Mixed in with Jim Ramsay’s mostly Scottish heritage there’s a wee bit of an Irish bloodline.

“My grandmother was a Callahan,” Ramsay said.

That’s enough to qualify the Unity man for membership in the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

He recently was elected vice president of the American organization’s St. Brendan Division 1, which includes Pennsylvania members in the Greensburg and Indiana areas.

Membership is open to Irish Catholic men who are older than 16.

“It’s a Catholic organization promoting Irish culture and history,” Ramsay said.

It takes its name from the ancient Latin designation for Ireland.

Locally, the Ancient Order of Hibernians makes donations to support the “Echoes of Erin” radio program of Irish music and topics of interest that airs Sundays on McKeesport- based WEDO 810AM.

The musical traditions and flair for storytelling are among the aspects of his Irish heritage that Ramsay connects with the most.

Ireland’s impact on the arts has traveled well beyond the island’s 27,000 square miles, he noted.

“The music is great,” he said. “You can go to a local pub and, if you’re lucky, there might be some musicians come in and play.

“Their love of poetry, theater and storytelling is the most attractive to me. They tell wonderful stories off the top of their heads. It makes it so thrilling to listen to.”

Ramsay and his wife, Debra, whose forebears came from Ireland to America in the 1800s, explored their Irish heritage firsthand when they took a two-week trip to the Emerald Isle in the summer of 2019.

“I love the country and I love the culture,” Ramsay said. “When the local people find you’re of Irish heritage, it’s like they’re welcoming back a long-lost soul.”

The couple soaked up Ireland’s history and atmosphere and were mesmerized by a storyteller.

“He was a delightful, ancient man who had a big beard,” Ramsay said. “He told an hour-long story about the pixies and the elves and the history of them in Irish literature.”

The Rev. Jerry O’Shea, a retired Catholic priest who lives in Hempfield, helped to found the AOH St. Brendan Division about a decade ago. He also serves as the group’s chaplain.

O’Shea formerly was active in Allegheny County’s Carnegie AOH division.

“My paternal grandparents were both from Ireland, so I see myself as 50% Irish,” he said.

O’Shea, who grew up in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, served as pastor of St. Winifred’s Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Lebanon and senior priest at St. Valentine’s Catholic Church in Bethel Park.

“My dad was a funeral director,” O’Shea said. “He had a great desire to be with people and was very social-minded. I think that comes from his Irish roots.

“That is why I am what I am. As a clergyman, I want to be social with people and to build relationships.”

The AOH in America was founded concurrently in the coal-mining regions of Pennsylvania and in New York City, in May 1836. One of its early roles was helping newly arrived Irish immigrants who were forced abroad by the potato famine.

Today, the AOH organization. while maintaining a pro-life stance, supports Irish causes that span the Atlantic.

It supports the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, which promotes mutual understanding of the Catholic and Protestant traditions in Northern Ireland and economic development throughout all of Ireland. It also advocates for the peaceful union of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of Great Britain.

Members of the St. Brendan division have celebrated their Irish heritage by marching in St. Patrick’s Day parades in Pittsburgh and Indiana.

With about 20 members on its roster, O’Shea said, “We’d like to increase our membership and we’d like to get some younger men involved.”

Following in the example of AOH members in the Pittsburgh area, the St. Brendan division is hoping to form an affiliated Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.

“They’re often wives of the men in the AOH,” O’Shea said.

In a spirit of fellowship, AOH members pray for fellow Hibernians who are sick and, wearing Irish sashes, attend the funerals of members when they die.

The St. Brendan group also holds monthly meetings, except during the summer. They gather either at the Greensburg Country Club or at The Coney eatery in downtown Indiana.

The December meeting usually features a speaker on a topic related to Irish culture. Last year’s talk focused on Irish Christmas traditions.

And, O’Shea said, “There’s always some Guinness around.”

Call 724-832-0482 for more informaton about the organization.

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