An Nuacht

The Newsletter of

The Order of the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh - Essex Division

A 501c(3) Non Profit Organization

February 6, 2025

Inside this Edition

• Presidents Message
• Annual Dinner Dance
• Meet the Honoree: Patrick O'Connor
• Annual Dues
• Marching Season
• Essex Shillelaghs GAA Report
• Essex Shillelaghs Pipe Band Report
• Local Irish Org Events
• Ancient Ireland: Imbolc & St. Bridget
• Welcome New Members
• Good & Welfare
• Shillelaghs Out and About
• Shillelagh Uniforms
• Member Dues
• 2025 FSOS Calendar
• Join a Committee

Wednesday February 12, 2025 7:30PM Start!

Back to our regular 2nd Wednesday of the month General starting in February.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Meet Your Honoree: Patrick O'Connor

The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh are proud to honor Patrick Kevin O’Connor as a Shillelagh Man of the Year at our Annual Dinner Dance. A steadfast supporter of Irish culture, Patrick is a familiar face at events throughout Essex County, always bringing warmth, enthusiasm, and a deep love of his heritage.

Born and raised in Verona, Patrick’s Irish roots stretch to County Roscommon and County Laois. His dedication to community service began early, volunteering at Saint John’s Soup Kitchen and earning recognition for his commitment to helping others. A graduate of the Craig School, he distinguished himself both academically and athletically, earning awards for perseverance and team spirit.

Patrick found his dream job in 2017 as the Conductor of the Railroad at Turtle Back Zoo, where his joyful “All Aboard!” brings smiles to countless visitors. He is also a devoted supporter of the Shillelagh Club Pipe Band and a long-time participant in the St. Baldrick’s event, honoring a childhood friend’s battle with cancer.

Join us in celebrating Patrick Kevin O’Connor, a man whose generosity and heart make him truly deserving of this honor. Sláinte, Patrick!

February 16, 2025, 4pm - West Orange SPDPC Parade Investiture, Hanover Manor, East Hanover, NJ Investiture Tickets Here

February 22, 2025, 6:30pm - AOH Div. 9 125th Annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner, $130 pp, Willshire Grand Hotel, West Orange, NJ (Flyer Attached) Buy a Dinner Ticket or Journal Ad Here

March 23, 2025, 4-8pm - WOIH SW Florida, 2nd Annual Cocktail Party, Ft. Myers, FL

March 1, 2025 - Nutley St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 2, 2025 - Belmar St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 6, 2025, 6:30pm - Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 121st Annual Dinner, Wilshire Grand Hotel, West Orange (Flyer Attached) 

March 14, 2025, 12pm - Newark St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 14, 2025 - West Orange SPDPC Pre-Parade Tour

March 15, 2025 - Morristown St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 16, 2025, 12pm - West Orange St. Patrick's Day Parade Place A Journal Ad Here 

Editor's Note: Ancient Ireland is a new feature of AN NUACHT and hopes to bring to life the richness of Irish history with curated and authored articles by members. Submissions for publication here and at AncientIreland.com are encouraged, subject to Editorial staff approval.

Imbolc and Saint Bridget

By Mike Palazzoto

Imbolc is a pagan holiday celebrated from February 1 through sundown February 2. Based on a Celtic tradition, Imbolc was meant to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and the spring equinox in Neolithic Ireland and Scotland. Imbolc is time for purification and spring cleaning in anticipation of the year's new life. The Gaels associated it with the onset of ewes' lactation, prior to birthing the spring lambs aligning it with the first day of spring and the idea of rebirth.

Imbolc celebrations took the form of a festival in honor of the pagan goddess Brigid, who was evoked in fertility rites and oversaw poetry, crafts and prophecy, and worshiped by the Filid, a class of poets and historians among the Celts of ancient Ireland and Britain.

Brigid was considered one of the most powerful Celtic gods, the daughter of the Dagda, the oldest god in the Celtic pantheon Tuatha du Danann. She appears in the saga Cath Maige Tuired and the Lebor Gabála Érenn, an alleged history of Ireland collected from various poems and texts in the 10th century. Myths about Brigid’s birth say she was born with a flame in her head and drank the milk of a mystical cow from the spirit world. Brigid is credited with the very first keening, a traditional wailing for the dead practiced at funerals by Irish and Scottish women.

In pre-Christian times, Imbolc observance began the night before February 1. Celebrants prepared for a visit from Brigid into their homes by crafting an effigy of the goddess from bundles of oats and rushes. The effigy was placed in a dress and put in a basket overnight. The day of Imbolc was celebrated by burning lamps and lighting bonfires in tribute to Brigid.

Over the centuries, Brigid was adopted into Christianity as St. Brigid. One of Ireland’s three patron saints, the Catholic Church claims St. Brigid was an actual person, with accounts of her life written by monks dating back to the 8th century. Brigid (or Bridget) is the patron saint of Irish nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids and cattle. Whether or not she existed, these stories contain aspects in common with the details of the pagan goddess and illustrate the transition from pagan to Christian worship.

Like the ancient goddess Brigid, St. Brigid is associated with milk and fire. Born in Ireland around 453 A.D., St. Brigid was the daughter of a slave and a chieftain who was celebrated at an early age for her agricultural knowledge. With no interest in marrying, Brigid’s goal was to create a monastery in Kildare, supposedly the former site of a shrine to the Celtic goddess of the same name. Brigid lived there her entire life. She was renowned for her charity to the poor and stories abound about her healing powers. St. Brigid was a friend of St. Patrick, whose preaching set her on a course at an early age, and she became Ireland’s first nun. St. Brigid is said to have died in 524 A.D. The remains of her skull and hand are claimed to be in the possession of churches in Portugal. In the 12th century, legend holds that the nuns in Kildare attended to a fire built in St. Brigid’s honor. The fire had burned for 500 years and produced no ash, and only women were allowed in proximity of the fire. The celebration of St. Brigid’s Day on February 1 was put in place by the church to replace Imbolc. On her feast day, an effigy of St. Brigid of Kildare is traditionally washed in the ocean and surrounded by candles to dry, and stalks of wheat are transformed into cross talismans known as Brigid crosses.

St. Brigid died on February 1st, 525, and was buried in Kildare. Due to the danger of desecration in Viking raids, her Relics were taken to Downpatrick in 878. In time their actual location was lost; but their resting place was discovered by Malachy, Bishop of Down, in the year 1185. On June 9th 1186 they were translated to Downpatrick Cathedral. To save these Relics during various upheavals, they were divided amongst churches, monasteries, private families and individuals in safer districts. Most of these must have been destroyed in the desecrations under Henry VIII and Elizabeth. Some escaped destruction. In 1223, three Irish knights took a piece of the skull and a hand to Portugal as part of the crusades against the Moors. The knights perished in the fight, but the remains were rescued and are kept at the Church of St. John the Baptist near Lisbon, Portugal. Incredible.

About the Writer

Mike Palazzoto has been a member of the FSOS since 2017, tracing his Irish roots to County Kerry. Mike has a background in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science with a passionate interest interests in prehistoric and ancient peoples, and their explorations & discoveries. 

Tommy Starr, brother in law of Mike and Tom Malkinski passed away on January 12th.

Richard Hapward, father of member Curt Hapward passed away on January 9th.

Patricia O' Grady, mother in law of member Bernie Cunningham passed away on January 12th.

Ar dheis De a raibh a h'anam Dilis.