Many Irish-American organizations came about in the United States due to the large influx of Irish immigrants.  Some organizations started to help immigrants with the transition to a new country, others to preserve the cultural tradition they left behind, while others to continue the fights of the Old Sod.  Membership criteria differed: some required you be of particular faith, some required that you hold a certain political view, some required that you be from a specific county in Ireland. Whether we now approve of the purposes and workings of these organizations or not, we can't deny the role they played in the lives of our immigrant ancestors.  Many of our ancestors belonged to one or more of these groups.   We are going to start examining these organizations to help us better understand our ancestors and the times in which they lived.  Some possess records that may be helpful in our searches. NOTE: Discussion of these organizations does *not* imply endorsement by, or political or religious views held by, Rootsweb or the list administrators.   Take care, Jim & Tracy IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY list admins