LADIES ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS
ST. CIARA DIVISION #1, BEAUFORT COUNTY
Meetings to establish a new LAOH Division in Beaufort County began in 2004. Ladies from the parishes of St. Gregory the Great and St. Francis by the Sea formed a Division. They named Eldora Kennedy as their first President, Kathleen Kelley, Vice President, Mary Moran Secretary, Mary Doyle, Treasurer. On March 6, 2005 a LAOH Charter was issued from the National Association of the LAOH. Josephine McEvoy, the LAOH South Carolina State President installed the officers. The name of St. Ciara was then decided. In September of 2005 Kathleen Kelley became the second President with Patricia Byrne, Vice President and Judi McMahon, Financial Secretary. Both Moran and Doyle remained in their original offices. Also in 2005 a South Carolina State Board was established. The three Divisions which form the State Board are from the St. Ciara Division, as well as members of a Charleston and Myrtle Beach Divisions. Joan Colbert (Myrtle Beach) is President of the State Board and Kathleen Kelley (St. Ciara) serves as Vice President.St. Ciara has continued to grow, now including parishioners from Holy Family Church among their members. The focus of the group has been to promote the Irish Catholic heritage. Some of the events the ladies participate in are: attending Mass as a group, socials events, baking Irish Soda bread and donations to various charities. They also have established an "Adopt a Grandma" program at a local Retirement Home. For Christmas of 2006 a donation was given to a Girls School in Northern Ireland.
