US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.Getty Images

The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the largest Irish‑American fraternal organization in the US, has written to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, demanding an apology for his comments about the Irish this week.

On Tuesday, Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas, asked if the Irish had 'fallen into a vat of Guinness,' accused them of "diplomatic intoxication," and told them to "sober up."

This language, the AOH says, "revives 19th‑century anti‑Irish caricatures and distracts from any serious diplomatic discussion."

Neil F. Cosgrove, AOH Anti‑Defamation Chairman, said: “No one can credibly condemn hatred while dipping their pen into the poisoned stereotypes that once fueled anti‑Irish bigotry.

“We unequivocally oppose antisemitism, but invoking a tired ‘drunken Irish’ trope only offends millions of Irish and Irish‑Americans and weakens the rational discussion of any concerns.”

The AOH said on Friday that it is now demanding an "unqualified retraction and apology and urges respectful, stereotype‑free engagement going forward."

Full text of Cosgrove's letter to Ambassador Huckabee:

On behalf of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the oldest and largest Irish‑American organization in the United States, I write in my capacity as Anti‑Defamation Chairman to register our grave concern over your 16 July post on X asking whether “the Irish [had] fallen into a vat of Guinness," accused them of “diplomatic drunkenness” and urged Ireland to “sober up” and apologize for its draft Occupied Territories Bill.

As an organization founded to combat attacks against immigrant Irish Catholics, the AOH unequivocally condemns antisemitism, just as we condemn every form of bigotry. Yet no one can credibly denounce hatred while dipping their pen into the poisoned stereotypes that once fueled anti‑Irish discrimination in America. Depicting Irish people as drunken or irrational revives a caricature long used to question our community’s competence, patriotism, and even humanity.

Words matter—particularly when spoken by a U.S. ambassador. Your remark derailed constructive debate, insulted millions of Irish and Irish‑Americans, and undermined serious consideration of any substantive concerns you may hold. Ad hominem is no substitute for rational argument.

We therefore request a public retraction and unqualified apology for the ethnic slurs contained in your post.

The AOH stands ready to work with Jewish, Irish, and American partners to oppose antisemitism. That shared cause is best advanced when our discourse is free of the very prejudices we seek to eradicate.

We look forward to your prompt response.