About OTIH!
Involving Irish Hills area individuals, groups, and organizations in activities that celebrate the beauty of the place, the spirit of its people, and the progression of its history.
About Us
Oh These Irish Hills! (OTIH!) is a non-profit organization that formed in the late summer of 2004.
Our Vision: a revitalized and restored Irish Hills area.
Our Values: to be impartial, inclusive, respectful, supportive, positive, proud, and grateful with integrity in all matters.
Our stated purpose is to advance an Irish Hills legacy that involves area individuals, groups, and organizations in activities that celebrate the beauty of the place, the spirit of its people, and the progression of its history.
Our Story
Who are Oh These Irish Hills!?
Geographically, the Irish Hills is an area in the minds of the people who live and work there. There are no formal aspects or boundaries. The area covers four counties and various municipalities. Our adage is “If you think you are in the Irish Hills, then you are”.
Bob Kellum’s conceptual idea of a renewed Irish Hills was formed. The Irish Hills used to be a dynamic place and now it is in need of attention. What and how will we resurrect the area?
Bob began to talk with the area’s people and organizations. People were called to attend a meeting and the organization was formed in August 2004.
The organization began thinking of the Irish Hills and agreed that if we could do something to make it more inviting then it would become an area where people would come and bring their children. Thus the Irish Hills spirit would continue to live on.
Thank you Oh These Irish Hills! Board Member John Collins for taking such good care of our signs.
The Spirit of the Irish Hills - by OTIH! President Bob Kellum
The Spirit of the Irish Hills
I contend that all places have a living and breathing spirit, the sum of their being beyond time. We are either enriched or impoverished by the extent to which we see and embrace the spirit of place. It is well documented that a walk in nature does wonders for what ails the human psyche, as if we allow ourselves to be helped by being open, vulnerable and defenseless. A catalog of our ailments suggests that we enjoy little common acknowledgement of a greater spirit to which we are bound, suffering instead from the plethora of differences by which we set ourselves apart.
For me, Oh These Irish Hills! has always been a declaration of the awe and inspiration I derive from the place I call home, a place of great comfort and peace, a place of purpose and meaning, a place ultimately indistinguishable from myself to which I belong unconditionally.
This letter is a sincere wish that the citizens of the Irish Hills, human and otherwise, be bound by a spirit greater than ourselves, a spirit that knows no bounds.
Sincerely Yours,
Bob Kellum, President, Oh These Irish Hills!
March 2, 2022