish Tricolour was raised for the first time and the Irish National Anthem, A Soldier’s Song, was played for the first time at an international Olympic gathering.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
September 15, 2022
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Bloom’s Day Pittsburgh
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Today marks the 98th Anniversary of Leopold Bloom’s 1904 one day adventure in Dublin. The annual festival marking this event is aptly named Bloom’s Day, and it was first celebrated in 1954, fifty years after Leopold’s epic adventure.
Leopold Bloom was the son of a Hungarian Jew who immigrated to Ireland and converted to Protestantism. Born in Ireland in 1866, Leopold Bloom was a 38-year-old advertising canvasser. He was married to Molly Tweedy on October 8, 1888 and they had one daughter, Millie, born in 1889. Their son Rudy was born in December 1893, but died eleven days later. Hardly what we would consider to be a heroic figure, Leopold Bloom was really the creation of James Joyce as the fictional protagonist in his novel Ulysses, published in 1922. The main story was about one day in the life of an ordinary Dubliner. That day was June 16, 1904.
The Pittsburgh Bloom’s Day festival consists of reading excerpts of Ulysses at various locations like: The Crazy Mocha Café in Bloomfield, Homewood Cemetery, Murphy’s Tap Room in Regent Square, Carnegie Library in Oakland, Herr’s Island, Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle and finally City Books on the South side.
Oh, wait! That was the 2007 Pittsburgh Bloom’s Day Festival. In fact, some of these places no longer exist. So, what’s Pittsburgh doing for Bloom’s Day this year? As far as I can tell; NOTHING. In fact, the last Pittsburgh Bloom’s Day Festival was in 2017, five years ago. The description sounded like a four Pub Crawl along Braddock Avenue in Regent Square. But there are other celebrations.
Dublin is going to have a celebration from Jun 12th to the 18th marking the 100th Anniversary of the 1922 publication James Joyce’s Ulysses. It might be too late to be there in person, so I’m supplying a link to the official site for your enjoyment
http://www.bloomsdayfestival.ie/
This information is being provided by the James Joyce Centre and they have thoughtfully provided a link for donations, if you so desire.
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Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
June 16, 2022
Isaac Butt
Earlier this month the election in Northern Ireland resulted in the Sinn Fein Party having a majority in the statelet’s parliament. Many see this as one step closer to a United Republic of Ireland. That could be the conclusion of a very long journey.
On May 19, 1870, 152 years ago today, there was a meeting at the Bilton Hotel in Dublin attended by 61 members of various Irish religions and political groups. This resulted in the creation of the Home Government Association, which was not a revolutionary organization. Instead, it was designed to mobilize public opinion behind an Irish Parliament to have full control over Ireland’s domestic affairs.
The singular person who brought all the various religions and political groups together in Ireland was Isaac Butt. He was an Irish Barrister, Editor, Economist and Member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
Isaac Butt was born in County Donegal to an Ulster Protestant family and Son of a Church of Ireland Rector, but he was also descended from the O’Donnell Clan.
Accepted to Trinity College at the age of fifteen, Isaac Butt became the president of the College Historical Society. He co-founded the Dublin University Magazine, founded the conservative Ulster Times and became a Professor of Economics at Trinity College. Isaac Butt had a very impressive set of credentials.
Because of his experiences during the Great Famine, he moved away from being an Irish Unionist and Orangeman and towards supporting a system giving Ireland a greater degree of Self Rule. Isaac Butt successfully represented members of the Fenian Society in court and that allowed him to foster links between Irish Constitutional Nationalists factions and Irish Revolutionary Nationalists factions. His persuasion redirected efforts from opposing each other to working for unity.
It might have taken a while but those “unity seeds” planted 152 years ago are finally showing signs of bearing fruit.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
May 19, 2022
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Walter Gordon Wilson
On April 21, 1874, 148 years ago today, Walter Wilson was born in Blackrock County Dublin. He served briefly as a midshipman, but decided to pursue an education as a mechanical engineer. The concept of ‘powered flight’ was the goal of many in the world of 1898, six years before the Wright Brothers finally achieved this goal.
Walter Wilson designed and built a two cylinder opposed air cooled engine that weighed only forty pounds. Along with Percy Pilcher, they designed an airframe that they hoped would succeed in being the first to accomplish powered controlled flight.
Shortly before their first attempt, Wilson’s engine had a crankshaft failure that should have ended the project. However, his partner, Percy, decided to press on with a ‘glider; demonstration. That decision proved to be a fatal mistake for Percy.
This event didn’t cause the later observation of Old Bold Pilots, but it laid the groundwork (so to speak). It goes: “There are Old Pilots and there are Bold Pilots; but there are no Old Bold Pilots!”
Walter Wilson regrouped and worked out the problems with his aircooled engine and later developed a four cylinder and a six cylinder opposed engines that were used in a motorcar he named the Wilson-Pilcher and launched in 1900. That motorcar was produced until 1908. From 1908 to 1914 he devoted his efforts to developing lorries that were used extensively in WWI.
The Royal Navy prevailed on Walter Wilson to develop an armored version of his motorcar to transport high ranking Naval personnel in the battlefield. It wasn’t long before someone decided they needed armament on these armored cars and set about making that happen.
It was Walter Wilson who suggested that there was a need for their tracks to go completely around the vehicles. The British prototype tank became known as the Tritton, but it was nicknamed the “Little Willie” as a tribute to Walter Wilson. Subsequent designs were named: The Wilson, the Centipede, the Big Willie and finally Mother. The final product was the Mark I Tank.
Walter Wilson remained with this development until the Mark V Tank. This tank was able to be driven by one person. Prior to that, it took as many as four people to control these tanks. The turning radius was improved and the operating speed was greatly increased.
Walter Wilson passed from this world on June 30, 1957 at the age of 83. His attention at this time had turned towards fly fishing for a pastime. Once “Bold” has been removed from one’s lifestyle, the chance of safely growing “Old” greatly increases.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
April 21, 2022
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Shamrocks for the Irish Regiment
The shamrock has been a symbol in Ireland since the days of St. Patrick. In the 1770’s, the shamrock was forbidden to be worn on any British Military uniforms. It was considered to be a sign of rebellion.
The Boer War (1899 – 1902) was fought in South Africa to control the diamonds and gold found in those areas. The Irish Regiment had a major part in assisting the British in wining that lucrative conflict.
As an acknowledgement of the exploits of the Irish Regiment during the Boer War, Queen Victoria permitted the Irish Regiment to wear fresh shamrocks on their headgear for St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, members of the Royal Family would annually present fresh shamrocks to the Irish Regiment on March 17th due to Queen Victoria’s 120-year-old decree.
Presently, there is one Irish Regiment. They are located in Belfast and in central England. If there are any members of the Irish Regiment on deployment, there is no mention of their location.
However, every year on March 16th (sometime today) Royal Air Force Planes will be dispatched to all Irish Regiment locations, to ensure that all those members of the Irish Regiment on deployment, are provided with fresh shamrocks for their headgear on St. Patrick’s Day, by order of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
March 16, 2022
The Derrynaflan Hoard
Derrynaflan Monastery was founded by St. Ruadhan in the 6th century and was noted for metalworking. The name honors two saints both named Flann; the literal translation is “the wood of the two Flanns”.
The artistically gifted metalworking monks created many ornate religious artifacts in the 8th and 9th centuries. When our distant Scandinavian Cousins ‘visited’ during the 10th through 12th centuries, it is believed the Derrynaflan monks buried their many artifacts to protect them from being liberated.
On February 17, 1980, 42 years ago today, the Derrynaflan Hoard was discovered. Michael Webb and his son, Michael were given permission to visit the ruins of the Derrynaflan Monastery in Tipperary. They were not given permission to dig or take any artifacts they may find. So, it is safe to assume they didn’t mention they were visiting with metal detectors.
