An Nuacht

The Newsletter of

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

A 501c(3) Non Profit Organization

November 5, 2025

Annual Blood Drive - November 23, 2025

The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh along with the Women of Irish Heritage are proud to host our 19th Annual Blood Drive on Sunday, November 23, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM at the Shillelagh Club in West Orange.

This life-saving event is one of our most important community traditions—every donation helps patients in need across our region. We encourage all members, families, and friends to take a few minutes out of their day to give the gift of life.

Appointments are encouraged to help us manage the flow of donors—simply scan the QR code or use the link below to sign up and reserve your time slot. Walk-ins are also welcome as space allows.

Your generosity makes a difference—one pint can save up to three lives! Join us in continuing the proud Shillelagh tradition of service to the community.

Sign Up Online

A Night of Fortunes at the Shillelagh Club

From the wild hills of Donegal to the hearth of West Orange, the spirit of chance has always been part of the Irish way.

And so, friends, gather ‘round, for the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh are proud to present our first-ever Shillelagh Casino Night—an evening that promises laughter and a touch of daring luck!

On Friday, November 28, 2025, our Banquet Hall will be transformed into a gambler’s haven, complete with four Blackjack tables, Texas Hold’em, Roulette, and a full-size Craps table, each managed by seasoned professionals under the keen eye of a Pitboss.

Your admission ticket of $100 brings you $400 in Shillelagh Bucks to try your fortune at the tables. For those with the heart of a high roller, extra Shillelagh Bucks will be available for purchase on the night.

As if that weren’t enough, there will be an open bar from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., finger foods aplenty, and prizes valued up to $10,000 for the lucky winners.

But take heed, lads and lassies—our Banquet Hall is bound by strict capacity. Only 120 tickets will be sold, on a first-come, first-served basis, and no reservations will be made without payment. Once they’re gone, they’re gone—like a summer sunset slipping behind the Donegal hills.

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, November 28, 2025
• Time: 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
• Location: Shillelagh Club, 648 Prospect Ave, West Orange, NJ
• Tickets: $100 pp, Limited to 120 — secure yours with Venmo (@ShillelaghClub) or cash/check payable to FSOS
• Contact: shillelaghevents@gmail.com

Come join us for a night where the dice will roll, the cards will fall, and the Luck o' the Shillelagh will shine bright.

Shillelagh Kids Holiday Party – Saturday, December 7 at 1 PM!

Register here: Shillelagh Kids Christmas Party

The halls of the Shillelagh Club will be filled with holiday cheer as the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh (FSOS) and the Essex Shillelaghs GAA (ESGAA) proudly host the annual Shillelagh Kids Holiday Party!

Join us on Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 PM in the Grand Hall of the Shillelagh Club in West Orange for an afternoon of Christmas magic, laughter, and community spirit.

All FSOS and ESGAA member families, along with friends from our invited organizations, are warmly welcome to attend. The day will be filled with joy, music, and excitement—especially when Santa Claus himself makes a special visit to hear what’s on every child’s wish list!

Parents are kindly asked to bring:

🎁 One wrapped gift for each of their children (clearly labeled with the child’s name).

🎁 One unwrapped gift (up to $25 value) for donation to families in need.

Target Gift Cards are especially appreciated for their flexibility and usefulness during the holidays.

Come celebrate the season Shillelagh-style—with community, generosity, and the true spirit of Christmas. Let’s make this year’s holiday party one to remember for all our young Shillelaghs!

Please register here: Shillelagh Kids Christmas Party



Date: Saturday, December 7

Time: 1:00 PM

Location: Grand Hall, Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, West Orange

Get ready to jingle and mingle at the Annual Shillelagh Christmas Party—coming to the Grand Hall of the Shillelagh Club on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 7 PM!

This is the most wonderful night of the year, filled with holiday spirit, good friends, and great cheer! Enjoy a full open bar and a festive buffet guaranteed to make your taste buds sing with joy.

We’re calling all Shillelaghs to show off your best (or fabulously ugliest!) holiday sweater—let’s make this a great night!

Free admission for all members in good standing (2025 dues paid) and one guest.

Please bring an unwrapped child's gift for donation.

So grab your Santa hat and join us as we deck the halls Shillelagh-style!

