March 2025 is Irish American Heritage Month!
By Bill Halpin
Since 1990, every U.S. President has proclaimed March to be Irish American Heritage Month. Governor Youngkin and the Fredericksburg City Council have proclaimed March 2025 to be Irish American Heritage Month. This year, the Irish diaspora commemorates the 27th anniversary of the historic Good Friday Agreements that ended the “Troubles”.
Sadly, some challenges from the “Troubles” era continue. Chief among them is the Legacy and Reconciliation Act passed the UK Parliament in September 2023. This Act provides for immunity from prosecution for British military and militant groups accused of murders and other crimes committed in the 32 years between 1 January 1966 and 10 April 1998. During the “Troubles” more than 3,500 people were killed and up to 40,000 people were injured. This Act gives immunity to British soldiers, particularly Parachute Regiment soldiers who killed ten peaceful protesters in August 1971 and in January 1972 shot 26 unarmed civilians, killing 13. This atrocity is known as “Bloody Sunday”.
In Fredericksburg, Hibernians from the General Thomas F. Meagher Division will be present during the afternoon hours at three area libraries: Central Rappahannock Library on March 4th, 5th, & 6th 2:00-5:00; the Snow Branch (Spotsylvania Courthouse) March 11th,12th, & 13th 2:00-5:00, and tentatively the Salem Church Branch on March 18th. The Hibernians will explain the Good Friday Agreements, discuss the United Kingdom’s Legacy and Reconciliation Act, and the current political environment in Belfast. They will highlight the roles of President Bill Clinton and U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell in crafting the Good Friday Agreement and the urgent need for appointment of a new Special Envoy to the north of Ireland.
Information sheets will be available that describe Irish/Irish American contributions to the fabric of America in fields ranging from labor, politics and government, science and industry, local, state, and federal leadership, and entertainment. For example, 22 U.S. Presidents have Irish roots and the first men to walk on the moon, Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were proud of their Irish heritage. More than 2,000 Congressional Medals of Honor have been awarded to Irish Americans and the U. S. Navy will soon christen USS Patrick Gallagher, a guided missile destroyer named to honor USMC Corporal Patrick Gallagher, an Irish citizen killed in Viet Nam.
For more than 35 years, the General Meagher Division has represented AOH in our area. Under our motto “Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity”, the Division has donated more than $100,000 to local charities and for scholastic awards. Funding derives from community support for the annual Trip for Two to Ireland Raffle and the Shamrock Charity Golf Classic scheduled for April 28, 2025 at Lake of the Woods.
Learn more about AOH at www.aohfredericksburg.org and www.virginiaaoh.org.