The Webb’s also didn’t mention their findings for three weeks. When they did mention their find, they were expecting £5,000,000 for their efforts. This started almost seven years of litigation that ended in Ireland’s Supreme Court.
When the smoke cleared, the Webb’s lost, but they weren’t prosecuted under the National Monuments Act (of 1930) provided they donate their finds. They did succeed in compelling later amendments to the National Monuments Acts.
The Derrynaflan Hoard is a collection of Irish alter vessels that are now on display at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin as part of their Archaeology Display. The hoard consists of a silver paten used to hold communion during church celebrations, a bronze strainer, and a silver chalice decorated with gold filigree.
Graphics of these items looked strangely familiar to me; like I’ve seen them before. I want to say they were also on display at The Carnegie when the Book of Kells was on display there in the early 1990’s. Then, again, that was over thirty years ago and I struggle to remember what I had for lunch yesterday.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
February 17, 2022
Aer Lingus
Irish Americans have always had a longing to return to the Auld Sod. Many years that could only be done by booking passage on an ocean-going ship. That is, until 1927 when Lindberg flew non-stop US to Paris. The future of travel brightened.
By 1937 Pan American was ready to start service from Newfoundland to Limerick with Sikorsky 42 Flying Boats. That meant 32 lucky passengers rode from the US to Newfoundland, gassed up and pressed on to Limerick, landing in the Shannon River. These two points became the standard for US to Ireland air travel. Soon the road from Shannon became notorious for the highest amount of traffic accidents in Europe from all those Yanks renting cars and driving on the wrong side.
For the longest time travel from New York to Ireland was limited to arriving in Shannon due to the range of the aircraft available. Well that all changed in the late fifties when Boeing made their iconic B707. This was an aircraft that made New York to Dublin a possibility.
The B707-120 was the production model of the Boeing 367-80 developed by Boeing as a proof of concept. That was the plane that Boeing test pilot Tex Johnston did a barrel roll during a demonstration. Boeing Executives went nuts and demanded to know what was he trying to do. His reply: “I’m selling airplanes.”
Well, he sold a ton of airplanes with that demonstration. The B707-120 production began in 1957, but it wasn’t until 1960 that Aer Lingus could score three of these B707-120’s The first plane was received on November 14, 1960 and quickly went into service from Dublin to New York.
With three B707-120’s, service was quickly established between Dublin – New York and Dublin – Boston. These B707-120’s served Aer Lingus for eleven years, but the larger B707-320’s bought in 1964 served Air Lingus for another 22 years.
On November 18, 1960, 61 years ago today, a B707-120, Baptized Padraig, at Dublin Airport started a long partnership between Aer Lingus and Boeing Aircraft.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
November 18, 2021
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Samhain 2021
Autumn is here. The Autumnal Equinox happened last month on September 22nd and daylight is becoming shorter. The air is getting crisp, and the leaves are alive with brilliant colors even though they are dying. Our Pagan Irish Ancestors named this time Samhain and it marked the end of the harvest.
The Harvest Full Moon allowed the crop gathering to continue after sundown. The wild animals fed on some of the crops that were left in the fields. The Harvest Full Moon was also known as the Hunters Full Moon. Those night feeding animals were easy pickings for Ancient Celtic Hunters and those animals made a welcome protein contribution to the food our Ancestors stored for Winter.
This was a time known by our Ancient Ancestors as Samhain and it was driven by Lunar cycles. Along came the Christians and they adopted and adapted Samhain into All Hallowed’s Eve, now Halloween, and gave it a specific date; October 31st. I’ve also noticed the modern Witches have abandoned their traditional Lunar Samhain observation as they’ve also bought into the October 31st celebration.
Samhain also had a meaning related to those who passed from the Temporal World to the Spiritual World, for it was during the three days of Samhain that the Temporal World was closest to the Spiritual World. Spirits were occasionally given opportunities to make brief visits to the Temporal World during Samhain. It should also be noted, not all of those Spirits were motivated by friendly feelings.
Many of those in the Temporal world were not anxious for a Spiritual encounter. To make these encounters difficult, masks were worn by those in the Temporal World to hide their identities. Masking remains a Modern Halloween tradition.
The Ancients defined Samhain as the day of the Full Moon, the day before the Full Moon and the day after the Full Moon; a three-day observation. This year, the full moon was on October 20th at about 11:00 AM. So, according to our Ancient Irish ancestors, Samhain 2021 should be observed on October 19th, 20th & 21st.
What does that mean for us? Well, if there might be some folks from the Spiritual World you don’t want to run into tonight; may I suggest using your mask as you leave the meeting tonight? Oh, and Happy Samhain!
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
October 21, 2021
JOHN BOLAND
On this date, 151 years ago (September 16, 1870), John Boland was born in Dublin. Of seven siblings, he was the only male. His Father was a Businessman, so when his mother died in 1882, all the Boland siblings were placed under the guardianship of their uncle, Nicholas Donnelly, the Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin.
At the age of 12, John Boland began his educational odyssey by attending Catholic Secondary Schools on both sides of the Irish Sea; one English and one Irish. Both schools were created due to the strong influence of an Anglican Convert, John Newman; a teacher and later a Catholic Cardinal and much later a Catholic Saint.
In 1892 John Boland graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from London University. He studied abroad at Bonn, Germany and later at Christ Church, Oxford; received another Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1896 and a Master of Arts Degree in 1901. He also qualified for Barrister, but never practiced Law.
The Irish People were mostly illiterate and that troubled John Boland. He also had a keen interest in the Irish Language. In 1908 John Boland was appointed a member of the commission for the foundation of the National University of Ireland. Later, in recognition of his years of work in education, John Boland received a Papal Knighthood, becoming a Knight of St Gregory.
In 1950, at the age of 70, John Boland received an honorary Doctor of Law Degree from the National University of Ireland, the University he helped to establish. John Boland died at his home in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1958.
Oh, I forgot to mention John Boland traveled to Greece in 1896 to attend the first modern Olympics. While there, he was persuaded to participate in the Sport of Tennis. He defeated four opponents and received his first gold medal in Singles Competition. He then partnered with the first opponent he beat in Singles and they competed in Doubles Competition, both ultimately winning Gold.
John Boland represented both England and Ireland in this Olympics competition, but he insisted and received his gold medals with a flag being raised that had a Gold Harp and a Green Field. The man hoisting the flags was Irish and he just happened to have a flag with a Gold Harp on a green field available.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
September 16, 2021
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Armagh Rail Disaster
A Sunday School 24-mile seashore excursion turned into Ireland’s worst rail disaster ever. On June 12, 1889, 132 years ago today, an overloaded train came within 200 yards of cresting a grade before the engine stalled and could not continue. The decision was made to split the train and continue up the grade with five of the original fifteen carriages, store those five carriages on a siding two miles up ahead and return to gather the ten stranded carriages and reconnect.
As the shortened train became uncoupled, the ten-carriage abandoned section had the non-automatic vacuum brakes fail and jump the chocks and start rolling back down the hill towards Armagh Station. Immediately behind this train was another scheduled service train departing Armagh Station.
A worker from the stranded train met the oncoming scheduled train and he had signaled it to stop. The second train was slowing to about five-mile an hour when the runaway ten-car train section came into view. When the numbers were finalized, 80 out and 940 passengers had died and 260 passengers were injured.
The point of impact was on top of a steep sided elevated section of track. The runaway carriages tumbled down both sides of the elevated viaduct. The doomed passengers were trapped because the carriages were locked at Armagh Station after all the ticketed travelers were verified.
Some of the other contributing factors for this event was the original order was for a thirteen-carriage train accommodating 800 people. The size of the engine selected was based on those specifications. The Armagh Station Master insisted on adding two more carriages to accommodate more passengers. The Engineer tried to convince him that they needed a larger engine, but he lost that battle.
