[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 11 (Tuesday, February 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     IRISH-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Ms. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on 
Post Office and Civil Service be discharged from further consideration 
of the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 119) to designate the month 
of March 1994 as ``Irish-American Heritage Month,'' and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate joint resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I would like 
to acknowledge the good work of my friend and colleague, the gentleman 
from New York [Mr. Manton], who is the chief cosponsor of the 
resolution designating the month of March 1994 as Irish-American 
Heritage Month, and, further reserving the right to object, I yield to 
the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. MANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Joint 
Resolution 246, a resolution I introduced to proclaim the month of 
March 1994 as ``Irish-American Heritage Month.''
  I am pleased that 218 of my colleagues have joined me in sponsoring 
this important resolution. I would also like to thank Chairman Clay for 
bringing this resolution to the floor.
  House Joint Resolution 246 celebrates the heritage of over 40 million 
Americans of Irish descent. Irish-American Heritage Month is designed 
to honor all Irish-Americans and complement the hundreds of parades and 
activities sponsored around the United States every March in honor of 
St. Patrick's Day.
  Mr. Speaker, Irish-Americans have played an important role in U.S. 
history. Four signers of the Declaration of Independence were Irish 
born. Commodore John Barry of County Wexford, Ireland, served in the 
Continental Navy and is widely regarded as the Father of the American 
Navy. President William Jefferson Clinton is the 19th American 
President of Irish Ancestry. More than 200 Irish-Americans have been 
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Mary Kennedy O'Sullivan, the 
first woman organizer of the American Federation of Labor, was of Irish 
origin. Nine of the generals who served in the Continental Army during 
the American Revolution were Irish born. Irish-Americans have 
contributed greatly to the enrichment of all aspects of life in the 
United States.
  The idea for an Irish-American Heritage Month was first conceived by 
the late John W. O'Beirne, chairman of the American Foundation for 
Irish Heritage. The passage of this resolution will serve as a tribute 
to his hard work and dedication to increase the awareness of Irish-
American heritage.

  Again, I would like to thank my friend, Mr. Clay for bringing House 
Joint Resolution 246 to the floor today. I urge my colleagues to join 
me in supporting this important resolution.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
thank the gentleman from New York [Mr. Manton] for his background on 
Irish-American Heritage Month and for his eloquent remarks, and, Mr. 
Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to my good 
friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Fish], who is 
also an original cosponsor of House Joint Resolution 246.
  Mr. FISH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, and, Mr. Speaker, I 
think this is a most appropriate action for the Congress of the United 
States to take. This resolution gives a compelling case of the 
contributions of Irish-Americans to the United States throughout our 
history, from the very beginning up to date, and, Mr. Speaker, for me 
it has meaning because of the fact that in my congressional district 
Tara Circle will soon be a substantial embodiment of a location where 
we can celebrate the heritage, the culture and the identity of Irish-
Americans and their great contributions to this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleagues for bringing this measure 
before us today.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
thank the gentleman from New York [Mr. Fish] for his supportive remarks 
and for being an original cosponsor of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I am once again 
pleased and honored to join in as an original cosponsor of this 
resolution Senate Joint Resolution 119 to honor Irish American Heritage 
Month for this year 1994. I commend my colleagues, the gentlemen from 
New York, Mr. Manton and Mr. Fish for their leadership and support for 
this resolution.
  Millions of Americans trace their ancestral roots to the Emerald 
Isle, and are immensely proud of this rich heritage. It is indeed 
fitting that today we in the Congress once again seek a month to honor 
that very proud Irish-American heritage.
  The contributions of Irish-Americans and that proud heritage, was 
widely observed by many Americans recently when the Nation paid public 
tribute to the life and career of former House Speaker Thomas P. 
``Tip'' O'Neill on his death. Speaker O'Neill had made many 
contributions to American life. He was particularly proud of his Irish 
heritage, as are so many others in America today. Speaker Thomas 
O'Neill was part of a long line of those of Irish heritage who 
contributed much to America, particularly our political history. He 
shall always for example, be remembered in our political folklore for 
his description of all politics as being local.
  It is little noted, but at one time our President of the United 
States, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate majority leader were 
all of Irish heritage. During the John F. Kennedy era, the Irish in 
America held the three highest elected offices in the land. In the 
modern era, former President Ronald Reagan also proudly pointed to his 
Irish heritage and ancestral family links to Ballyporeen Ireland.
  Not only have the Irish made significant contributions to American 
politics, but in sports, commerce, our armed services, the arts, and 
literature, among others, the Irish have contributed to our great 
Nation's history and culture. A month honoring that heritage is a 
fitting tribute to the many contributions of those of Irish heritage. 
Those such as Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill and Ronald Reagan, and so many 
others of Irish background have already, and surely will contribute 
much to America's well being in the future, as well.
  Accordingly, I am pleased to rise in support of this important 
measure, and I urge all my colleagues to join in support of this 
important resolution.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate joint resolution, as follows:

