The Commodore Barry Club of Brooklyn was founded in 1951 in the Bay Ridge Section of Brooklyn New York. The purpose of the Club is to honor the memory of and to promote interest in Commodore John Barry, the Irish born Revolutionary War hero and father of the American Navy, as well as other aspects of Irish American history. Our schedule of events is many and varied including March 15th or ther
eabout, a Commodore Barry birthday commemoration at the Park named in his honor in 1951. This years, we will augment our program with an Essay Contest to encourage young people to get involved. On March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, our Borough President Eric Adams along with Al O’Hagan, Ancient Order of Hibernians sponsors an Irish breakfast where many outstanding individuals are honored for keeping alive our vibrant Irish culture. The Commodore Barry Award is presented at this event. In May of each year we sponsor a bus trip to Old St. Mary’s Church located at 252 South 4th Street in Philadelphia, where Commodore Barry is buried in the adjoining cemetery. After Mass, we have a wreath laying ceremony at his gravesite. We then visit the Memorial to the Irish Potato Famine. Finally, we travel to the Commodore Barry Club in the Germantown Section of Philadelphia where we enjoy lunch, refreshments and dancing. In August of each year, we participate in the Annual Maryland 400 Roll Call of Honor ceremony at the Rawley A. L. Post in Park Slope and later at the Old Stone House at 5th Avenue and 3rd Street in Brooklyn. Also, we participate in the Annual Commemoration of the Battle of Brooklyn in the Green Wood Cemetery honoring the intertwined histories of Ireland and the United States. Also included in the tribute are the heroes of 9/11 W. T. C. and Washington’s Irish Generals. We lay wreaths at the Irish Korean War Veterans’ Monument, Matilda Tone’s gravesite and the gravesite of John Gallagher, author and historian as well as at Charles Higgins’ Minerva Statue. The main sponsor of the August events is the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee chaired by Kathleen and James McDonagh. In September we travel to Staten Island Borough Hall, which was named in honor of Commodore Barry in 1934 and place a wreath on the plaque honoring this great naval hero of the War for Independence. We provide transportation and refreshment and invite all to participate. Our Annual Social and Dance is much enjoyed. Also, we work with other organizations to provide concerts and other cultural happenings.