The technology was available in 1872 for automatic air brakes pioneered by George Westinghouse at his Pittsburgh facility. And, by 1887 Westinghouse had perfected an emergency braking system with a three-way valve that vented trapped air and applied individual brakes more quickly. The same year as the Armagh Rail Disaster, 1889, Westinghouse moved his Air Brake plant to Wilmerding.
Could it be that the timing of Ireland’s worst rail disaster might also have become one of the best Westinghouse Air Brake (WABCO) selling points?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
June 12, 2021
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Postponed Dublin Parade
The 2020 Pittsburgh St Patrick’s Day Parade was cancelled and the 2021 Parade was postponed. Both were due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Looking back; Wednesday, March 4, 2020 the Pittsburgh St Patrick’s Day Parade was a sure thing according to all Pittsburgh Broadcast Media. The City was buzzing with excited anticipation. The Button Party on Friday March 6th and the AOH Division 9 Communion Breakfast on Sunday, March 8th all suggested the Pittsburgh St Patrick’s Day Parade was going to happen on Saturday, March 14th.
On Wednesday, March 11th the decision was made to cancel the parade for Saturday, March 14th. KDKA reported there were 16 cases of COVID19 in the Eastern part of PA. Acting on CDC recommendations, the City cancelled the event.
Pittsburgh was in good company in 2020 because Dublin Ireland also cancelled their St Patrick’s Day Parade due to COVID19. But this wasn’t the first time Ireland had their celebration interrupted. It seems Dublin’s 2001 St Patrick’s Day Parade also had to be postponed due to an extremely contagious foot and mouth disease decimating their livestock. Over 42,000 animals had to be put down.
Even though foot and mouth disease is rarely harmful to humans, Ireland didn’t want to be ground zero for a worldwide livestock epidemic. They also didn’t want to give up their parade, so it was postponed until May 21, 2001. Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of that postponed St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin.
The postponement must have paid off because the Irish Post said that there were over one million visitors to Dublin to see the eagerly anticipated celebrations. CNN reported there were a half million St Patrick’s Day Parade spectators in Dublin.
Could that mean there were many more Dublin visitors already participating in what was supposed to be the After Parade celebrations?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
May 20, 2021
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The Irish Tricolor Flag
On March 15, 1848 Thomas Francis Meagher was an Irish Nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. It was on this day, 173 years ago today that Thomas Meagher officially presented his Tricolor Flag at a Young Ireland Party Meeting.
Thomas Meagher had just returned from France with a delegation there to congratulate the French on their successful revolution. He was inspired by the tricolor French flag and it inspired his creation of an Orange White and Green flag for his dream of a united Ireland. His original Tricolor Flag had the Orange next to the staff and there was a Red Hand on the White field to denote Ulster. The public first saw the Tricolors on March 1, 1848, but it was ‘officially’ presented at the Young Ireland Party Meeting on March 15th.
The Tricolor fell into obscurity after the failure of the 1848 Rising, but it was revived by the Fenians for the Easter Rising of 1916. This time the Green was next to the staff and there were no images on the Green, White or Orange; just colors.
Thomas Meagher was no longer able to support his Tricolor flag because he was sentenced to be drawn and quartered for his participation in the 1848 Rising. His sentence was later changed to life of servitude in Van Dieman’s Land; modern day Tasmania. He later escaped and made his way to the United States where he started an Irish newsletter, joined the Union Army, formed Company K of New York’s Fighting 69th or the Irish Brigade and rose to the rank of Brigadier General.
President Andrew Johnson appointed Thomas Meagher to Secretary of the Territory of Montana. In that position, Thomas Meagher was functioning as the acting Governor of the Montana Territory. He met his demise as the age of 43 from a riverboat accident on the Missouri River while traveling to Fort Benton.
Had Thomas Meagher been able to stay in Ireland, his Tricolor Flag might not have taken 68 years (from 1848 to 1916) to become the National Flag of Ireland!
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
April 15, 2021
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Happy Sheelah’s Day
When St Patrick died, he was sorely missed by his followers and they wanted to celebrate his life. No one knew when St Patrick was born, so the event was celebrated on the day St Patrick died, March 17th.
This posed another problem for St Patrick’s followers because March 17th would always fall between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday; AKA Lent, a time of major prohibitions for the faithful
According to Folk Tradition, these celebrations of St Patrick were given special Lenten dispensations so the Irish People were able to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Some time later, there were those who wanted to push the envelope and continue the celebrations for another day by honoring Sheelah, the Wife of St Patrick.
How many of us knew March 18th was Sheelah’s Day; the wife of St Partick?
The 18th of March is celebrated as Sheelah’s Day by Australia and some parts of Canada, but Ireland hasn’t celebrated Sheelah’s Day since the 19 Century. Some speculate the celebration’s demise was due to confusion with the Sheela-na-Gig, a grotesque adornment on European Medieval Cathedrals.
In the beginning, Catholic Priests were allowed to marry. It wasn’t until the 11th Century that the Church started pushing back against married Priests. St Patrick was alive in the late 4th and early 5th Century, so he very well cold have been married; although some accounts of Sheelah say she was St Patrick’s Mother. I suspect this might have been an attempt to scrub her from St Patrick’s story.
If you want to celebrate Sheelah’s Day on March 18th, plan on driving 300 miles North because the closest formal celebration is in Newfoundland, Canada.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
March 18, 2021
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Robert Hanssen FBI
Twenty years ago today, FBI Agent Robert Hanssen was arrested in what was described as “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. History.” Hired by the FBI in 1976, he worked into counterintelligence monitoring the Soviet threat. In 1979 he started a twenty-two-year period selling information to the Soviets, receiving about $1.4 million for his treachery. An unknown number of Black Stars are on the wall at CIA Langley because of his Treason-for-hire.
Along comes Field Operative Eric O’Neil, who was turned down as an FBI Special Agent for being too young. He had been working five years counterintelligence and counter-terrorism for the FBI. His moral compass was set early in life with his Irish Catholic upbringing and graduating from an all-boys Jesuit High School in Washington D.C. Eric’s lack of training as an agent also made him the ideal person to observe and work with the twenty-five-year Special Agent who was suspected of treason.
Robert Hanssen was the son of an emotionally abusive Chicago Cop. He gave up his Lutheran Religion when he married his Catholic wife. He pursued his new religion with a zeal that led him to Opus Dei.
Hanssen kept his records on a Palm Pilot which O’Neill managed to take during an unguarded moment and hustle it to an FBI Lab for analysis. Robert Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001 about five weeks before he was due to retire. The FBI sting was all made possible by the efforts of a ‘27-year-old’ Eric O’Neill.
Robert Hanssen is twenty years into three consecutive life sentences in a Federal Colorado Prison. Another account says it’s fifteen consecutive life sentences, but after one life sentence, who really cares? The movie “Breach” (2007) is loosely based on the events leading up to the capture of FBI Agent Robert Hanssen.
Meanwhile, Eric O’Neill left the FBI and earned a Law Degree from George Washington University and was recruited by CyberSponse, Inc. for his investigative and risk management expertise. Eric O’Neil is also enjoying the success of his book: “My Undercover Mission to Expose America’s First Cyber Spy”, published in the Spring on 2019. His challenge now is surviving Hollywood.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
February 18, 2021
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The First Dail
January 21, 1919, 101 years ago today, the First Dail or Independent Irish Parliament met in Dublin and declared an independent Irish Republic.
Previously, the Irish General election of December 1918 saw the Irish republican party Sinn Fein win a landslide victory of 73 out of 105 Seats in the British Parliament. Their transition from Bullets to Ballots after the 1916 Easter Rising was starting to bear fruit. Then they decided to push their luck.
The following month, Sinn Fein established an independent parliament in Dublin and declared independence from the United Kingdom or Great Britain and Ireland. As ambitious as it was, these actions had a lot of things stacked against it.
Only 27 Sinn Fein MP’s were in attendance for the First Dail. There were 35 Sinn Fein MP’s who were unable to attend because they were in prison, 4 Sinn Feil MP’s were unable to attend because they were deported and 7 Sinn Fein MP’s were just absent. In opposition, there were 6 Irish MP’s and 26 Unionists MP’s of the 105 total MP’s who elected to boycott the First Dail.
