‘Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity’ is the motto of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic Men’s organization with a substantial chapter, here in Albany. The Men’s Division has more than 550 members, and the Ladies’ Division, more than 150, according to Tim Carey, immediate past president of Division 5.

As their community involvement grows, the need to upkeep their space does as well. Currently, the Order is looking to fix their settling foundation.

This specific branch is headquartered in the Pine Hills on Ontario Street, right next door to the site of the former Playdium bowling alley. It was the former site of the local Knights of Columbus, until the Hibernians bought the property, with ample parking lot included, in 1999. The Knights of Columbus still meet in the building.

“In the last 10 years we’ve really expanded our horizon to start doing things in the neighborhood, and we want to be a more active part of the neighborhood.” said Paul Collins, a Hibernian for 45 years, and the chair of their St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He knows that the Order wants to make people feel comfortable when they are there in the building.

To join the Capital District Ancient Order of Hibernians houses two Divisions, a Men’s and a Ladies’. Members must be Irish by birth or descent and be a practicing Catholic. The organization is still separated on the basis of gender; women are not allowed to formally join as Hibernians, but as members of the ladies division instead.

“It is tough to get people to join these days,” said Carey, who is also president of the United Irish Societies of the Capital District. “People aren’t joiners anymore.”

The organization does have a Women’s Division that is considered successful within the overarching parent organization; they lead efforts such as Nina’s Closet, Socktober and assist with Freedom For All Ireland Night. The Capital District division is leading financial supporter of Irish aide efforts out of all of the Women’s Divisions nationally, according to Chris O’Reilly, immediate past president.

The women also support a basketball league where students from northern and southern Ireland come together to learn about their similarities as people. The Ontario Street Order tries to program as much as they can about northern-southern relations, so they can stay informed about the state of the country that they care for so deeply.

Many local organizations are taking advantage of the hall’s open doors, including the National Little League and a cornhole league that meets in the building’s large hall. The hall is available for “reasonable” rentals, although when an event is held by a non-member, a Hibernian must sponsor the event that the hall is being used for.

The Order still takes the majority of its time and resources to act as a cultural center for the Capital Region.

“We get a lot of folks that want to keep the Irish culture alive that will try to get more involved here,” said Carey.

Along with their “well-attended” Albany and Irish History luncheons, the Order does a lot of work with local food pantries in memorial of “the great hunger,” or the famines that drove Irish people to America in the first place.

Outside of the building, the Order has their Famine Garden that honors the past struggle of the Irish people. The centerpiece, a sturdy Celtic cross, is surrounded by engraved pavers; donations to the Order were collected to have people honored in the garden. The spot, complete with stone benches, is an ideal place for contemplation.

The Order does additional joint fundraisers with the downtown Irish-American History Museum.

Currently, members are calling for donations to help fix the settling foundation and upgrade the 60-year-old building.

“We had a structural engineer come in and evaluate the place,” said John Holland, house manager and board member. He cites this work on the foundation as a preventative measure. “It’s not as bad as we thought, but there are things that need to be fixed, and we cannot [raise the funds] in house.”

The city of Albany was built over four underground rivers, and one of them runs right under the property. Between rainwater running off of the roof, and the water directly underneath, the foundation is starting to settle. The Hibernians need to re-adjust and reinforce what the building stands on.

Tim Carey, Chris O’Reilly, Tom Holland, and Paul Collins standing outside of the Large Hall. / Aileen Burke

Although the bar inside the hall is the primary source of fundraising income for the group, they do “much more than sitting around drinking pints,” said Holland.

Albany Rebels, a local Celtic football team, is also sponsored by the Order. With the success of the team, the Hibernians are looking for new ways to contribute to the community and build a sense of togetherness inside of the hall and out.

“They say, you guys are doing something,” said Carey. “I want to join an organization that does something, so us getting involved is doing just that.” -30-