Our Story
The long and storied history of the original Women of Irish Heritage (WOIH) began in 1973. A group of sixteen strong Irish women banded together with a goal of promoting Irish culture, friendship and charity work in the Essex County area.
Rumor has it that the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh suggested there be a Woman’s Auxiliary and the sixteen said – Hell No – no Auxiliary for us!! and established The Women of Irish Heritage.
These sixteen tenacious leaders worked tirelessly to create a foundation for their organization, including building bylaws and structuring a framework for members and developing a membership criteria. Piece by piece they solidified the group, creating a strong calendar of events and spearheading new endeavors both for their members and their brother and sister organizations.
The success and strength of the WOIH in the early days was unprecedented, with almost three hundred members at their peak. The membership grew so large and fast that they outgrew the original meeting hall at the Shillelagh Club and had to temporarily relocate to the West Orange Elks.
Throughout the years, several of the WOIH participated on the Executive Boards of other Irish organizations including local Parade Committees. In the early years, the ladies played an integral part in the popular Irish Fortnight sponsored by the Irish American Cultural Institute and participated in the medieval banquets held at Castlewood, West Orange. The organization was a strong supporter of the Irish Festival, held at the Garden State Arts Center. Several members served as committee chairs for this event. They sponsored an Annual Feis with a two- day Irish step dancing competition, held several Ceilidh’s and, of course, participated in several St. Patrick’s Day Parades to include local New Jersey (Nutley, Newark and West Orange), out of state in Savannah, GA., Pearl River NY, and in 2018, Bundoran, County Donegal, Ireland.
The success of the Northern New Jersey WOIH has led to the formation of three additional chapters - Women of Irish Heritage – Jersey Shore, Southern New Jersey and South West Florida.
Fifty years later – we gather to applaud the drive and dedication of the charter members who created an organization that continues to support their goals of promoting Irish cultural, social and philanthropic ideals.