Undeterred, the 27 Sinn Fein MP’s in attendance in Dublin elected a Speaker and passed a short Provisional Constitution. Then they read the Declaration of Irish Independence and sent a message to the free nations of the world, calling on them to recognize the infant Irish Republic.
January 21, 1919 will also be known for the Soloheadbeg Ambush where two RIC policemen were killed by a party of Irish Volunteers hijacking a shipment of explosives being delivered to a quarry. This killing was roundly denounced by many because both RIC Policemen were native Irish Roman Catholics.
When pressed for a reason, one Volunteer said: “We felt there was a grave danger. . . the Volunteer organization would degenerate. . .into a purely political body, such as the AOH. . .and we wished to get it back to its original purpose.”
The Irish Volunteers, later known as the IRA, didn’t fall under to control of the Dail until March of 1921. This was covered in a statement published by Eamon de Valera, who missed the First Dail by being one of the Sinn Fein MP’s in prison.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr
January 21, 2021
Plagues upon Ireland
Ireland’s open for visitors and interior travel is unrestricted. The government has declared they are at Level 3 and tomorrow, Level 3 will be relaxed to where you may entertain visitors in your home from two households, but it is recommended that masks be used in crowds. U.S. Citizens are not ‘required’ to quarantine, but they are ‘requested’ to self-isolate for 14 days. Ireland does ‘require’ U.S. visitors to complete a COVID19 Locator Form with a fine and/or jail for failure to comply.
https://ie.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information
Epidemics of infectious diseases are not new to Ireland. In fact, they go back before recorded history. Tallaght is a suburb of Dublin. The name is believed to be a corruption of the Gaelic “Tamh” or “Plague” and “Leacht” or “Grave Stone”; due to some long forgotten pre-historic epidemic.
The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague decimated 40% of the population in the 14th Century. The Eastern Ports of Dublin & Drogheda, the infestation is believed to have come from France; while the Southern Ports of Cork & Waterford, the infestation is believed to have come from England. Ireland’s interior was initially spared, as the plague mainly attacked the English-speaking urban settlements. The Black Death outbreaks reoccurred six more times in the next three hundred years.
The mid-17th Century the Plague returned and was made worse by war and famine. The Army of Cromwell was likely the source of the latest infestation. Estimates of 10% to 40% of the Irish population deaths at that time were caused by the plague.
The plague subsided by the 19th century, but it was replaced by Typhus, Cholera, Typhoid and Dysentery. Typhus was also known as the Famine Fever. Of the 1.5 million deaths attributed to An Gorta Mor, 400,000 of those deaths, or almost one third, can be linked to Typhus. When you add in Smallpox to 19th Century Ireland, it is amazing there are any of us around who can claim Irish Ancestry.
The Pittsburgh Business Times reported (on December 13, 2020) that UPMC has set into motion the acquisition of their fourth hospital in Ireland. So, if you you’re planning on visiting Ireland, it might be beneficial to know where some of these ‘hometown’ hospitals are located. Safe travels!
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
December 17, 2020
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John Russell Young
On November 20, 1840 John Russell Young was born in County Tyrone to George and Eliza Rankin Young. Before John was a year old, he and his family moved to America and settled in Philadelphia. After starting school in Philadelphia, John Young became a ward of an Uncle in New Orleans. History doesn’t burden us with details of John Young in New Orleans, and picks back up with John Young was a 17-year-old copyboy/proofreader for the Philadelphia Press.
His breakout moment came when a 21-year-old John Russell Young was given the assignment to cover the First Battle of Bull Run. This was the first major battle of the U.S. Civil War and it was a major victory for the Confederacy. The following year, a 22-year-old John Young was made the Managing Editor of the Philadelphia Press.
Soon, New York came calling. John Russell Young was made managing editor for Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune, but they parted company over philosophical differences; John Young supported Ulysses S. Grant while Horace Greely supported Salmon P. Chase. This is when the U.S. Government became interested in John Young and he accepted missions in Europe for The U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Department of State. These credentials helped this 32-year-old become the New York Herald’s Reporter in Europe.
When Ulysses S. Grant left office, he persuaded a 37-year-old John Russell Young to accompany him on a two-year world tour to chronicle all the events. The work became known as Around the World with General Grant. Impressed with his work, U.S. Grant persuaded President Chester A. Arthur to appoint a 42-year-old John Young a minister to China. There he distinguished himself by mediating disputes between the U.S. and China and later, France and China.
The year 1885 found this 45-year-old back in Europe representing the Herald and in 1890 he returned to Philadelphia trying to get back to a normal life. He was almost successful, but in 1897 President William McKinley persuaded John Young to become Librarian of Congress. He was the seventh person to have that position, but the first to be actually confirmed by Congress.
The Librarian of Congress job involved moving the Congressional Library from the U.S. Capitol to its own building and merging the works and collections of Jefferson and others who had their own libraries. Of this work, his greatest accomplishment was when John Young made sure there were provisions for the blind and the physically handicapped could also share all the information contained in the Library of Congress. John Young didn’t live long enough to see his work completed. He died in 1899 at the age of 59 from injuries of a severe fall on Christmas Eve.
There is a down-side to leading an active and impressive life. John Russell Young had three marriages. Rose Fitzpatrick and John were married in 1864 and they had three children. None of their children survived and Rose died in 1881. In 1882 John married again. His wife Julia, died while they were in Europe shortly after childbirth. And John married his third Wife, Mary, in 1890 and in 1891 they had a Son, Gordon Russell Young, who became a success, but John Russell Young never got see this as John died when Gordon was only 8 years old.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
November 19, 2020
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Lord Edward Fitzgerald
On October 15, 1763, 257 years ago today, Lord Edward Fitzgerald was born to a prominent family in Co. Kildare. His Father was the 1st Duke of Leinster and his Mother was the Daughter of the Duke of Richmond. He also had some Rebel blood, being descended from Silken Thomas Fitzgerald; executed by Henry VIII.
Lord Edward Fitzgerald served in the British Army against the American Colonists and was wounded at the battle of Eutaw Springs, the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. That battle was determined to be a ‘tactical’ victory for the British, but a ‘strategic’ victory for the American Colonists. The British lost the Southern Loyalists support and that ultimately led to their surrender at Yorktown.
Recovering from his wounds in Paris, he became a companion of Thomas Paine, the English born American political activist and author of “Common Sense” and The American Crisis”; both of Paine’s works were influential in starting the American Revolution. His association with Thomas Paine must have caused Lord Edward Fitzgerald to question many aspects of his life. At a dinner in Paris, attended by British residents, Lord Edward Fitzgerald toasted the abolition of hereditary titles. That outburst got him bounced from the British Army.
Lord Edward Fitzgerald returned to Ireland in the mid 1790’s and joined the United Irishmen, an organization made up of Catholics, Presbyterians and Methodists. His military experience allowed him to be one of the planners of the 1798 Rising, but, by then, the United Irishmen were not very united and many other events forced the Rising into a premature compromised March 1798 disaster.
Escaping capture, Lord Edward Fitzgerald managed to lay low in Dublin. A spy betrayed him and he was arrested on Thomas Street on May 19. But he didn’t go without a fight and managed to kill one of his captors. Another captor shot him and Lord Edward Fitzgerald died of his wound on June 4th. His untimely death at age 34 dealt a terrible blow to the resistance, but he joined a long line of Irish Rebels who made a conscious choice of Principle and Integrity over Power and Wealth.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
October 15, 2020
Chaim Herzog
One hundred two years ago today, Chiam Herzog was born in Belfast. Soon his family moved to Dublin when his Dad became the Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
Raised in Dublin during his formative years, he immigrated to Palestine in the mid 1930’s to continued his education and also receiving military training. During World War II he joined the British Army, but the Brits had difficulty pronouncing “Chiam” so they gave him the nickname “Vivian”. Ok? I don’t get it, either?
