Nassau County Mourns The Loss of John Bownes

The Ancient Order of Hibernians was saddened today with the loss of National Life Member John Bownes after a freak accident last week. He was 83.

“He was a dedicated member of the order,” said fellow National Life Member Michael O’Rourke. “He was very active with the Feis, and helped build the stages. He was a worker.”

John joined Division 5 in Far Rockaway back in 1957 and later transferred to Division 3 in the Five Towns. Over the years he held many positions in the Order, including serving as Assistant National Freedom for All Ireland Chair back in the late in 1970s. He also held a few state appointed positions.

In 2002, John was awarded with National Lifetime Membership for his service to the Order and continued to be active with the division and county up until his accident.

He is survived by his nephew former Nassau County President and State Director Ed Friel, three daughters and four grandchildren.

John will be waked 7-9 pm on Tuesday and  2-4 pm and 7-9 pm and Wednesday this week at Fullerton’s Funeral Home on Merrick Road. Baldwin, NY. With the Mass of Christian Burial taking place on 9:45 am on Thursday at St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin.

Nassau County Well Represented In Cincinnati

Nassau County sent 12 delegates to Cincinnati for the biennial Hibernian Convention. At the event, the brothers were able to vote in the new new National Board, while making decisions on various Hibernian issues.

All officers that up for re-election maintained their offices, including President Shamus Boyle, VP Brendan Moore, Secretary Tom McNabb, and Treasurer Jim McKay. Incumbent directors Keith Carney, Christopher Norris, and Danny O’Connell join newcomers Jere Cole, Mike O’Connor, and Robert Mott to round out the executive board.

The convention also welcomed a number of special guests addressing the assembly Martin McGuiness, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, will address the joint session at the convention; Siobhan Dennehey our John F. Kennedy recipient; Jimbo Crossan, AOH National President Board of Erin; Victor Boyle, AOH National President in Canada; Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Collins; Niall Burgess, Irish Consul General of Ireland in New York and Martin Ruane, Irish Counsel General in Chicago.

The 2012 convention will take place at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY, while the delegation awarded the 2014 affair to the city of St. Louis.

Picture to the right: Nassau County President Mike Byrne presents a Nassau AOH shirt to National VP Brendan Moore.

Paddy McCarthy Named 2010 Nassau County Feis Honoree

The Nassau County AOH Feis has named Irish Examiner publisher Paddy McCarthy its 2010 honoree.

Paddy was born in Ballyphehane, Cork City, into a family of seven boys and two girls.  Like most Irish families of the time, the McCarthys lived a happy life, in humble conditions.   On leaving school, Paddy tried his hand at several occupations, including shoe manufacturing and working for CIE on the Cork docks.

In the era of the show band and thronged dance halls, like Enniskeane’s Lilac and Cork City’s Arcadia Ballroom, Paddy was energized by the buzz and excitement of it all.  By age 17, he was a professional drummer playing with various bands, including his mainstay “Sunset”.  Within a short time, the Ballyphehane boy was promoting concerts around Ireland. The Chieftains, Dire Straits, Clannad and Loudon Wainwright III were just some of the well known groups in his portfolio.

By the early 1980s, the Irish economy had sunk into dire recession.  Unemployment was in the double digits. The City by the Lee was devastated.  Old mainstays of Cork’s work force such as Ford’s, Dunlop’s, Sunbeam and other entities were crumbling, as the economy acclimatized to the harsh criteria of European Community membership.

Like many of his contemporaries, Paddy set out on the well trodden emigrant path to the United States.  By 1982, he had begun his New York career working as a bartender, behind the sticks on Second Avenue. It was around this time that the Ballyphehane boy came under the wing of one of the godfathers of the Cork community, in New York, Joe Murphy a native of Cullen.  Within a short time Paddy had been press ganged into the, then, County Corkmen’s Association, at its headquarters, on 58^th St., in Woodside.  The two Rebels have remained close collaborators ever since.

In 1988, Paddy joined the Irish Voice newspaper, eventually becoming advertising director. In the early 1990s, he left the Irish Voice to open his own bar, the thriving Nevada Smith’s in Manhattan.  Always one to simultaneously juggle many balls, Paddy also took on the position of advertising director in World of Hibernia Magazine.  In 2000, Paddy, along with other business associates, launched the prestigious Irish Connections magazine, which continues to provoke and inspire.  In 2006, the boy from Ballyphehane,  launched  yet another publication, a weekly Irish American newspaper, the Irish Examiner.

Paddy is married to Patricia, who hails from East Meadow, Long Island.  They are the proud parents of Christina, who is a graduate of Manhattan College, and son James, who attends Nassau Community College in Garden City, Long Island.

Paddy is a perfect encapsulation of the legendary Irish immigrant wit, initiative and perseverance.   James Joyce once described the necessary qualifications for an Irishman to succeed as being “silence, cunning and exile”.  In the case of Paddy, we could debate about the first qualification, but there is no doubt about the other two.  No matter how much success he enjoys, Paddy will always regard himself, first and foremost, as just a “Cork boy”, proud of his native city and county, even though as he says himself, his “feet are now firmly planted here in the United States”.

