In the lapel of my tweed jacket,
There's a pin of brightest gold,
No bigger than my thumbnail,
But its worth cannot be told.
'Tis the Emblem of an Order
Of Irish folk proud of their land,
And their glorious religion,
Under the Lord's command.
In friendship we are gathered,
We strive for Unity,
To serve our Church and brethren
In Christian Charity.
We maintain Christ's own teachings,
We guard the Irish race,
We help the sick and fallen
With the aid of God's own grace.
Proud to be called Hibernians,
From Erin's ancient Latin name,
By defending Catholic priests and nuns,
We earned undying fame.
This Ancient Order of whom I speak
I proudly wear their pin,
As did my loving father,
And his father before him.
That Emblem of the Order
I think is simply grand,
Has ancient Irish symbols,
To remind us of our land.
It bears the letters "A.O.H.,"
Its shape is like a shield.
It bears our famous Irish harp,
Upon a shamrock field.
The two hands clasped in friendship
In the center of this crest,
Reminds each A.O.H. man
That brotherhood is blessed.
Rising o'er the hills of Ireland,
In the crest is the sunrise,
'Tis the dawn of Irish freedom,
'Tis the cause that never dies.
The four largest green shamrocks,
Symbols of the Trinity,
Remind us of the provinces
Of Erin's antiquity.
Four mighty Irish kingdoms,
Proud and most beauteous lands,
One breaks the heart of Ireland,
Remains in sassanach hands.
Yes, shining bright in my lapel
Of which I'll proudly tell,
'Tis the Emblem of the A.O.H.
Worn in my heart as well.
By Bro. Denis P. McGowan
AOH-Board of Erin Newry, Co. Down