Chiam Herzog worked in British Military Intelligence and he participated in the liberation of Normandy. After World War II, Chiam Herzog left the British Army with the rank of Major.
He returned to Palestine in time for the Arab-Israeli War and he participated in the Declaration of Independence that ultimately established the State of Israel. This time he left the Israeli Military as a Lawyer with the rank of Major General.
Chiam Herzog and two partners established what was to become Israel’s largest Law Firm. These credentials were impressive enough to make Chiam Herzog Israel’s representative to the U.N. During his three years there, he is credited with the defeat of U.N. Resolution 3379; AKA the “Zionism is Racism” resolution.
His credentials now directed Chiam Herzog to politics. From 1983 to 1993 Chiam Herzog was the sixth President of Israel. At that time the President of Israel was largely ceremonial, but Chiam Herzog was still the Face of Israel to the world.
I wonder how often someone thought during those ten years, “Is the President of Israel speaking with the hint of an Irish Brogue?”
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
September 17, 2020
Arthur Wellesley
On June 18, 1815 (205 years ago today) Arthur Wellesley, AKA the Duke of Wellington, defeated the Conqueror of the World, AKA Napoleon Bonaparte in a battle near the Belgian town of Waterloo. This was the military victory that would later propel Author Wellesley to the office of British Prime Minister.
Arthur Wellesley was born into an Aristocratic Anglo-Irish family in Dublin on May 1, 1769. His widowed Mother sent him to military school in France. From there he served in India. Knighthood was bestowed on Arthur Wellesley in 1805 and he participated in Copenhagen, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. With these credentials, Arthur Wellesley was selected for Napoleon’s latest rampage.
During his careers he wasn’t really appreciated. As a General, he was considered to be too cautious and a Prime Minister, he was thought to be the worst Prime Minister of the 19th Century. His title was ‘The Duke of Wellington’ and his nickname was the Iron Duke. Some say it was his strict discipline for his troops, while others say it was a reference to iron shutters protecting the windows of his residence when mobs were trying to break the windows. It took history to really appreciate all the abilities of The Iron Duke, Arthur Wellesley.
One major accomplishment Arthur Wellesley made as Prime Minister was when Catholic Emancipation became law (April 1829). Of course, that might have also led to the need for iron shutters on his residence.
A lesser known part Arthur Wellesley’s contribution to history was the use of his title, Duke of Wellington, for the high-top boots known as “Wellington Boots” pioneered during his military campaigns. That name has lasted over 200 years.
Without those Wellington boots we may never have been able to hear Gaelic Storm singing about “Kevin Kelley and his chopped off Wellies. . ..”
“. . . Sure he was looking fine
His pants has holes in the knees
But he was proud as could be
With his old Wellies. . ..”
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
June 18, 2020
Veintiuno de Mayo
Today is May 21st or Vientiuno de Mayo, sixteen days after the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo. Many believe Cinco de Mayo is celebrating Mexican Independence Day, but it is really celebrating the Mexican defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
To the Irish, Cinco de Mayo is recognised as the day the first Irish Hunger Striker, Bobby Sands, died 39 years ago. In all, Ten Hunger Strikers gave their lives in protest.
The second Hunger Striker, Francis Hughes, perished on May 12th. May 21st or Veintiuno de Mayo was to have the distinction as the only day when two Hunger Strikers died: Raymond McCreech and Patsy O’Hara.
The next Hunger Striker to die was Joe McDonnell. He died on July 8th; 48 days later. Martin Hurson passed five days later on July 13th.
August will be as deadly as May with the deaths of four Hunger Strikers. They were Kevin Lynch (August 1), Kieran Doherty (August 2), Thomas McElwee (August 8) and Michael Devine (August 20). All this happened at Maze Prison, at Long Kesh.
The Irish Hunger Strike was the final protest against the British withdrawing Prisoner of War status for the Irish Paramilitary Prisoners and reducing them to a Criminal Status. The actions began with the Blanket Protest in 1976 and culminated in the martyrdom of ten Irish Patriots during the Hunger Strike in 1981.
When Bobby Sands, a Member of Parliament died, it caused shock waves to reverberate all over the world. Reverberation repeated for each subsequent Hunger Striker’s death.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher refused to give in to the five demands of the Strikers, although their demands were fulfilled eventually. Maze Prison closed in 2000, after only 29 years of operation and Margaret Thatcher remained in power until 1990.
Margaret Thatcher, AKA the Iron Lady, passed in 2013 and I imagine and hope she had an interesting welcome upon her arrival in paradise?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
May 21, 2020
Battle of Clontarf 1014
On April 23 1,006 years ago, 4,000 Irish died in the Battle of Clontarf, just outside of Dublin. It should also be noted that 6,000 Norse died in that battle. Though this battle was costly, it was a decisive victory for the Irish over the Ostermen or Norse invaders, who first appeared 219 years earlier (795). The greatest single loss of this battle was the death of Brian Boru, the last High King of Ireland.
In 975, 39 years earlier, Brian’s brother Mahon was the King of Munster and was murdered by Norse. To avenge his brother’s death, Brian killed the Osterman King Imar of Limerick and became the undisputed King of Munster with control over the trade center of Limerick.
Gradually Brian became more powerful and by 997 he ruled over half of Ireland. Five years later (1002) Brian ruled over all of Ireland. Tributes came from all the minor rulers and he became known at ‘Brian of the Tributes’ or Brian Boru. With these resources he was able to restore monasteries and libraries destroyed by the Norse invaders.
The Battle of Clontarf made the Ostermen forever subordinate to the Irish and they eventually retreated to Urban centers like Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford and Cork. There the Ostermen or Norsemen were gradually absorbed into the Gaelic Culture.
This clears up a mystery for me that was 1,000 years in the making. My results from Ancestry.com shows me having 53% Celtic heritage and 22% Scandinavian heritage. There were many traces of various other ethnicities that each were less than 1%. What I still can’t determine is, where the heck did I get the 2% Native American?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
April 23, 2020
Lenny Murphy
Hugh Murphy was born in Belfast on March 2, 1952 but he preferred to be known by his middle name Leonard. He felt that being called Hugh Murphy made him sound to be Irish Catholic while being called Lenny Murphy made him sound more like an Irish Protestant. The last thing Lenny ever wanted to be is Catholic.
Lenny Murphy was the youngest of three sons of the Murphy’s of Shankill Road in the Loyalists section of Belfast, also called Shankill. In Primary School Lenny was known to use a knife and his older brothers as equalizers to make up for his small stature. He was somewhat of a wild-child, logging his first conviction at the age of twelve. At sixteen he felt he had all the education he needed to face the world.
Hatred of Catholics was the main focus of Lenny Murphy and he managed to work that feeling into his conversations; referring to them a ‘scum or animals’. Lenny Murphy was involved in the torture murder of four Catholic men in early 1972. Later that year he committed his first murder of a Protestant who had gone bird shooting with a Catholic Priest. In prison, he compelled his accomplice to write a suicide note confessing to the crime, then poisoned that poor fellow with cyanide.
That got Lenny Murphy released from prison and fortified his confidence to continue acting on his hatred of Catholics. There were 23 stabbing and torture deaths attributed to Lenny and his gang known as the Shankill Butchers. These murders were primarily committed against Catholics, so the investigations conducted by the Royal Ulster Constabulary might not have been very thorough.
Lenny Murphy found himself in prison in 1977 for shooting a Catholic girl, but that was pled down to a firearm offence. It still caused Lenny Murphy to get some prison time. What’s worthy of note is the murders stopped at nineteen and stayed there until Lenny Murphy was released from prison five years later.
