[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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