                             S.J. Res. 119

       Whereas the first Irish emigrants arrived in America as 
     early as 1621;
       Whereas 9 of the generals who served in the Continental 
     Army during the American Revolution were Irish born;
       Whereas Commodore John Barry of County Wexford, Ireland, 
     served brilliantly in the Continental Navy and is widely 
     regarded as the father of the American Navy;
       Whereas James Smith, George Taylor, Matthew Thornton, and 
     Charles Thomson, 4 of the individuals who signed the 
     Declaration of Independence, were Irish born and 9 other 
     signers were of Irish ancestry;
       Whereas the contributions of the Irish to America's victory 
     in the American Revolution led Lord Mountjoy to exclaim in 
     the British Parliament that ``America was lost by the Irish 
     emigrants'';
       Whereas beginning at the time of the potato blight and 
     famine in Ireland in 1845, over 700,000 Irish immigrants came 
     to the United States during the 1840's, 900,000 during the 
     1850's, and over 300,000 in each decade through 1910;
       Whereas Irish Americans participated heavily in the 
     industrial and economic development of America during the 
     nineteenth century, building our cities and canals and the 
     railroads that expanded the Nation to the West;
       Whereas even today, it is said that under every railroad 
     tie an Irishman is buried;
       Whereas the Irish contributed greatly to the development of 
     the labor movement in the United States, including the 
     establishment of the American Miners Association in 1861;
       Whereas nearly 150,000 natives of Ireland served in the 
     Union forces during the Civil War;
       Whereas more than 500 members of the Irish Brigade were 
     killed while fighting for the Union in the Battle of Antietam 
     on September 17, 1862, a date that has been called the 
     bloodiest day in American history;
       Whereas the Irish Brigade fought courageously in several 
     other Civil War battles including Fredericksburg, 
     Chancellorsville, Yorktown, Fair Oaks, Gaines Mill, Allen's 
     Farm, Savage Station, White Oak Bridge, Glendale, Malvern 
     Hill, Gettysburg, and Bristow Station;
       Whereas in 1892, Annie Moore from County Cork, Ireland, at 
     age 15 became the first immigrant to pass through Ellis 
     Island;
       Whereas Irish Americans have made numerous contributions to 
     the arts and to sports, as exemplified by the achievements 
     of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eugene O'Neill, Helen Hayes, 
     Georgia O'Keefe, John L. Sullivan, and Connie Mack;
       Whereas the first woman to serve as the organizer of the 
     American Federation of Labor was Mary Kennedy O'Sullivan;
       Whereas at the beginning of the twentieth century, many of 
     the school teachers in America's largest cities were Irish 
     American women;
       Whereas President John F. Kennedy was the first American 
     President to visit Ireland during his term in office;
       Whereas Irish Americans, including Kathryn Sullivan, the 
     first American woman to walk in space, and Christa Corrigan 
     McAuliffe, America's first school teacher in space who 
     perished on the Challenger mission, have bravely served as 
     America's pioneers in space;
       Whereas more than 200 Irish Americans have been awarded the 
     Congressional Medal of Honor;
       Whereas President William Jefferson Clinton is the 
     nineteenth American President of Irish ancestry;
       Whereas 37 United States governors and mayors designated 
     March 1993 as ``Irish-American Heritage Month''; and
       Whereas 44 million Americans are of Irish ancestry: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     month of March 1994 is designated as ``Irish-American 
     Heritage Month''. The President is authorized and requested 
     to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United 
     States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies and 
     activities.

  The Senate joint resolution was ordered to be read a third time, was 
read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on 
the table.

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