When the murders began again in 1982, victims twenty through twenty-two were Irish Protestants. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a civilian vigilante group, may have been intimidated by Lenny Murphy and the Shankill Butchers. After the murder of an Irish Catholic, Lenny Murphy was gunned down by an IRA hit squad. Rumor has it they were working from intelligence provided by the UVF. Who says Catholics & Protestants can’t work together when they really want to?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
February 20, 2020
John Chickie Donohue (or the 15K Nautical Mile Beer Run)
Sandhog is a slang term for New York urban miners who dig the tunnels and other underground construction projects. They are represented by Local 147 of the Laborers International Union of North America. John Chickie Donohue served as the Political and Legislative Director of the Sandhogs for over three decades.
Chickie Donohue earned a Master’s Degree from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Being known as the Sandhog who went to Harvard might have helped Chickie Donohue become an Executive Producer for the 2008 “Sandhog” series on the History Channel. While his love of Ireland drove him to cofound the “New York Friends of Ireland” during the “Troubles”. The ‘Friends’ was primarily focused on children and Peace for all of Ireland.
At 17, Chickie Donohue left his Manhattan neighborhood if Inwood to travel the world with the US Marine Corp. After discharge, Chickie became a Merchant Seaman for more adventures. Between adventures, Chickie visited Dr. Fiedler’s, an Inwood bar. It was there the 26-year-old Chickie was listening to the patrons grousing about the 1967 War Protesters in San Francisco. George Lynch, the bartender, said someone should pat our guys on the back and buy them a beer.
This proved to be too much of a challenge for Chickie, so he asked George to get him some names and locations of neighborhood guys serving in Viet Nan. A few days later, Chickie got a call to come over to the bar and there he met the Mother of one of the three guys George had information about. They were: Bobby Pappas, Tom Collins and Ricky Duggan. Soon Chickie was on the Drake Victory hauling ammunition to Viet Nam with a burlap sack with 18 cans Pabst Beer.
Chuckie’s cover story: he was looking for his step-brother cause Mom died. True luck of the Irish, the first port, the MP’s had Tom Collin’s outfit stenciled on their helmets. He asked the Sarge if Tom Collins was there. He was and they downed six Pabst’s. Chickie hooked a plane ride to where Ricky Duggan was stationed. Six Pabst’s later Chickie was off to find Bobby Pappas, just outside Saigon. Pabst’s downed and mission accomplished. Chickie just made it back to his ship for the 2-month ride home. These exploits became the subject of a book and their reunion at Dr. Fiedler’s is on You Tube; sponsored, of course, by Pabst. (below)
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
January 18, 2020
https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/greatest-beer-run-ever-donohue
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John (Half-Hanged) MacNaghten
John MacNaghten was born in Derry to a wealthy Anglo-Irish family in 1722. His Father, Bartholomew, was a merchant and a magistrate for Co. Antrim. When his father passed away, John was only six, but he inherited the family estate.
His education began at the Raphoe Royal School and he later moved to Dublin to attend Trinity College. Within a year, his lavish lifestyle and gambling caused John to part ways with Trinity College without ever graduating. His lifestyle and gambling problems soon had John parting ways with pieces of his estate.
When John met and married Sophie Danial, he received a healthy dowry which he promptly used to pay off his debts. John promised Sophie he would no longer gamble when they moved to Dublin, but that promise proved impossible for him to keep. Soon he accumulated so much of debt, a warrant was issued for his arrest. These events proved to be too much for Sophie and, some say, they were the cause of her death during a difficult childbirth. John’s world was crumbling around him.
Family rushed to help John and Sophie’s brother-in-law had John appointed tax collector. The Gambling Demon again possessed John and soon he was caught embezzling over four times his annual salary. This time John’s friends bailed him out. Andrew Knox was a life-long friend who took John in to live on his estate.
Also living on the Knox Estate was Andrew’s daughter, Mary Ann Knox and she took a liking to this man with good looks and a witty charm. Problem was, John was thirty-nine years old and Mary Ann Knox was fifteen. John broached the subject of a marriage between himself and Mary Ann with Andrew, but Andrew immediately rejected that idea.
John hatched a plot for an elopement and waylaid Andrew Knox and his family on their way to Dublin. The confrontation soon became violent and John was about to shoot Andrew when Mary Ann stepped between them and received the bullet meant for her father. John got away, but was soon apprehended and placed in prison.
This past Monday was 258 years from the day John MacNaghten had his date with the gallows. The noose was placed around his neck and the trap-door opened. John plummeted but the rope snapped and he fell to his knees. The crowd gasped and tried to persuade him to escape.
Ignoring the crowd’s pleas, he stood up, climbed the ladder back on to the gallows and shouted: “I will not live to be known as Half-Hanged MacNaghten.” The second attempt was successful.
The true irony is, the rope snapping during his execution was one of the few times in this poor creature’s life that Luck was going his way, but John Half-Hanged MacNaghten rejected it.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
December 20, 2019
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Bloody Sunday
At almost every Irish gathering there is assumed to be someone there who was sent to observe and report activities. The term for these people varies from ‘spy’ to ‘agent’ to ‘yellow belly’ (my Grandparent’s favorite), but their mission was to betray the Irish. The Molly Maguires had their James McParlan, who was a Pinkerton Agent, reporting and, some say, fabricating information that led to the hanging of many Irishmen in Carbon County, Pennsylvania in the 1880’s.
Now, imagine many ‘agents’ living openly in Irish communities and keeping tabs on all Irish activities there. This was what life was like almost a century ago in Dublin and Michael Collins had enough. He believed it was time to make something happen.
Irish intelligence gathering had determined there were 50 people who were feeding information to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), the Black & Tans and the British Army. A day was set to destroy the British intelligence network and that day was ninety-nine years ago today on November 21, 1920.
There were originally 50 targets, but the list was reduced to 35 from a lack of resources to complete the mission. The Assassination Squads were readied on the morning of November 21st, but not all the targets were taken out. A total of fifteen spies were killed and five were wounded. Only one Squad member was captured, but he later escaped jail soon after being captured.
Michael Collins later said: “My one intention was the destruction of the undesirables who continued to make miserable the lives of ordinary decent citizens. I have proof enough to assure myself of the atrocities which this gang of spies and informers have committed. If I had a second motive it was no more than a feeling such as I would have for a dangerous reptile. By their destruction the very air is made sweeter. For myself, my conscience is clear. There is no crime in detecting in wartime the spy and the informer. They have destroyed without trial. I have paid them back in their own coin.”
Later that same afternoon, the Dublin Gaelic football team was to play against the team from Tipperary in Croke Park. A convoy of Royal Irish Constabulary and Black & Tans attacked that arena and peppered everyone with automatic weapon fire. When the shooting stopped, seven spectators were killed immediately and five later died of wounds. Also, two spectators were trampled to death in the stampede. Two of the football players, Jim Egan & Michael Hogan were also shot. Jim Egan survived, but Michael ‘Mick’ Hogan, of the Tipperary team, later died of his wounds. Hogan Stand in Croke Park is named in his honor.
Three members of the IRA were previously being held in Dublin Castle and were later found dead this day. The official accounts say they were trying to escape, but their bodies had signs of being tortured. These three murders brought the total body count for this day to thirty-two. Is it any wonder as to why November 21, 1920 is referred to as Bloody Sunday?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
November 21,2019
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John Hume & David Trimble
Today, October 17, 2019, is the 21st Anniversary of the Noble Peace Prize being awarded to John Hume and David Trimble for their work in making the Good Friday Agreement happen on April 10, 1998. John Hume represented the Irish side and David Trimble represented the Northern Irish/British side.
Together John & David cobbled together a two-part agreement: One part dealt with a multi-party agreement between N.I. political parties. The other part dealt with Irish and British governments and how they should play nice with each other.
The Good Friday Agreement also had three major complex series of provisions: One defined Northern Ireland and its relationship within the United Kingdom, one
defines how Northern Ireland deals with the Republic of Ireland and one defines the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
For over 21 years the Good Friday Agreement has had a calming effect on most of the differences that previously caused conflict and unrest in Northern Ireland. Then, along came Brexit; and all bets were off.
