Good afternoon everyone. Just a couple of items to bring to your attention…………
Our website – http://www.aohloudoun.org – is currently up and running now. With the help of Pat Shea @ State, the glitch may have been identified and we are currently attempting to recover the lost postings from the past few months. Candidly, this website along with the Cunningham Facebook page, has been “a test of patience and frustration” the past 6 months. I am working to get both sites reliable, timely and useful. Should someone on this distribution wish to step up and give me/us a “technical hand” going forward, please do not hesitate to contact me. Much appreciated!
Our next Division meeting will take place at St. Theresa school meeting room at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 14th. Just a reminder to all – our monthly meeting is always the 2nd Wednesday of the month held at St. Theresa school. Should there be a change for whatever reason, we will notify you via email and the Division website. Reminders will not necessarily be sent out each month but the calendar on the website will be posted/updated accordingly.
The installation of your new officers for the upcoming 2 year term is scheduled to take place at our meeting on the 14th. Brothers, the installation is not a long ceremony but has deep meanings for all involved. You are all encouraged to come out and be a witness as well as to thank those of you who have stepped up to take an active role with the administration of our Division.
Distribution of Sweats will take place on Saturday, January 24th. Please see message below from Brother Dan Gillespie, S4V Organizer regarding logistics and how you can participate. This event is unofficially in its 19th year which has historically involved very strong participation by our Division.
Your 2026 membership fee can be paid at the meeting on the 14th. We can accept SQUARE payments as well as checks/cash. As has been mentioned before, we hope to have all membership payments resolved ASAP since it becomes a ridiculous burden on the Division to deal with late/non payments throughout the year. Please assist your Division with this necessary task. Should you have any issues or did not receive a bill, please contact our Financial Secretary Jack Devis as soon as possible – jdevins@yahoo.com for timely resolution. Very much appreciated.
There are still a couple of openings for the upcoming 7th Annual Exceptional Single Malt Dinner/Gathering to be held next month on February 5th (see announcement below). Division Chaplain Fr. Joseph Farrell along with Division Brother Aux. Bishop Joseph Coffey from Philadelphia and Fr. Kevin Larsen, Pastor of St. John the Apostle will be in attendance, Bishop Coffey will be representing the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA for which this charity event is held for. Contact me as soon as possible should you have an interest to participate or just support. It will be an evening that you will not forget!
We look forward to seeing you in the near future. Activities are already being planned for “St. Patrick” month in March!
Slainte’
Jay McCarthy, Division VP elect, PSP
703 477-5934
I am pleased to announce that Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Coffey will be attending this event as a guest of the Hibernians!
Bishop Coffey is currently a member of the Cunningham Division.
Colonel Thomas J. Cunningham Jr. Division
Ancient Order of Hibernians
Cordially invites you to the Seventh Annual Irish Single Malt Whiskey Taste Testing and Dinner to be held at Mike Egan’s Pub in Herndon, VA on Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 6:30 pm. This will be a “first come- first serve” event…….only 30 guests can be accommodated for this special evening! The exceptional offerings (one shot per guest) for the evening will be:
Exceptional offerings – 3 Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach (Oak Trees 2, 4, & 6); other “very hard to find but truly delicious” Irish Whiskeys will be served as part of your dining experience as well.
An exceptional dinner will be prepared and provided by Auld Shebeen Pub in Fairfax City. The Auld Shebeen is Fairfax City’s only authentic Irish Pub and restaurant. Their menu, brought to by owner Mick Boyle, combines traditional Irish recipes and American cuisines. The Auld Shebeen is honored to be recognized as the BEST IRISH PUB in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021 Northern Virginia Magazine.
Irish Whiskey Taste Testing w/dinner & complementary beverages/appetizers along with music and wonderful Irish comradery – $300
Proceeds from this very special event will go to the Archdiocese of the Military Service (AMS) to support the Military Chaplains who serve the spiritual needs of our Service Men and Women in Harm’s Way.
Reservations required. This will be a “first come- first serve” situation. Please contact me regarding payment and your ticket for this special event.
Payment made payable to: Colonel Thomas J. Cunningham Jr. Division as well as through Paypal.
Address: Jay McCarthy, Past VA State President & Past Cunningham Division President, 19421 Sassafras Ridge Terr, Leesburg, VA 20176; vigor2@aol.com; 703-477-5934. Slainte’
Sweats for Vets update
We had another very successful S4V Sorting & Wrapping Party yesterday at the VFW Post 1177. Approximately 60 volunteers sorted, wrapped and packaged approximately 1,300 S4V outfits along with over 2,000 pairs of socks for distribution in January to several Veterans facilities in WV, VA and DC. In addition, we have collected financial contributions in excess of $4,000 and they continue to trickle in from our local community. These funds will be dispersed to those less fortunate among the Veteran community. The volunteers were represented from the following organizations:
– VFW Post 1177
– VFW Post 3150
– Knights of Columbus
– Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), Col Cunningham Division
– Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians
– American Legion
– Cub Scouts Pack 311
– Boy Scouts Troop 1159
– Vistas of Lansdowne
– Lansdowne Woods
– And others that I have inadvertently omitted.
Please accept my sincere and most heartfelt “Thank You” to everyone for their participation and support. I have attached some photos of yesterday and more can be found on the AOH Division website at http://www.aohloudoun.org.
But we are not finished until we distribute sweat-outfits to our Veterans at a ceremony on January 24 at VA Medical Center (VAMC), 510 Butler Ave., Martinsburg, WV 25405. To accomplish this, we need your help again. We intend to distribute sets on the 24th with the remaining sets being distributed to the DC VA Medical Center, Walter Reed National Medical Center, and other Veterans centers.
On January 24th we will need volunteers to load and transport the S4Vs to the VAMC. Transportation is critical as we will need trucks and SUVs; if you have a covered truck or SUV that would be preferred as weather is always uncertain. Additionally, we will need the help of the 20-30 volunteers to set-up S4Vs for distribution to our Veterans once we arrive at the VAMC.
The following is the January 24 timeline:
– 0900: Volunteers meet at the VFW Post 1177, 401 Old Waterford Rd NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 and load approximately S4Vs into numerous vehicles.
– 0930: The S4Fs Caravan departs VFW Post 1177 Leesburg traveling as a group to the VAMC.
– 1030: S4F Group arrives at the Martinsburg VAMC; sweats will be offloaded along the curb in front of the main medical center building. VAMC will have approximately volunteers to assist.
– 1030 -1130: Sweats are offloaded and set up in the Shenandoah Room for distribution.
– 1130: Ceremony begins with Presentation of Colors by the Knights of Columbus Color Guard with opening remarks by the Director of VAMC Martinsburg, Mr. Ken Allensworth.
– 11:45: S4Vs will be distributed in the Shenandoah Room; ambulatory-veterans will come down from their rooms and select their sweats in the conference room; volunteers will deliver S4Vs to the units for veterans unable to come to the conference room.
– 1400: Ceremony and distribution concluded and extra sweats are boxed.
Please don’t hesitate to call, text, or email me if you have any questions and please forward to all that I have omitted.
Dan Gillespie
Captain USN (ret)
571-425-3420
