Fairfield First Selectman Tetreau Talks to Hibernians

Over 150 Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, John F. Kennedy Division #1, the oldest Catholic lay organization in America, celebrated mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Church on March 3, 2019 in preparation for the Feast of St. Patrick. The mass was celebrated by their chaplain, the Rev. Charles J. Allen, SJ of Fairfield University and Rev. Peter A. Cipriani. The mass program was organized by local attorney Dan Ford and Tom Donohue.

Following mass, the Hibernians met at the Gaelic American Club for breakfast and a program. The Master of Ceremonies was Raymond Baldwin, former First Selectman of Trumbull. The program featured Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, Easton First Selectman Adam Dunsby, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti and State Senator Tony Hwang. The keynote speaker was Ryan D. Mahoney, Executive Director of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum in Hamden. A memorial service for deceased Hibernians was organized by Division President Mark Ryan, DMD.

"My mother's family was from County Cork in Ireland and I am a proud of my lineage and my membership in the Gaelic American Club," stated Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau. "We are a nation of immigrants and should always remember that," Tetreau added.

Mayor Joe Ganim said that while he was not Irish, he studied in Cork, Ireland while in law school. It gave him an appreciation for Irish culture and traditions. Ryan Mahoney invited all Hibernians to visit Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University to get an understanding of how 4 million Irish citizens died during the Famine, half of its total population.

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