In 2013 British PM David Cameron promised Britain's a referendum dealing with Britain leaving the E.U. On June 23, 2016 that referendum passed with 52% of the United Kingdom voters in favor of leaving the E.U. Is should be noted that Scotland and Northern Ireland voters did not have a majority vote in favor of Brexit, but they were bound by the total United Kingdom vote.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this Tuesday had an AP article about Brexit and how it just might be able to pass in the very near future. Their take suggests that an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit will, according to the E.U., make the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Britain an E.U. border.
There are other factors that are worth noting. Northern Ireland has been without a government since it was dissolved on January 26, 2017 (due to the Renewable Heat Scandal; November 2016). And, today, October 17, 2019 is also the very last day Britain can petition the E.U. for another extension to go past the drop-dead date of October 31, 2019. Earlier today (10/17) a deal was reached in Brussels, but it needs a vote in Britain on Saturday. So, what’s your bet: Deal of No-Deal?
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
October 1, 2019
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Irish Weather
Lately we have been blessed with very pleasant weather in the Pittsburgh Area. It has not been oppressively hot and there has been very little rain. Other parts of the U.S. have not been so lucky. Hurricane Humberto is off the coast of the Carolinas bringing high winds and rain from Florida to New Jersey. While Hurricane Imelda has come ashore in Eastern Texas. Houston has not really recovered from the last visit from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. For United States’ Coastal dwellers, hurricanes are a way of life.
For the Irish, hurricanes are rare; or they used to be. One year ago today, Hurricane Ali paid a visit to the Old Sod and promptly killed power to 250,000 households. Aside from the damage, only two people lost their lives; a delivery man died when a tree fell on his vehicle and a Swiss Tourist died when her RV Camper was blown off a cliff in Western Ireland. Fortunately, injuries and property damage were minimal.
Hurricane Ali happened late in hurricane season, but it had a name beginning with an “A”; suggesting it was the first one of the Hurricane Season. Usually Ireland receives someone else’s used hurricane. In reality, Hurricane Ali began as Hurricane Helene and died in the Atlantic on September 16th. A day later it reconstituted itself and started heading for Ireland. On September 17th it was back up to hurricane strength. This gave Ireland the first opportunity in Irish history to name its own hurricane; and they called it Hurricane Ali; a name that was preselected.
The year before, 2017, Hurricane Ophelia visited Ireland on October 16th. Before 2017, Ireland didn’t have a hurricane until Hurricane Katia came on September 12, 2011; six years earlier. The next previous Hurricane to hit Ireland was Debbie; arriving 50 years earlier on September 16, 1961. Hurricane Debbie was the last of only 10 hurricanes to hit Ireland between 1851 to 2010. That’s 10 hurricanes hit Ireland in 159 years. Also, please note all Irish Hurricanes seem to happen in September & October; so, plan your travels accordingly. None so far this year.
Let me clarify here about Hurricane Debbie (1961). It should not be confused with the other Hurricanes named Debbie. Florida had a Hurricane named Debbie in 1969, 2012 & 2018. While Australia had a Hurricane Debby in 2017; but it was called Typhoon Debby on that side of the international date line. Debbie seems to be a very popular name for weather folks.
The hurricane that is etched in my memory is Hurricane Gladys, who I had the pleasure of meeting in Jacksonville, Florida in 1968. The alarm went out telling us to get all our F8 fighters in flyable condition. The plan was to ferry them to Atlanta to avoid the storm. We got all ready but one and that was tucked in the safety of a very robust hangar. When we asked where we should go, we were told to go back to our barracks. She passed over us on October 19, 1968 as a Category One Hurricane. After living through Hurricane Gladys, I just can’t imagine what the Bahamas experienced with a Category Five Hurricane that stayed there for 36 hours.
“. . . May. . .the rains fall soft upon your fields. . ..”
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
September 19, 2019
The Day of the Rope
Christmas and New Years are in the rear-view and everyone is getting caught up and staying warm. Next month our County meeting is not on Valentine’s Day, so we should be clear until St. Patrick’s High Holy Days.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pittsburgh will be held on Saturday, March 11 this year, six days before the day. Many other areas will march on Friday, March 17 in their own parade. This is going to jam up the Girardville St. Patrick’s Parade and caused it to be pushed back to Saturday, March 25, two weeks after our parade. This is the second time the Girardville Parade was two weeks after our parade. The year was 2008 and it was due to a conflict with an early Holy Week and Easter.
The Hibernian House in Girardville is the center of their celebration and it was once owned by an Irish Greenhorn, John Kehoe, A.K.A. Black Jack Kehoe. The Parade is hosted by AOH Division 1, Girardville; the Black Jack Kehoe Division.
The theme of this year’s Girardville Parade is: The day of the rope. This year is the 140th anniversary of the hanging of John Kehoe and 19 other miners in 1877. Their crime was trying to improve mine working conditions. As an example: There were 110 miners killed in Luzerne Co at the Avondale Mine in a fire because the owners wouldn’t finance a secondary exit. In a seven-year period, 566 miners died and 1,655 miners were injured in accidents in Schuylkill Co.
John Kehoe was pardoned by PA Governor Milton Shapp in the late 1970’s. His speech noted that the men who died were Martyrs to Labor and heroes in the struggle to establish a union and fair treatment for workers.
The present owner of the Hibernian House is Joe Wayne, the great grandson of Black Jack Kehoe. Parade Day you will see Joe Wayne along the side cheering the marchers and later he will be topping off your brew at the Hibernian House.
The Girardville 2017 Parade internet site says we should: Save the date - Saturday, March 25th, 2017- and join the fun as we honor St. Patrick, Jack Kehoe, the Molly Maguires, and all things green!
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
January 21, 2017
Last Witch Executed in Salem MA
We are fast approaching Samhain or Halloween. Get ready to be inundated with images of black cats, ghosts and witches. New England seems to have cornered the market on witches, as there were over 200 accused of practicing witchcraft or ‘the Devil’s Magic’ in the 1600’s. The hysteria came to an end on November 16, 1688 when the last witch was executed in Boston. Her name was Ann Glover.
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Cromwell was devastating Ireland in the early 1650’s when Ann and her husband were gathered up and shipped off to Barbados. As they were Irish peasants, they spoke no English, only Gaelic. To them that was a foreign language. It was in Barbados where Ann’s husband was slain for not renouncing his Catholic faith.
Barbados is where the Irish were given new names, usually the names of their owners. This was because their Irish names were too much for their English overlords to understand. Ann Glover’s true Irish name is lost in history.
The late 1670’s found Ann Glover and her daughter living in the American Colonies. It was there she became a servant to the Goodwin Family in the Salem part of the Boston Colony. During a dispute with the Goodwin Children about laundry, the children claimed they were sickened by Ann. A doctor could find no cause for their sickness, so he claimed that it must be due to witchcraft.
Ann Glover was tried and convicted of witchcraft. Her Puritan prosecutors believed that a true witch could not say the Our Father. The proof they used in her conviction was the fact that Ann Glover could only say the Our Father in Gaelic. For this, she was convicted and hung as a witch on November 16, 1688.
History would redeem itself and Ann Glover, who was also known as Goodie Glover, would later be honored with a plaque and a memorial in North End Boston. At that memorial Ann Glover is recognized as the first Catholic Martyr in Massachusetts. Her memory is also celebrated every November 16th in Boston as Goodie Glover Day.
So, when you see those black cats, ghosts and witches; take a moment to remember the last witch and martyr executed in Salem for her Catholic Faith: Goodie Glover.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
October 20, 2016
Epilogue:
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It is fact that Irish Catholics were the first slaves in the Western Hemisphere due to the decimation of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell in the 1650’s. Irish Slaves predated African Slaves; which didn’t take hold in the New World until the 1680’s.