FSOS History Committee Hosts Engaging Presentation by Professor Elizabeth Redwine

On October 28, the FSOS History Committee welcomed Professor Elizabeth Redwine for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion, organized and hosted by Andrew Joyce. The event drew a strong turnout, with attendance so high that extra seating had to be added for late arrivals.

Among the audience were many FSOS members, supporters from the West Orange Irish Historical (WOIH) group—who expressed their appreciation and enthusiasm for future collaborations—and friends and colleagues of Professor Redwine.

A special thanks to Andrew Joyce for his excellent work coordinating this well-received event, which highlighted the growing interest in our community’s shared history and heritage.

Essex, It’s Our Turn to Swing South —

Join the FSOS Quint Shillelagh Golf Outing in Myrtle Beach!

Calling all golfers, craic seekers, and champions of the friendly rivalry between Shillelagh clubs!

Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 16, 2025, as the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh of the Carolinas hosts the annual Quint Shillelagh Golf Outing at the legendary Legends Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, SC. This rotating tradition brings together members from all five FSOS clubs — Old Bridge, Belmar, Ocean, Myrtle Beach, and Essex — for a weekend of camaraderie, competition, and good cheer.

Payment Information:

• Cost: $150 (covers the event only)
• Deadline: HAS PAST
• Payable by:
• Check: Made out to FSOS with memo: Quint Golf
• Venmo: @ShillelaghClub — Label the payment memo: Quint Golf

To Join a Wait List:

• Visit the sign-up link here: Sign-Up Genius
• Please include:
• Shirt size
• Dates you’ll be in Myrtle Beach (in the "comments" section)

FSOS-Essex Spots are SOLD OUT - if you want to be placed on the waitlist reach out to Bill Kohlman:

Bill Kohlman

973-886-0988

What’s included:

• Green fees and cart
• Continental breakfast
• Golf shirt (be sure to include your size when registering!)
• Contests for longest drive and closest to the pin
• Lunch with beverages
• Awards dinner with food and 2-hour open bar

Tee Times:

7:30 AM to 9:40 AM — Captain’s Choice Format

Lodging:

On-site lodging available, with a pub within walking distance. Call 1-800-299-6187 ext. 2300 for reservations.

This is more than just a golf outing — it’s a tradition among the FSOS brotherhood. Whether you’re a scratch golfer or just out for the laughs, the Quint is a fantastic way to represent the Essex Division and connect with Shillelaghs from every corner of the map.

Women of Irish Heritage Honors the Essex Shi-Ladies

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, the Women of Irish Heritage, Inc. will celebrate its 52nd Anniversary Gala at Ravello’s in East Hanover, NJ. The evening will feature music by the Mike Perry Band, a hot and cold buffet, and open bar as the community comes together to honor exceptional women of Irish heritage.

This year’s program will pay special tribute to Gwen Glazier, the 2025 Irish Woman of the Year, as well as to our own Essex GAA Shi-Ladies, who will be recognized as “Friends of the Women of Irish Heritage.”

For the Essex Shillelaghs, this is a proud moment. The Shi-Ladies have been a cornerstone of our our club since 2024—supporting our youth programs, raising funds, organizing cultural activities, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the ESGAA in every endeavor. Their recognition by the Women of Irish Heritage is a fitting tribute to the countless hours they have dedicated to our club, our players, and the Irish community of Essex County.

We encourage all Essex Shillelaghs GAA members, families, and friends to attend the gala in support of the Shi-Ladies and to honor Gwen Glazier and all recipients. This is an opportunity for our club to show appreciation for the Shi-Ladies’ leadership and to celebrate Irish heritage together.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
• Time: 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Location: Ravello’s, East Hanover, NJ
• Tickets: $110 per person (includes buffet and open bar)
• RSVP by: November 10, 2025

Reservations can be made online at WOIHNJ.com or via Zelle/Zeffy/Check using the links provided on the official flyer.

Let’s turn out in full Shillelagh spirit to celebrate the Shi-Ladies, who have given so much of themselves for the good of the club and community.

