St. Patrick's Day Celebration 2010 - $8,500 Raised for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration or pledged support for the Noah's Light Foundation. Special thank you to Jasper Coal, the Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band, and the Nashville Irish Step Dancers.

The Division, spearheaded by Marc Ayers, raised over $8,500 for Noah's Light Foundation, a pediatric brain cancer research non-profit organization. Marc's young nephew Noah is currently battling brain cancer and the donations will be used to directly fund pediatric brain cancer research at the hospital (Shands) where Noah is currently being treated.

The parade and weather were fantastic, and the party itself was great craic. See you next year!

Second Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration - March 20, 2010

Pure Irish. No plastic beads or green beer allowed.

The Father James E. Coyle Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians will host its Second Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Birmingham on March 20, 2010 at Matthew's Bar and Grill (2208 Morris Avenue in downtown Birmingham).

The celebration will begin at 2:00pm, following the Birmingham St. Patrick's Day Parade and go until the wee hours.

The afternoon festivities will include the Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band, Irish step dancers, and an authentic traditional Irish music session. Children are welcome during the day.

The evening will feature music by Jasper Coal, Alabama's finest Irish rebel and pub band.

The cover charge will be $10; children under 13 free. Food will be available for separate purchase from the bar and grill. Guinness and other beers will be available on tap, as will Jameson and other libations.

We will be donating proceeds to The Ark, a pediatric cancer research foundation established by the family of Marc Ayers (a Hibernian), whose young nephew Noah has brain cancer. Marc, Hibernians Nathan Tucker of Jasper Coal and Riley Barnacastle, and others will be having their heads shaved at the celebration as a fundraiser in honor of Noah.

Mark your calendars now for Birmingham's only authentic St. Patrick's Day celebration - no plastic beads or green beer allowed.

Father James E. Coyle

Our Division is named after Father James E. Coyle, Pastor of St. Paul's Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama during the early 1900's and a native of Ireland. Below is a letter I submitted to the Birmingham News on the 87th anniversary of his death.

----------

Dear Editor,

On August 11, 1921, Father James Coyle, rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Birmingham, was murdered by a local minister and member of the KKK. The minister shot the Irish priest in the head while he was swinging on the porch of the parish rectory as retribution for performing the marriage of the minister’s daughter to a Catholic Puerto Rican.

Although an eyewitness observed the murder, and the shooter did not dispute that he had killed Father Coyle, the minister was found not guilty of the murder after a trial presided over by a judge who was a Klansmen. The KKK funded the minister’s legal defense, which was conducted by a team of attorneys including future Supreme Court Justice and civil rights champion Hugo Black.

Birmingham’s civil rights history is rightly well-documented. Less well known, however, is the past persecution suffered by the city’s Catholics, particularly in the early 1900’s. As the Magic City rose out of the red clay mountains to become a national industrial power, thousands of immigrants flooded into the city to meet an insatiable demand for labor. Many of these immigrants were Catholics from Ireland and other European countries.

The influx of largely Catholic immigrants created a widespread anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment, which translated into active terrorism by groups such as the KKK, the Know-Nothing party, and the True Americans.

Father Coyle was an outspoken defender of the Catholic community at a time when such advocacy could result in physical attack or death. On this 87th anniversary of Father Coyle’s assassination, we remember his heroism and life of courageous ministry. A memorial Mass will be held for Father Coyle on August 11 at 12:10 p.m. at St. Paul’s Cathedral. All are welcome to attend.