[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 41 (Monday, March 6, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E524-E525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      IRISH EYES ARE SMILING THIS GLORIOUS ST. PATRICK'S DAY 1995

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, March 6, 1995
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a great deal of joy and pride to 
join with the many millions of Americans of Irish descent to help honor 
St. Patrick's Day that will soon be celebrated here, and around the 
globe.
  The Irish and all those who are Irish at heart will soon celebrate 
this great and joyous holiday.
  On March 17, in the city of New York, thousands will proudly march 
down the magnificent Fifth Avenue. Millions more will watch on 
television the oldest continuous parade in these United States.
  I have been privileged annually to march in the St. Patrick's Day 
parade in New York City. It has always been a special honor to march 
with our friends along the beautiful and majestic Fifth Avenue, past 
the magnificent St. Patrick's Cathedral, weather accommodating or not.
  Truly, one can see Irish eyes smiling on each and every face along 
the parade route, and among the marchers on each of those glorious 
March 17s, which sometimes are cold, windy, and sometimes rainy days, 
but always glorious.
  Neither weather, which is often not very accommodating, nor 
controversy, has ever deterred that great parade and the true 
celebration of Irish-America on St. Patrick's Day in the great city of 
New York.
  That magnificent city, especially with its deep and long historical 
and cultural ties to Erin, is a fitting place for such a great and 
historic parade of so many very proud traditions and Irish 
personalities.
  This year the grand marshall is His Eminence, the Cardinal Archbishop 
of the city of New York John O'Connor, who has always watched the 
parade from the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Now he will proudly 
and fittingly lead it down Fifth Avenue this year as he approaches 
possible retirement.
  Many of the Irish who emigrated to America, first either landed in 
New York City, or made it their home, or in the nearby suburbs.
  I was recently surprised to learn that the current Irish Deputy Prime 
Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dick Spring, once 
[[Page E525]]  tended bar in the great city of New York before his 
return to Ireland and rise to high authority.
  I am particularly proud to have, and more importantly proudly 
represent, a great many constituents and close personal friends in my 
district of proud Irish heritage.
  Numerous other cities, towns, and villages around New York State, and 
throughout our great Nation as well will also have parades and other 
joyous celebrations of St. Patrick's Day across America in the coming 
weeks.
  We in this great Nation have more than 40 million Americans who can 
trace their roots to Ireland. They are proud to celebrate that heritage 
with many others, and will do so proudly in the days ahead.
  These many Americans of Irish descent and their forebears have 
contributed much to America's success and prosperity from the time of 
the American Revolution, through the Civil War, and all our wars 
abroad, to today.
  In the arts and in literature, culture, law, politics, commerce and 
industry, sports, the judiciary, law enforcement, our armed services, 
and many other fields and endeavors, the Irish in America have 
excelled.
  The Irish have been highly successful in helping to build and expand 
America and to make it a stronger and more vibrant Nation with their 
many significant contributions in these and other fields.
  This Nation has a very special relationship with Ireland, based upon 
this heritage of those millions of our citizens of Irish descent, who 
themselves, or their forefathers, emigrated here and contributed so 
much to our heritage and to our Nation's history.
  The events and struggle for peace in Northern Ireland today because 
of that heritage, are of particular interest to them, and to all of us. 
We now have the best prospects for peace in that troubled region in the 
last 25 years or more.
  The joyous St. Patrick's Day celebrations around the globe by the 
Irish people, which is a national holiday in the Irish Republic, are 
again this year particularly filled with a special hope and joy that 
lasting peace in the north of Ireland may finally be within reach.
  Many today hope that finally the diverse traditions and all the 
concerned parties and both Governments in the region, can finally bring 
about peace and lasting justice in that long troubled region of 
Northern Ireland.
  The courageous and forward-looking December, 1993 Downing Street 
Joint Declaration, and the recently released framework document 
developed under the leadership and efforts of the Prime Ministers of 
both Great Britain and Ireland give us great hope.
  Along with the efforts for peace and reconciliation of John Hume of 
the SDLP, Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein, and many others, today because of 
all these developments, the best opportunity for peace in the region in 
many years, now exists.
  The cessation of violence in recent months and the eventual all-
party-inclusive talks in the current peace efforts based upon that 
declaration, and the framework document give us and the whole world a 
sense that a lasting end may finally be in sight to the violence of the 
past.
  What we want, and what we all hope for, is a true, fair, and just 
settlement and lasting peace for the north of Ireland. We all wish that 
this will become a lasting reality as we approach another St. Patrick's 
Day celebration.
  The United States because of our special relationship with both 
Ireland and Great Britain, must be prepared to play a major role in 
facilitating and fostering that long desired lasting and just peace in 
the north.
  We here in the United States must be prepared to help move the peace 
process along, when and where needed--especially if it stalls--as 
President Clinton pledged during the 1992 Presidential campaign when he 
talked of appointment of a special envoy for peace.
  We will soon be holding historic full committee hearings on Northern 
Ireland before the International Relations' Committee which I am now 
proud to chair.
  In addition, along with some of my colleagues, I will soon be 
visiting Ireland in mid-April to continue this commitment to play a 
constructive and important role in helping promote peace, justice, and 
a shared and equally distributed economic future in the north of 
Ireland.
  Ireland is rightfully today on America's foreign policy agenda and 
should be for the foreseeable future. We must all work together until 
lasting peace and justice become a reality in the Ireland we know and 
for which we have such a high regard.
  Let us all hope and pray once again that this will be the beginning 
of many St. Patrick's Days when lasting peace and justice will prevail 
over all of Ireland.


                          ____________________