The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-01-12
I 4 A. Q. il. HISTORY,
First Organized in Ireland When
T ''''s' the. Infamous Penal Laws
We're in Operation. so.
PRINCIPLES OF THE SOCIETY.
80 Y a
The Ancient Order ofsHiberniana
Was Transplanted to Amer
3 ica About 1886.

.88s*z ica About 1885.
1t is a we'll known fact that orders O
knlghthood and chivslry existed in Ire
land long before the birth of Christ, cay
Edward Gerard in ntaz.slpaazESazuuzh
WDonahoe's Magazine. History tells III
OF the Gamhanraidhe of Irrius Dom
hnann, under Oillioll Finn ard Righ O
ireland A. NJ 44O5. OF the Clam,
! Deaghaidh Deagadiane) of West Nuns
/. ter under Dsire and bis son, Curoigf
MacD Daire, who aourished abou. A. M
$3.50. Ooexistent with those were Gu
raidhthe Nag Craoibhe Ruaidh, OF
knights of the Red Branch of Eamhair
-Maoha (now Navan). To these may bt
added, the Feinne Eireann (or Feniar
Militia), under Fionn MscCumhall (com
monty spelled Finn McCooD who ]ivec
Il in the reign of Cormac Mac ART A. D
294.
The Ancient Order of Hiberniars was
first organized in Ireland when the infa
NOUS penal laws were in operation, anc
out little documentary evidence of. itE
early history is obtaiaable. This is due
to the danger, at that time, of carrying
any papers, the possession Of which
would entail loss of life, and also to the
fact that education among the Irish
Cathol cs was prescribed. When it is
remembered that long before 1870. the
Statute OF Kilkenny" enacted that the
irish language was ''telony," and placed
the teaching thereof under ban, the
reason will be apparent for the lack OF
written history regarding the organiza
sstipn's infancy, and show why We have to
;Eely, to g large extent, upon tradition
and the oral evidence OF the Bard, and
f'3eanchuidhe.
It has been alleged that the Ancient
Order Of Hibernians was established by
two women after the siege of Limerick
in that city of the "Violated Treaty.
but the accuracy of the statement may
be doubted. We are assured that the
! order must have been in existence dur
ing the reign of Queen Elizabeth, though
it may have lapsed to considerable ex
tent during the reign of James H., and
have been revived after Sars6eld's s gal
liant sortie at Ballyneety, and the glori-
ous defence of Limerick.
The purpose which inspired it's .&ourd
! ers was to keep alive the spirit of Irish
nationality, so dear to the heart of the
Gael under the most trying circum,
stances, to rectify the wrongs of the poor
and oppressed, and also to protect the
Irish priests in the exercise of their sa-
cred functions. Those were the days,
when to be Hibernian was to be ready
sta moments notice to lay down life it.
g9lf, in defence of the faith and of it's
priests; the days when the sacrifice of
the mass could be offered only on the
mountain top, in some secluded glen, or
in some gloomy cavern far from the
haunts OF men.
# Even to the present day the people
who still use the vernacular will point
QUITO the tourist in Ireland. Cnoc-an-
Affirm 1.-THE mass hilD, or Gleann an
Affirm (the glen of the mass). These
names tell the story of dreary penal days
more eloquently than words, and forcibly
recall the men whose duty it was to keep
watch and ward over the beloved Sagairt
Arun and his faithful flock, and to warn
them Of the approach of the red coats
and priest hunters. The Hibernians
were ever true to faith and motherland
in those trying times, when English gold
and English rulers
455 Bribed the SOD to rob the sir
And dogs were taught alike to run,
1Ssss Upon the scent of wolf and friar -
It is said that the Rapparees were also
d branch OF the old Hibernians; but the
truth Of the statement have at present
no means of ascertainlng. We know
that many Of the Rspparees were Irish
gentlemen. who. through religious perse-
cntion, we're deprived Of their ancestral
patrimony, had to fly to the mountains
for refuge.
The Ancient Order OF Hibernians
struggled against fearful odds to be faith
TIL to their avowed purposes; but, with
all the forces arrayed against them, they.
kept the enemy in check and toiled him
npon many an occasion, when almost sure
of his prey.
81 Since that period Of bigotry and pro-
acription, the scope and work Of the or
|ller have changed. Unfort rtunately, later
p n the hands of ignorant or designing
noble objects were, on several
4. g 4 u and the Catholic