Men’s Gaelic Football League Continues Through November

November 16, 2025, FSOS Quit Golf Outing, Myrtle Beach, SC 

November 20, 2025, 5-9am - McNany Charitable Foundation, 10th Annual Fundraiser, Summit Elks Club, $50 PP 

November 22, 2025, 6-11pm - WOIH Annual Cocktail Party honoring Gwen Glazier & the Essex Shi-Ladies, Ravellos, East Hanover, NJ $110 pp by 11/10

December 13, 2025, 12:00pm - St. Patrick's Guard of Honor, Annual Luncheon, Hanover Manor,$100pp Info & Tickets

March 17, 2026, FSOSP 122nd Annual Dinner, Hanover Manor, East Hanover, NJ

Editor's Note: Ancient Ireland & History Roundtable is presented by the History Committee of the FSOS and hopes to bring to life the richness of Irish history with curated and authored articles by members. Submissions for publication are encouraged, subject to Editorial staff approval.

We visited the North of Ireland, did wifey and I, with 42 of our closest friends in March 

2024. Neither of us had ventured any further north than Galway or Dublin on previous visits 

and were eager to learn more of the culture and history of that part of Ireland. The trip was 

fantastic – the guys marched in the Belfast parade, the girls all got along, we saw wonderful 

vistas, historical landmarks, it was a fine lively craic as my Irish ex-pat friends would say.

A big surprise for many of us was the cloud of caution and restraint that permeated 

the atmosphere in the North as a result of Catholic-Protestant tensions, as though any little 

slight or miscommunication could ignite a skirmish. And it was intense. Karen and I had 

dinner with a local family whom we knew through Project Children and spent much of the 

time listening to our hosts recount various scuffles and run-ins with the local (British RUC) 

police. We went with a group to the Andersontown Social Club (PD), a vibrant and living 

shrine to Irish national resistance. We walked around Belfast and saw fences and barbed 

wire everywhere, starkly dividing the Catholic and Protestant factions. The Troubles, it 

seems, had not ended; there was simply an extended cease fire.

When we returned to the States, having been briefly exposed to the undercurrents of 

distrust and wariness in the North, many of us wanted to learn more about the 

circumstances and history of the Troubles and how things had gotten that way. I learned that 

a recent NY Times bestseller had been written about the very subject: Say Nothing, by Patrick 

Radden Keefe (Doubleday 2019) and picked it up. I highly recommend the book. 

The title is taken from a poem by Irish poet laureate Seamus Heaney: “Whatever you 

say, say nothing.” Keefe details the horrific kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville, a 

single mother of 10 living in Belfast, that occurred in December 1972 at the height of the 

Troubles. Investigation of the unsolved crime spanned the Atlantic Ocean, and was 

emblematic of the difficulties detectives faced when no one would tell them anything. It is 

therefore necessary, if not integral, for Keefe to pry into the historic backdrop of the story. 

The two go hand in hand: the Troubles caused the murder and perpetuated the mystery, and 

vice versa. 

To provide this context, Say Nothing follows both historical and little-known figures 

through decades of the Troubles: Gerry Adams, a radical who became a politician (who 

insists to this day that he was never part of the IRA); Brendan Hughes, an IRA member 

nicknamed The Dark; and many participants in IRA operations, some of whom spent long 

periods in the Long Kesh jail. Some died on hunger strikes. Their sacrifices shone a light on 

the degradations inflicted upon Irish Catholics in the North for decades.

The two most compelling characters, however, are a pair of sisters from Belfast, 

Dolours and Marian Price. This attached yet mismatched duo evolve from sideline observers 

to full assets of the Irish Republican Army. During what begins as a peaceful march from 

Belfast to Derry (a nice stretch of the legs) in January 1969 by Catholics promoting passive 

resistance to Britain’s iron fist, the marchers were assailed with rocks and garbage as they 

passed Protestant neighborhoods. The march ended in bloodshed, and many of the 

Catholics decided that a more direct approach was needed.

Say Nothing depicts this shift in detail. Early rebels were mostly peace-loving beatnik 

types, taking cues from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Ghandi. When this approach 

was deemed ineffective, the Irish armed resistance grew into the Provisional IRA under the 

leadership of firebrand Brendan Hughes. The rowdy Price sisters became instrumental 

agents of the resistance, performing reconnaissance, distracting British officers to transport 

weapons past check-points and posing as nuns to rob banks to raise funds for the cause. 

