By John C. O'Connell
And lovers of any of those fine activities will surely enjoy Sunday, Sept. 21, when the Nassau County Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians holds their 36th annual AOH Feis and Festival on Long Island's North Shore. Both the AOH and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Nassau County help to make the feis a glad day of Irish culture and pride.
Nassau's feis is once again held at Hempstead Harbor Beach Park in Port Washington, starting at 9 a.m. Admission is $10.
From as far back as 18th century Ireland, communities came together for special festivals of dance and music. There were competitions, laughter and good times. The tradition lives on in Nassau County, where the AOH's eight strong divisions join to organize competitions of dance and piping and present awards to the best. There are competitions in Irish singing and art as well. And don't miss the judging of the Irish-Soda-Bread-baking contest.
For the kids, the Feis has a special children's games and activities area set aside with a variety of fun and safe activities to occupy the younger visitors. They include "crazy golf," horseshoes, sack race, three-legged race, and more.
The day also includes Irish football matches, with a Roman Catholic Mass celebrated at 11 a.m.
This year's honoree at the Nassau feis will be Niall Burgess, the Consul General of Ireland. The Hon. Thomas Phelan will be presented with the Hibernian Fellowship Award.
There will be plenty of Irish-related goods for sale by vendors. Picnic facilities are available, for those interested in enjoying a picnic lunch. But leave your dog at home.
MacTalla Mor Band
Attendees will be entertained by the much-celebrated MacTalla Mor band, which features the highland bagpipes, keyboard, vocals and bodhran, playing a mixture of traditional Celtic music, rock, jazz, calypso, and fusion.
An Ancient Order
The AOH was founded in America in 1836 in New York City, but its roots are deep in Irish history. It has grown to become the largest and most influential Irish Catholic men's organization in the world. For more information on the AOH, visit www.aoh.com and the NY State Hibernian website at www.nysaoh.com. For more information on the Nassau AOH, e-mail NassauAOH@mac.com.
A Sisterhood of Irish and Irish-American, Catholic Women, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians is a National organization officially recognized in Omaha, Nebraska in 1894 as the "Daughters of Erin." There are LAOH divisions in Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Glen Cove, and other communities in Nassau County. Contact www.ladiesaoh.com for more information.
Getting There
To get to the feis, take the Grand Central Parkway-Northern State Parkway to exit 29 North, north on Roslyn Road to end. Turn left at traffic light onto Old Northern Blvd. then bear right around the curve onto West Shore Rd. Continue for approximately 2 1/2 miles. Hempstead Harbor Beach Park will be the second park on the right, immediately following Bar Beach.
From the Long Island Expressway (I-495), take exit 37 (Willis Ave.). Turn North onto Willis Ave. North of the Expressway, Willis Ave. becomes Mineola Ave. Go North on Mineola Ave. for about a mile. Turn right onto Old Northern Blvd. (one block before Route 25A). Stay on Old Northern Blvd. to bottom of hill and turn left at traffic light onto West Shore Rd. Hempstead Harbor Beach is approximately 2 1/2 miles on the right.
You can get to the feis by train as well. The Feis grounds are located approximately 10 minutes by cab from the Roslyn Station on the LIRR's Oyster Bay Line.
For more information about anything to do with the feis, visit www.nassauaohfeis.com or e-mail nassauaohfeis@aol.com.
