A lifelong member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 284 Newry

Councillor Charlie Casey

I have been a Hibernian club member since I was 18 or 19 and I have been a divisional member since the late 1980s. The difference between a club member and a divisional member is that a divisional member is involved in making decisions on the day to day running of the club and the division. The club members are people who avail of the social amenities of the club such as a game of pool, darts or a social drink.

In our division we have a management team, which is made up of senior officers including the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and management team members. We meet each month and discuss various items including management of our licensed premises and correspondence from other divisions. We also facilitate visits by Hibernian branches from across Ireland, North America and Scotland.

Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Newry Division 284, c.1964/65 Newry and Mourne Museum Collection

Pictured

I am currently President of Division 284 and this is my fourth year of office. I see myself as fronting an organisation that is well established in Newry. We are a faith and family based organisation, although the connection between ourselves and the Catholic Church has lessened in recent years.

The Hibernians contribute to the whole community and in 2011 we raised in the region of £10,500 for good causes such as cancer charities.

Membership of the Ancient Order of Hibernians has fallen away in recent years; I remember there were divisions in Glen, Bessbrook and Killeavy but they no longer meet. Currently in our division we have 60 or 70 divisional members and 100 – 120 club members. We have a close relationship with Glassdrummond AOH Division 473, near Kilkeel which is a very active group.

Many years ago when clubs were thriving more than pubs, we had bars on each of the three floors in the Hibernian Hall in Newry. There was a bar, snooker table and card room on each of the three levels and each floor had a different clientele.

During the Troubles, the AOH in Newry did not parade. We resumed our parades in the 1990s and we parade on the 15th August, the Feast of the Assumption and on the 17th March, St. Patrick’s Day. Each year a branch of the AOH hosts the main parade and we also may receive invitations from other divisions to attend a church parade. We do not currently have a band, so when we parade we often join forces with Glassdrummond Pipe Band.