[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 10 (Monday, March 14, 2005)]
[Page 380]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7873--Irish-American Heritage Month, 2005

 March 4, 2005

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    The story of the Irish in America is an important part of the 
history of our country. This month, we pay tribute to Americans of Irish 
descent who have shaped our Nation and influenced American life.
    Long before the great wave of Irish immigration in the 1840s, people 
of Irish ancestry were defining and defending our Nation. Charles 
Thomson, an Irishman by birth, served as Secretary of the Continental 
Congress and helped design the Great Seal of the United States. Irish-
born Commodore John Barry fought for our country's independence and 
later helped found the United States Navy.
    Irish Americans have been leaders in our public life, and they have 
retained a proud reverence for their heritage. In June 1963, President 
John F. Kennedy spoke to the Parliament in Dublin and told the story of 
the Irish Brigade, a regiment that fought valiantly for the Union and 
suffered terrible losses during the Civil War. Two decades after 
President Kennedy's visit, President Ronald Reagan returned to his 
great-grandfather's hometown in County Tipperary, Ireland, and greeted 
the crowd in their own Irish language.
    The industry, talent, and imagination of Irish Americans have 
enriched our commerce and our culture. Their strong record of public 
service has fortified our democracy. Their strong ties to family, faith, 
and community have strengthened our Nation's character. The Irish are a 
significant reason why Americans will always be proud to call ourselves 
a Nation of immigrants.
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2005 as Irish-
American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month 
by celebrating the contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of 
March, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., March 8, 
2005]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on March 
9. This item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate 
issue.