AOH Challenges Congressional 'False History' ResolutionApril 28
April 28, 2026 by Irish Echo Staff
The Ancient Order of Hibernians has issued what it calls a "sharp challenge" to Congressman Pat Harrigan regarding a proposed congressional resolution that would condemn the pursuit of legal accountability for British special operators involved in Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
In a formal letter to the North Carolina Republican, AOH Political Education Chair Neil F. Cosgrove warned that the resolution relies on a "false history" and attempts to grant retroactive combatant immunity to forces that the British government itself insisted were engaged in a policing function, not a foreign war.
The AOH said it was taking particular issue with the congressman’s reported comments regarding legal scrutiny and the role of human rights advocates.
"By condemning the pursuit of legal accountability, Congressman Harrigan has inverted the roles of victim and aggressor," said Cosgrove.
"Congressman Harrigan speaks of a veteran getting a hypothetical 'knock on the door' from a human rights lawyer as a threat.
"In reality, the most infamous 'knock on the door' in Northern Ireland was delivered by a state-colluded hit squad to the home of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, who was executed in front of his family and whose survivors are still fighting decades later for the truth, a pursuit that some are trying to shut down."
Cosgrove continued: "To frame the legal search for truth as a 'menace' while ignoring the state-sponsored murder of a legal professional is a profound distortion of the facts."