Dolours Price, a comely lass, would have made a great Bond girl. Brandon Hughes, who 

managed to escape Long Kesh prison, was Butch Cassidy as a radical socialist.

Before long, Belfast was a war zone - nearly 500 people were killed and hundreds 

more maimed and wounded in 1972 alone. Keefe says that only 2,000 Catholics left the 

North of Ireland during this time out of some 100,000. I thought it would be much more. It 

speaks to the resilience of those who remained and suffered the deprivations and hardships, 

violence and more violence.

The novel goes to great extent to show how this violence became a fact of everyday 

life in Belfast in the early 1970s. Bombs went off regularly. Families suffered “Belfast 

syndrome,” shuttered in their homes with no way to fight back. Those who did fight back 

against the RUC used whatever makeshift weapons were available. Keefe details the rocks 

and stones used by the rebels – some from the pavement, some from quarries, some from 

roadside farms, some round, some jagged, some more throwable than others. I’ll not look at 

the stones lining my driveway the same way again.

Say Nothing is meticulously detailed and researched, with 75 pages of references and 

source notes, including links to the filings in the U.S. legal proceedings, if you like that sort of 

thing.

Parallel with the history of the Troubles is the story about the suffering of the 

McConville children, who are now adults. They want only the simple peace of properly 

burying their mother's body, a desire thwarted by the Troubles. The McConvilles’ woe is then 

a microcosm of the Troubles – a ruining and destructive conflict that has, for many people, 

never ended

About the Author

Larry Lonergan is a past president and trustee of the Essex FSOS and now serves as its legal counsel. A former Deputy Grand Marshal of the West Orange St. Patrick's Day Parade (2024) and Essex FSOS "Man of the Year" (2019-2022), Larry is very proud of his Irish roots and culture.

Senior member Bobby Lamb passed away on October 28th. Bobby was a veteran of the US army and an ardent supporter of our organization.

Shillelagh members provided an Honor Guard at the wake last Sunday 11/2. A well attended funeral mass was held on Monday 22/3 at Immaculate Conception Church in Montclair.

Bobby was laid to rest in Immaculate Conception cemetery Montclair.

Bobby Lamb's Obituary

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam 

October 10, FSOS Scholarship Golf Outing

Shillelaghs About and About: monthly posting of members & friends at our club, at our events or proudly wearing Shillelagh Swag anywhere in the world. Bring your Swag where ever you go and send pics to corresponding@shillelaghclub.com .

Dressed for Success as an Essex Shillelagh

The Executive Board has approved the Shillelagh uniform for 2025. 

All of what is listed below is considered part of the Official uniform for all members.  

Shillelagh Blazer 

• Call Ambassador Uniform at (800) 711-5885 x104. Ask to speak with sales and tell them you are calling to order:
• Shillelagh Blazer, Style #2013 in Hunter Green 
• Price is $76.90 (as of this email) 
• Turnaround time is 2-3 weeks

Shillelagh Patch

• The Shillelagh patch will be provided by the Club for members who have secured their Shillelagh blazer. Please speak with Kevin Kinney kevinkinney1@gmail.com.

Shillelagh Tie

• The Shillelagh tie is available for purchase at the Club. Please speak with Kevin Kinney kevinkinney1@gmail.com.

Slacks

• We have selected one style of charcoal gray slacks that members must wear. These slacks are available for purchase on Amazon, through this link Shillelagh Slacks
• Haggar Men's Premium Comfort Classic Fit Pleat Front Pant 
• Color: Charcoal **color is the most important aspect, as it is the most visible to those viewing the Club as we march together. If your size is not available in this particular pant, please purchase a similar model in Haggar charcoal**
• Price is variable by size (as of this email)

Shillelagh Cap

• The Shillelagh cap is available for purchase from Sashay Studios, through this link Shillelagh Cap
• Price is $15.00 (as of this email)   

Shillelagh Sweater

• The Shillelagh sweater is available for purchase from Sashay Studios, through this Shillelagh Sweater
• Price is $38.00 (as of this email) 

Shirt

• White button down dress shirt

Shoes 

• Black dress shoes



Looking forward to seeing everyone looking good come parade season!

An Nuacht is published monthly by the Corresponding Secretary, Jim McGuire with Funding Support from:

For information, submissions or advertising, please contact Jim McGuire at corresponding@shillelghclub.com