This fact does not sit well with certain ‘Rights Groups’ because White Supremacists are running with this information. These Rights Groups firmly believe African Slavery should have a lock on slavery victimization in the Americas. To do this they need to cast doubt on Irish Slavery in the New World.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) of Montgomery AL cites the work of Liam Hogan (Limerick Librarian) in an attempt to debunk the White Irish Slave Myth. Alex Amend of the SPLC wrote an article on April 16, 2016 pushing the idea that Irish White Slavery is not a fact. Refer to the link below for the text.
The fact that Ann Glover survived to make her mark on early American History is her living testimony that White Irish Slavery existed in the New World long before African Slavery took hold.
I am mentioning this information because I’m hearing these debunking ideas being put forth by people who I considered to be knowledgeable. What is really scary is that some of these people are teaching our children.
Another link below is a 2014 article in a Canadian Newspaper.
IRISH: THE FORGOTTEN WHITE SLAVES
Coffin Ships
Between 1846 and 1851, more than one million sailed from Ireland to America; fleeing An Gorta Mor, or the Great Hunger. Much has been written about the courage and determination of the Irish who crossed the Atlantic in leaky, overcrowded Coffin Ships and made new lives for themselves in America.
A young William Ford traveled to America with his family. He later became the father of Henry Ford. Also, a 26 year-old Patrick Kennedy became the Great-grandfather of John F. Kennedy. The mortality rate of these Coffin Ships was as high as 70% per crossing. I can remember my grandparents talking about the Great Hunger and the ‘trail of bones’ between Ireland and America.
The deck of the Ship Jeanie Johnston was 123 feet long. This did not allow for much individual space for almost 200 passengers on a 47-day crossing. However, it should be noted that not all of these voyages were disastrous. The ShipJeanie Johnston made 16 crossings carrying 2,500 people and never lost a passenger. In fact, one crossing was completed with one more passenger than when they started.
Dr. Richard Blennerhassett was part of the permanent crew of the Jeanie Johnston. A doctor on board was not standard. On the maiden voyage from Tralee to Quebec a boy was born to Daniel and Margaret Reilly. Nicholas Reilly was born at sea. This crossing started with 193 passengers and arrived with 194 passengers.
Kathryn Miles wrote about Nicholas Reilly in her work titled All Standing. An excerpt picks up on a 31 year-old Nicholas tending bar at O’Brian’s Saloon somewhere on Ohio. Full of all the anxieties of a young father trying to provide for his family, Nicholas was living the life of a greenhorn striving in America. It did bother him that he wasn’t really born in Ireland. However, he had a special feeling about being born at sea. He listed that as his place of birth on documents.
Daniel and Margaret Reilly were very grateful to everyone who made their journey and the birth of Nicholas possible. They acknowledged this when they named their son. Occasionally Nicholas Reilly would need to use his full name on a document. Nicholas Reilly’s given name was: Nicholas Richard James Thomas William John Gabriel Carlos Michael John Alexander Trabaret Archibald Cornelius Hugh Arthur Edward Johnston Reilly. And yes, there were two Johns. When naming Nicholas Reilly, maybe Daniel and Margaret went a little overboard.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr. - June 16, 2016
Eamon Bulfin
The location was Sackville Street on April 24th, 1916: “Dublin is cloaked in an eerie silence. The Easter Rising is an afternoon old. A horse lies dead by Nelson’s Pillar. I shall not forget the strange atmosphere of that evening,” recalls Charles Wyse-Power. His is one of 1,770 statements in a time capsule closed in March of 1959. The documents stayed there until the death of the last military-service pensioner who made a testimony about the Easter Rising.
March 11, 2003 the archives were formally opened to the public. From a band of brothers who walked from Meath and Kildare to women smuggling guns, comes a fresh angle on the events of 1916.
The Headquarters of the Rising was the GPO. It was Easter Monday and James Connolly turned to a volunteer officer, Eamon Bulfin, and handed him two flags and said, “Here, have these hoisted on the flagpoles.” Eamon hoisted the flags himself on the flagpoles on either end of the GPO roof. The tricolor was hoisted at the right corner of Henry Street while the traditional green flag with the words ‘Irish Republic” was hoisted at the left corner at Princess Street. The battle peaked at dawn on Thursday and by noon on Sunday the Rising was over.
Dubliners were at first hostile to the rebels because many working-class Irish families had sons serving in the British Army. One by one, the firing squad executions were carried out and Ireland went into a state of shock. These recently released recollections explain why there was a slow swing from ‘quiescent unionism’ towards ‘separatism’ after 1916. This was the true goal of the Easter Rising; to awaken in Ireland the spirit of nationalism.
Eamon Bulfin was sentenced to death by a British military court martial after the surrender; however, the fact that he was an Argentine citizen (born in Buenos Aires) saved his life. He was deported to Argentina. Eamon’s father, William Bulfin, had immigrated to Argentina at the age of 20 as a writer and a journalist. William became the editor and proprietor of a newspaper ‘The Southern Cross’, established in 1875. This is the oldest continuously published newspaper for the Irish in Buenos Aires. He was also a friend of Arthur Griffith and helped launch Sinn Fein.
The Irish General Election resulted in an overwhelming victory for Sinn Fein. Eamon de Valera, President of the Republic, appointed Eamon Bulfin to be the Irish Consul to the Argentine Republic and Eamon Bulfin marshaled the Argentine Irish of 1919 to provide support to the Volunteers in Ireland’s War of Independence.
In 1920, during a county council election, Eamon Bulfin was nominated and elected (in his absence) for a seat on King’s County Council. Their first order of business was to rename the county to the ancient Irish, Co. Offaly.
The Treaty that established an Irish state was signed in 1922. Eamon Bulfin was finally allowed claim his Irish Diaspora and return to Ireland as a citizen of Ireland. He settled in Co. Offaly and died there in 1968.
Ollie Jedlick, Jr.
February 18,2016
Fr. Frank Duffy
Born in 1871, it was tough in the industrial town of Cobourg, Ontario for Frank Duffy to realize his dreams of someday being a teacher. Frank traveled 100 miles west and studied at St Michael’s College, a seminary in Toronto. Working and studying was hard, so he welcomed a one year scholarship, but Frank had no intentions of becoming a priest. A classmate later helped Frank get a teaching job at the college of St. Francis Xavier in New York City. It was there he discovered he did have a vocation for the priesthood and it was there he was ordained a priest.
Frank volunteered for the Chaplin Corp when the Spanish American War started. The shooting war was over by the time he was called to serve, so he volunteered to serve the sick and wounded returning to a hospital at Montauk Point, L.I. This proved to be dangerous because it was there he was stricken with typhoid fever.
At the outbreak of ‘the War to end all Wars’ in 1914, Fr. Frank Duffy was assigned to be the Chaplin of the 69th New York Volunteer Infantry. This was the same 69th made famous during the Civil War. Of course, the U.S. Army redesignated the 69th the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment, making my research a little more difficult. What wasn’t difficult was following the accomplishments of the Fighting 69th and Fr. Frank Duffy in France and Germany during WW I.
When the smoke cleared, Fr. Frank Duffy became the most decorated cleric in the history of the U.S. Army. The City of New York created Duffy Square in a section of Times Square. There you will find the only monument to a priest in New York City. In the 1940 movie, The Fighting 69th, Fr. Frank Duffy was immortalized by the screen actor Pat O’Brian.
In 1927, Al Smith was a Catholic running for President. Fr. Frank ghost-wrote a rebuttal for Al Smith explaining how a Catholic could serve as a loyal President. The ideas he presented then seem to be very similar to the ideas expressed in the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom written in the ‘60’s.
Fr. Frank Duffy served as pastor of Holy Cross Church in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen until he died in 1932. With all the accomplishments of Fr. Frank Duffy, it is a little difficult to focus on the fact that he was a great American Military Veteran.
Ollie Jedlick
November 19, 2015