The County Cork Association wishes Paddy, Patricia and all the McCarthy clan much good fortune and prosperity in the future.

Nassau County’s Jim McCabe Granted National Life Membership

The Nassau County Board  is proud to congratulate Brother Jim McCabe, who was granted National Lifetime Membership in the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

A member of Division 8 since 1953, Jim has served as Divisional  President, Vice President, Recording Secretary and Marshal.

He was born in Glen Cove on July 9, 1933 to Peter McCabe from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan and Mary Ellen McCabe (nee Moran) from New York City.  The oldest of six children, James graduated from St. Patrick’s School in Glen Cove. And then attended St. Michael’s High School in Conesus, NY, a prep school for the missionary Brothers of the Society of the Divine Word (S.V.D.) for three and a half years.  Deciding that the religious life was not his vocation, he transferred to Glen Cove High School and graduated in 1951.

James then enlisted in the U.S. Navy in April, 1952.  He was assigned to the USS Missouri right of boot camp and after a shakedown cruise that ship was off for Korea.  He was on board that ship for three years and helped put the ship in “mothballs” the first time.  He then spent a year aboard a submarine tender based in San Diego, CA.

After the service, James returned to Glen Cove, where he married Sophie Shepanski and together they raised two sons, James and Matthew.  They are now the proud grandparents of five grandchildren.

One of his proudest moments as an Hibernian was assisting in the response to Cardinal O’Connor’s request that the Order fill St. Patrick’s Cathedral when protestors threatened to desecrate it. And in 2005 the Division awarded him with its highest honor, naming him Grand Marshal of the Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Jim helped keep the Irish tradition alive by joining the Thomondgate Dancers who performed at schools, nursing homes and feisanna and at public events such as the Tercentennial celebration in downtown New York City.

Nassau County AOH Charities and Missions Dinner and Raffle

The Nassau County Charities and Missions is running a dinner/raffle on Sunday June 13, 2010. Proceeds will go to Hibernian Charities including the Rockville Centre Diocese Mission in the Dominican Republic, Ards Friary in Donegal and Project St. Patrick.

Tickets for the raffle and dinner cost $50 dollars each and for the money you will get:

- Admission for two to the dinner at Cannon’s Blackthorn Pub in at 49 N.

Village Road Rockville Centre. The dinner will take place on June 13th from

2 pm. To 5 p.m. and it will include food, live music and an open bar.

- You will also get a ticket to the raffle, where the first prize is $5000, second prize $500, third to fifth prizes $250 each and 6th to 15th prizes $125. Only 300 tickets will be sold.

This is a great deal when you think about it. Dinner at a nice restaurant for two these days will cost $60.00 before tax and tip and that’s not including drinks. Here you will get an Open Bar for three hours along with food and the possibility to come home with some money.

For more information or to purchase a ticket contact Charities and Missions Chair Andy Healey at 516-536-3659 or 516-873-2861. You can also email him at uslandyny@aol.com.

Division 8 Brother Up For National Lifetime Membership

Nassau County would like to wish Brother Jim McCabe of Division 8 luck as he is up for National Lifetime Membership in the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Jim has passed through the division, county and state and now his application is in front of the National Board.

A brother for 57 years, Jim has served this organization and division in many facets, remaining active in almost all activities.

So good luck Jim, as the National Board will have a very tough decision on its hands come July.

Nassau County AOH Has A New Addition

The Nassau County AOH Board would like to congratulate Nassau County Vice President Sean O’Rourke and his wife Patricia on the birth of their son Brendan Michael, who was born April 25, 2010 at 8lbs, 15ozs. Brendan is grandson of AOH National Lifetime Member Michael O’Rourke and his wife Aine and the brother of Sean, age 3, and Kristina, age 16 months.

The Hibernian Digest Now Online

The National Hibernian Digest, the official newspaper of the Ancient Order of Hibernians now has an online edition, which will feature an archive of past issues.

According to editor Keith Carney, the site will also include expanded news and features not appearing in the newspaper.

The site is HibernianDigest.com, which was designed by Nassau County Webmaster Joe McDonald, who was named Online Editor of the paper.

So please stop by the Digest website and we ask for all divisions to add the link to the Digest site to its respective websites.

For more information about the digest or to send in a story, contact National Editor Keith Carney at editor@hiberniandigest.com or Online Editor Joe McDonald at onlineeditor@hiberniandigest.com.

To place an ad and reach thousands of  Hibernians nationwide, contact Ad Director Steve Everly at adsales@hiberniandigest.com.

June’s County Board Meeting

The June County Board meeting on June 23, 2010 will take place in Lynbrook at the VFW hall at 235 Merrick Road
Lynbrook, NY 11563-2621. Please note that in your calendars and datebooks.

Photos: State Meeting in East Durham

State Publicity Chair, John C. O’Connell submitted these photos from the Semi-Annual New York State Meeting in East Durham, NY this past weekend.