[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 42 (Thursday, March 3, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 11925-11926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04611]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 42 / Thursday, March 3, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 11925]]


                Proclamation 10343 of February 28, 2022

                
Irish-American Heritage Month, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For centuries, Irish Americans have played a crucial 
                role in helping define the soul of our Nation, and 
                today, nearly 1 in 10 Americans proudly trace their 
                roots back to the Emerald Isle. With hope and faith in 
                their hearts, the first immigrants from Ireland crossed 
                the Atlantic in search of liberty and opportunity. It 
                was the dream of a better life that brought my 
                ancestors--the Blewitts of County Mayo and the 
                Finnegans of County Louth--and countless other Irish 
                immigrants.

                Like so many Irish American families, my grandparents 
                carried the spirit and memory of Ireland in their 
                hearts--a pride and passion they instilled in their 
                home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Through the journeys of 
                their own mothers and fathers and in the lessons they 
                passed on to my mother, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan 
                Biden, they joined Irish Americans in every corner of 
                America in helping to write the next chapter of the 
                American story.

                The story of Irish Americans has always been one of 
                strength and perseverance through adversity. Many Irish 
                immigrants arrived on America's shores to escape the 
                Great Famine, only to face discrimination, prejudice, 
                and poverty. Despite these hard times, they embraced 
                their new homes in every corner of America--from the 
                Atlantic to the Pacific, across the Midwest and through 
                the Rocky Mountains--and helped build and fortify our 
                Nation into what it is today.

                Irish Americans expanded the American middle class, 
                building ladders of opportunity that future generations 
                could climb. They became teachers, firefighters, police 
                officers, labor leaders, farmers, business owners, and 
                more. Along the way, Irish Americans contributed 
                enormously to the American labor movement--championing 
                safe working conditions, advocating for children's 
                rights, and fighting racism, prejudice, and income 
                inequality. They bravely answered the call to serve, 
                defending our Union and its values in every battle. 
                They continue to work on behalf of the American people 
                as public servants--serving in the Congress, the 
                Supreme Court, Federal agencies, the White House, and 
                in State and local offices across the country. Irish 
                Americans have enriched our culture and nourished our 
                hearts and souls through the arts and humanities, 
                earning recognition as Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning 
                poets and authors, award-winning musicians, 
                storytellers, and dancers, and critically acclaimed 
                actors. They have blessed our Nation with their 
                indomitable spirit, faith, and love for family that has 
                been passed down through the generations. This sense of 
                community, hospitality, resilience, and passion are 
                integral pieces of America's cultural tapestry.

                The United States and Ireland are deeply and forever 
                intertwined: linked in memory and imagination--in joy, 
                sorrow, and resilience--by our common love and common 
                dreams. We share, in every heart, an unrelenting 
                optimism--a flicker of hope that guides us through even 
                the darkest of nights.

                As we celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month, let us 
                honor the journey and contributions of Irish Americans 
                who helped shape this land of opportunity and define 
                what it means to be American. Let us reaffirm the 
                legacy

[[Page 11926]]

                of friendship and strong family ties between the United 
                States of America and Ireland--united by our common 
                purpose, by our histories, and by our futures.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2022 as 
                Irish-American Heritage Month. I call upon all 
                Americans to celebrate the achievements and 
                contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation with 
                appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-04611
Filed 3-2-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P