Sometime in the early part of 1881 a call was made to
the home of a recent Kerry immigrant and he was asked to
appear at the City Morgue. He was asked to identify the
body of a young man in whose jacket was a piece of paper
indicating an address in County Kerry, Ireland. When the
attendant raised the sheet the dead man was immediately
recognized as a fellow Kerryman. After the initial shock
and emotion subsided, he was told that the young man was
without funds and that it would be necessary to bury him
in Potter’s Field.
The
principal in this drama was not a rich man but he felt a
strong kingship towards the young man in the morgue.
Gathering about him several friends they collected
sufficient monies to afford the young Kerryman a decent
Christian burial and from the united action of these men
the spark was ignited to form a group of concerned
Kerrymen. In the weeks that followed, an appeal was
published in the New York newspapers over the signatures
of some half a dozen Kerrymen, calling on all those
interested to appear on Sunday, March 6th
1881 at the Old Academy Hall on 23rd and
Third Avenue. That was the beginning of THE KERRYMEN’S
PATRIOTIC & BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK.
By
forming this Association, the founders also visualized a
unified front to battle the anomalies of prejudice and
racial hatred. Members who were employed recommended and
persuaded their employers to hire fellow Kerrymen and
this camaraderie and mutual assistance enabled the
Association to thrive. As the Association expanded so
did the benefits and members who fell on hard times
obtained moral and financial assistance to tide them
over. It is interesting to note that “sick committees”
were formed with responsibilities for visiting those of
the membership who were ill and reporting to the board
of officers the extent, if any, of the need for
financial aid.
Even in
the past ten years, the Association has stepped to the
fore on a number of occasions and provided funds for
burial of those of Kerry heritage, irrespective of
membership in the KERRYMEN’S. Now, of course the
Association provides annual scholarships for the
children of members to help with the expenses of high
school and college. Education has always been a high
priority and the current membership, with its first,
second and third generation members, reflects the result
of this worthy effort in style. The annual Kerry Golf
Tournament has raised thousands of dollars for
worthwhile charities, mostly associated with Kerry
priests, nuns and lay people laboring with the poor in
third world countries.
The
Kerry Pipers Band, under the leadership of Kevin
O’Rourke Moore, accompanies the Kerry contingent of the
St. Patrick’s day parade up 5th Avenue every
year since 1974 and the pipers and drummers are
resplendent in their green jackets, vests, berets and
saffron kilts. The Kerry Banner, depicting St. Brendan
the Navigator to the front and Thomas Ashe, our noble
Kerry patriot on the reverse is one of the most colorful
in the parade. The annual Kerry Ball is a major social
event on the New York Irish scene and attracts between
800 and 1,000 for an evening enlivened by great food,
music dancing and, the hallmark of all Kerry gatherings
– laughter.
In 2001,
through the efforts of a magnificent building committee,
the ASSOCIATION purchased a building at 305 Mc Lean
Avenue in Yonkers, NY. A particular friend of the
ASSOCIATION, Most Reverend William Murphy the Bishop of
Kerry dedicated the building on October 6th
2001. The activities center with its dance
floor/catering hall, bar, kitchen and conference room
was dedicated on November 22nd 2003 and is a
gathering place for dancing, good times, cultural
meetings and affairs for all Kerry people and their
friends.
We’ve
come a long way since that meeting at Academy Hall in
1881 and the dedication and perseverance of the founders
are still reflected in that of the current membership.
The KERRYMEN’S PATRIOTIC & BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION
pledges to continue the work started by the founders to
help one another and to watch out for all Kerry people
here and at home.
by:
Patrick O’Donnell
Maurice Brick
