res24147

R 147

2024 -- H 8067
Enacted 03/14/2024

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING ST. PATRICK’S DAY AND THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND IRELAND

Introduced By: Representatives Kennedy, Fogarty, McNamara, Edwards, Slater, Shanley, O'Brien, Chippendale, Shekarchi, and Blazejewski

Date Introduced: March 14, 2024

WHEREAS, On March 17th, during the annual celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick,

the Patron Saint of Ireland, Irish Americans join with people of all ethnic origins who, for one

day, are considered honorary citizens of Ireland as they celebrate Saint Patrick and a love of all

things Irish; and

WHEREAS, Wielding the devotion of his faith like a great sword of righteousness, and

using the strength of his intellect and the power of his passions, Saint Patrick assimilated the

ancient pagan Irish myths into a Christian message, and in so doing, converted all of Ireland to

Christianity during his lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Irish immigrants to Rhode Island helped to form the cultural foundation of

our State, and Rhode Islanders of Irish lineage today proudly sing of their roots in Ballinamore

and Ballinasloe, in Ennistymon and Enniscorthy, in Cahirciveen and Castlebarr, and in

Skibbereen and Skerries; and

WHEREAS, The songs of Ireland are the tragic songs of love and the joyous songs of

battle: the nostalgic reveries of the sorrows and the glories that are the Emerald Isle; and the

lamentations of life's myriad travails and the odes to joy and the life eternal; and

WHEREAS, A century ago, in October of 1924, Ireland formally opened diplomatic

relations with the United States of America when Timothy Smiddy presented his credentials to

President Calvin Coolidge. Following the Irish people’s long and painful struggle for

independence, the U.S. was one of the first nations to recognize the fledgling Irish state earlier

that year, and when Smiddy emerged from the White House, he had become Ireland’s first

Ambassador to any country in the World; and

WHEREAS, It was very appropriate that Ireland’s first representative overseas should be

dispatched to Washington D.C. for, while 1924 marked the beginning of formal diplomatic

relations, the deep Irish American connection dated back centuries; and

WHEREAS, Today, nearly one tenth of Americans identify as being of Irish ancestry.

Irish immigrants helped build the America we know today, not only the physical infrastructure -

the skyscrapers of Manhattan or the transcontinental railroad-but also the political construct that

is America. Irish people have made an enormous contribution to public debate and politics in

America, from their local communities right up to the White House; and

WHEREAS, More than twenty American Presidents claimed some Irish ancestry. But the

influence of Irish America extends well beyond the Oval Office and the Capitol Building, to

every state within the Union, most evident by the significant number of state legislators within the

American Ireland State Legislators Caucus, which is open to everyone of Irish Heritage and those

who are supporters of Ireland; and

WHEREAS, Since Timothy Smiddy’s momentous audience in the Oval Office 100 years

ago, a further eighteen Irish Ambassadors have presented credentials to U.S. Presidents. Over this

time, Ireland’s relations with the United States have evolved significantly. From an impoverished

and internationally isolated state, scarred by years of conflict, Ireland has transformed over the

past century. Ireland today is at peace, economically prosperous and culturally vibrant; and

WHEREAS, This transformation is due to the support of friends in the United States,

from the crucial role America played in brokering peace in Northern Ireland – culminating with

the 1998 Good Friday Agreement– to the huge American economic investment in Ireland; and

WHEREAS, There are almost one thousand US companies in Ireland, employing over

two hundred thousand people directly. Our economic relationship is truly two-way; some one

hundred thousand people are employed in the U.S. by over 650 Irish-owned companies, across all

fifty states. Indeed, Ireland is now the ninth largest source of foreign direct investment in the US;

and

WHEREAS, The US-Irish relationship is a shining example of how ancestral ties,

historical connections, cultural affinities, and shared values can create a foundation for enduring

partnership and mutual prosperity. Irish American state legislators across the United States are

playing a vitally important role in fostering this partnership and ensuring that it continues and

flourishes for another century to come; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

celebrates St. Patrick’s Day and the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic

relations between the United States of America and Ireland; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to The Chair of the American Irish State

Legislators Caucus, Senator Mark Daly, the 24th Chair of the Senate of Ireland and to the

National Co-Chairs listed below; Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island;

Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, New Jersey; Assemblyman Robin Vos, Wisconsin; Senator

Shannon O’Brien, Montana; Assemblyman James Gallagher; California; the Honorable Fran

Hurley, Illinois; Representative Killian Timoney, Kentucky; Senator Wayne Harper, Utah;

Representative Bridget Walsh Moore, Missouri; and the Honorable Mia Costello, Alaska.

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LC005452

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