[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8934--FEB. 28, 2013

Proclamation 8934 of February 28, 2013

Irish-American Heritage Month, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For more than two centuries, America has been made and remade by
striving, hopeful immigrants looking for a chance to pursue their
dreams. Millions among them were born in Ireland, separated from our
shores but united by their belief in a better day. This month, we
celebrate the Irish-American journey, and we reflect on the ways a
nation so small has inspired so much in another.
Generations of Irish left the land of their forebears to cast their
fortunes with a young Republic. Escaping the blight of famine or the
burden of circumstance, many found hardship even here. They endured
prejudice and stinging ridicule. But through it all, these new citizens
never gave up on one of our oldest ideas: that anyone from anywhere can
write the next great chapter in the American story. So they raised
families and built communities, earned a living and sent their kids to
school. In time, what it meant to be Irish helped define what it means
to be American. And as they did their part to make this country
stronger, Irish Americans shared in its success, retaining the best of
their heritage and passing it down to their children.
That familiar story has been lived and cherished by Americans from all
backgrounds, and it reaffirms our identity as a Nation of immigrants
from all around the world. So as we celebrate Irish-American Heritage
Month, let us retell those stories of sweat and striving. And as two
nations united by people and principle, may America and Ireland always
continue to move forward together in common purpose.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2013 as Irish-
American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month
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 thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA