III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 552 

Designating March 2022 as ‘‘Irish-American Heritage Month’’ and honoring 

the significance of Irish Americans in the history and progress of the 

United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17, 2022 

Mr. MURPHY (for himself, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. 

DURBIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. CASEY, Mr. KELLY, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mr. COONS, Mr. KAINE, and Ms. CORTEZ MASTO) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating March 2022 as ‘‘Irish-American Heritage 

Month’’ and honoring the significance of Irish Americans 

in the history and progress of the United States. 

Whereas, from the earliest days of the United States, the 

United States has inspired the hopes and dreams of 

countless individuals from around the world in search of 

a better life for themselves and their children; 

Whereas more than 31,500,000 United States citizens trace 

their ancestry to Ireland; 

Whereas, since before the United States was founded, Irish 

men and women undertook the perilous journey across 

the Atlantic Ocean to make a home in the United States, 


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•SRES 552 IS 

a place of hope and promise, and made inestimable contributions to the United States, both during the struggle 

for independence and after the founding of the republic; 

Whereas 9 of the 56 signatories of the Declaration of Independence, 4 associate justices of the Supreme Court of 

the United States, and 22 Presidents proudly claim Irish 

heritage; 

Whereas Irish immigrants who came to the United States 

during the Great Famine of the 1840s helped transform 

cities in the United States, building them into dynamic 

centers of commerce and industry; 

Whereas the cultural, economic, and spiritual contributions of 

Irish immigrants continue to be evident today throughout 

the United States; 

Whereas Irish Americans have become deeply integrated into 

communities with strength, courage, wit, and creativity, 

making significant contributions in all areas of life; 

Whereas Irish-American writers such as Eugene O’Neill, 

John O’Hara, and F. Scott Fitzgerald transformed literature in the United States, entrepreneurs like Chuck 

Feeney helped revolutionize industry and philanthropy in 

the United States, performers such as Gregory Peck, Lucille Ball, and Gene Kelly enriched the arts, and social 

reformers such as suffragist Leonora Barry and labor organizer Mary Kenney O’Sullivan fought for the rights of 

others; 

Whereas Irish Americans have served ably in communities in 

numerous capacities, including in public safety and government at the Federal, State, and local levels, and in 

the Armed Forces in every war in which the United 

States has fought since the Revolutionary War, including 


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patriots such as Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II; 

Whereas, more than 200 years ago, John Barry, who was 

born in Ireland, was the first naval hero of the Revolutionary War and became known as the Father of the 

Navy; 

Whereas the United States played a prominent role in support of negotiations of the Good Friday Agreement (also 

known as the Belfast Agreement), done at Belfast, April 

10, 1998, and has taken a leading role in promoting 

peace on the island of Ireland more broadly; 

Whereas Congress greatly values the close relationships the 

United States shares with both the United Kingdom and 

Ireland and is steadfastly committed to supporting the 

peaceful resolution of any and all political challenges in 

Northern Ireland; and 

Whereas, on February 28, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden, 

Jr., proclaimed March 2022 as Irish-American Heritage 

Month: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates March 2022 as ‘‘Irish-American 

3 Heritage Month’’; 

4 (2) recognizes the significant contributions of 

5 Irish Americans in the history and progress of the 

6 United States; and 

7 (3) supports the full implementation of the 

8 Good Friday Agreement (also known as the Belfast 

9 Agreement) and subsequent agreements or arrangeVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:38 Mar 19, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR552.IS SR552

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1 ments for implementation of that Agreement to sup2 port peace on the island of Ireland. 

Æ 


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