[caption id="attachment_67316" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Clara Reilly honored by Hibernians."]
Clara Reilly was presented with the 2011 Dr. Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award and National President Seamus Boyle presided over his final national's president's dinner last weekend as members of the Ancient of Hibernians from around the U.S. gathered for the national president's dinner just outside Philadelphia.
Reilly, who chairs the Relatives for Justice campaign in Northern Ireland, told the Hibernians, who were also marking the order's 175th year, that the people of Northern Ireland had much to celebrate and be thankful for.
"Seventeen years on from the first cessations of violence in the North and 13 years on from the peace agreement our society has been undoubtedly transformed for the better," she said.
"Many observers could be forgiven in believing that this somehow signifies that everything has been resolved and that the focus, the concentration once given, is no longer required. This could not be further from the reality," she added, however.
"From the perspective of those of us supporting the bereaved and injured of the conflict, those of us seeking truth, justice and promoting human rights, the transformation of our society has yet to be completed, and letting your guard down could well mean that significant advancements could suffer," she said.
Prior to the AOH dinner, Reilly was honored at an event in New Jersey attended by Congressman Chris Smith.
"The National AOH and Ladies AOH have chosen Clara for the award that bears MacBride's name and honors his human rights legacy because Clara's own groundbreaking efforts to secure justice and the rule of law have, like Sean MacBride's, helped countless others," said Smith in a statement.
