AOH to Present Mc Manus Memoirs to Congress

FR. Mc Manus addresses Ladies AOH and Men's AOH

July 15, 2011 --- The New York State Board of the AOH has formally announced it will present to every Member of the New York Congressional Delegation (29 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives two U.S. Senators) a signed copy of Fr. Sean Mc Manus’ Memoirs : My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland ( Collins Press Cork).

The outgoing President of the NY AOH, the popular and widely respected Chip Mc Lean, announced the initiative at the Ladies AOH and Mens’ AOH convention in Pearl River, NY, on Thursday, July 14, 2011. The announcement was greeted with sustained applause.

When Fr. Mc Manus was introduced to give a keynote speech, he was given a resounding standing ovation by the 200 hundred guests.He praised the Ladies AOH, singling out the National Secretary, Mary Hogan who has given strong support for Fr. Mc Manus’ work and is an enthusiastic promoter of his Memoirs.

Barbara Flaherty – the main publicist for the book – said : “ It was wonderful to see how Fr. Mc Manus’ speech was received. The delegates were clearly very moved, and kept saying so throughout the day as they bought signed-personalized copies of the book”

She continued: “ This is a very important initiative by the AOH. Presenting the book to all the NY Congressional Delegation sends a very clear message to Congress: The AOH expects their Representatives and Senators to be fully informed on the struggle to get the U.S. Congress to stand up for Irish justice. And this book is the perfect tool for that. Fr. Mc Manus gives the real story on what Congress did, or failed to do over the past 40 years. It’s a cautionary tale for the U.S. Congress. And Irish-Americans must never allow Members of Congress to turn a blind eye( as some did in the past) to equality, justice and peace in Ireland. Therefore, promoting this special, unique book is the very best way to promote the Irish cause. In that sense, we can accurately say : “The book is the mission, and the mission is the book”.