Eastport Manor Road, Manorville, NY 11949
The discovery of this historical property deed has not only brought a wave of pride but also a renewed sense of recognition within the Irish community now living on Long Island. Tom and Kathleen, true Irish Patriots who fought in the struggle for Irish Nationhood and dedicated their lives to their beloved homeland of Ireland, lived here in Suffolk County.
Having the home of such Irish heroes right in our county was a call for celebration and memorialization. The AOH and LAOH erected an obelisk crafted from fine granite imported from County Wicklow in Ireland. The commemorative monument found a home on the edge of their once Manorville farm and what is now alongside County Road 111.
Since the monument's dedication in 1987, the AOH and LAOH have gathered yearly to host a wreath-laying ceremony to honor Tom and Kathleen Clarke and their work for Irish freedom.
In 2022, the AOH and LAOH once again worked to honor this site by adding a Mass Rock to accompany the monument. This addition is not just a stone but a symbol of our resilience and faith, a testament to the strength of our community. Mass Rocks are natural stones of beauty meant to serve as alters to celebrate a Roman Catholic Mass that, at one time, Penal laws outlawed in Ireland. Irish Catholics subjugated under the English Monarch wishing to practice their religion were forced to celebrate Mass in seclusion to avoid prosecution.
The Mass Rock, located at the Clarke Memorial in Manorville, serves as a tribute and a reminder of the faithful believers and clergy who refused to give into tyranny and labored to preserve their religion and culture.
