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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 733 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 733

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
            be established an Irish-American Heritage Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2006

Mr. Ryan of Ohio (for himself, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, Mr. 
   Payne, Mr. Wolf, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. 
    Rangel, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Mr. 
   Hastings of Florida, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota, Mrs. 
 Maloney, Mr. Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, 
Mr. Foley, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Larson 
of Connecticut, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
Hart, Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Weldon of 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. McHugh, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. 
 Honda, and Mr. Crowley) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
            be established an Irish-American Heritage Month.

Whereas, by 1776, nearly 300,000 people had emigrated from Ireland to the United 
        States;
Whereas, following the victory of General George Washington's troops at 
        Yorktown, Lord Mountjoy reported to the British Parliament the surrender 
        of General Charles Cornwallis, proclaiming, ``We have lost America 
        through the exertions of the Irish'';
Whereas Irish-born Commodore John Barry was the first flag officer of the United 
        States Navy and is endeared by many as the ``Father of the American 
        Navy'';
Whereas at least 8 signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Irish 
        ancestry;
Whereas 19 Presidents of the United States proudly claim Irish heritage, 
        including the first President, George Washington;
Whereas Irish-born James Hoban designed the White House, and he was integral in 
        its restoration after it was severely damaged by fire in 1814;
Whereas, in 1892, Annie Moore, from County Cork, Ireland, was the first 
        immigrant admitted through Ellis Island, contributing to America's 
        diverse culture by offering the rich customs and culture of her native 
        land;
Whereas at least 263 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor proudly 
        claim Ireland as their birthplace, making Irish-born individuals the 
        largest group of foreign-born recipients of the prestigious honor;
Whereas Irish-American social reformer Elizabeth Cady Stanton successfully 
        championed women's voting rights, which were granted in 1920 by the 19th 
        amendment to the Constitution;
Whereas pioneers of the American space program were of Irish descent, including 
        Kathryn Sullivan, the first woman to walk in space, and Christa Corrigan 
        McAuliffe, America's first school teacher to bravely engage in space 
        exploration, who ultimately gave her life to the empiricism of knowledge 
        about the surrounding universe;
Whereas more than 44 million American citizens are of Irish descent;
Whereas each year, on March 17th, the United States and its citizens humbly 
        observe St. Patrick's Day in honor of the patron saint of Ireland; and
Whereas the Irish and their descendants have toiled throughout the existence of 
        the United States, contributing significantly to the enrichment of all 
        aspects of life in this Nation, including military and public service, 
        science, education, agriculture, industry, dance, music, theatre, film, 
        literature, visual composition, business, technology, athletics, and 
        leadership: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) an Irish-American Heritage Month should be established; 
        and
            (2) the people of the United States should observe such a 
        month with appropriate ceremonies, celebrations, and 
        activities.
                                 <all>
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