[caption id="attachment_67704" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Meeting in Big Sky country were (l-r) AOH Western representative Mike O'Connor, Rita O'Hare, United Ireland Campaign representative George Trainor, AOH State President Tom Pahut, and Bob Mehrens."]
Montana recently welcomed Sinn Féin's representative to the U.S., Rita O'Hare to the state's 2011 Ancient Order of Hibernian's convention in Missoula.
O'Hare, the keynote speaker at the convention, emphasized the primacy of a future United Ireland in her address to delegates.
"Our objective is a republic that serves the needs of all the Irish people. The republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally," said O'Hare.
Her message picked up on the theme of the ongoing United Ireland Campaign in the U.S. which has seen resolutions calling for Irish reunification by democratic, electoral means, as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement, being adopted been adopted by the New Jersey General Assembly, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Cleveland, Rockland County, New York, The California Democratic Party, The San Francisco Labor Council, and The San Francisco chapter of the Veterans for Peace.
Campaign for a United Ireland representative George Trainor also addressed the AOH delegates.
"We need to hear your voice. We need Montana to join the chorus of growing states, counties, cities and organizations whose voices are calling out for a United Ireland," he said.
AOH Western representative Mike O'Connor observed said: "The United Ireland Campaign is very important to Montana because of its history. The Irish came to Montana knowing that they would never be able to return home. It's important that we support Irish unification."
There are strong ties between Montana and Ireland. In 1919, when Eamon de Valera went on a tour of the United States to encourage support for Ireland's fight for independence, over 10,000 Butte residents turned out to hear him speak. The next day, de Valera addressed a joint session of the Montana State Legislature.
