[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4455-4456]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr Speaker, Happy St. Patrick's Day! 
Originally a religious holiday, today St. Patrick's Day is largely an 
international celebration of Irish culture. I urge my colleagues and 
fellow Americans to embrace this day. Today, one in four Americans 
traces at least part of their ancestry to Ireland. Irish-Americans have 
provided the backbone of our workforce, enlivened our art and culture, 
defended our country, and served in this Congress and as President of 
the United States. Great Irish-Americans such as Eugene O'Neill and F. 
Scott Fitzgerald transformed American literature, innovators like Henry 
Ford helped revolutionize American transportation, and who can forget 
Presidents like Andrew Jackson, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Ronald 
Reagan, each Irish-American alike. Irish-Americans continue to 
contribute to our nation as they ably serve in their communities in 
numerous capacities. It is for all of these reasons

[[Page 4456]]

that I support the designation of March as Irish-American Heritage 
Month and encourage Americans to celebrate Irish-American heritage. I'm 
proud to stand today with my colleagues, those lucky enough to be 
Irish-American, as well as those who aren't, and honor this group that 
has been so important to our nation on this St. Patrick's Day.

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