2024 -- S 2792 | |
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LC005757 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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S E N A T 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 | |
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Introduced By: Senators Burke, McKenney, Murray, Euer, F. Lombardi, E Morgan, | |
Date Introduced: March 19, 2024 | |
Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration | |
1 | WHEREAS, On March 17th, during the annual celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick, |
2 | the Patron Saint of Ireland, Irish Americans join with people of all ethnic origins who, for one |
3 | day, are considered honorary citizens of Ireland as they celebrate Saint Patrick and a love of all |
4 | things Irish; and |
5 | WHEREAS, Wielding the devotion of his faith like a great sword of righteousness, and |
6 | using the strength of his intellect and the power of his passions, Saint Patrick assimilated the |
7 | ancient pagan Irish myths into a Christian message, and in so doing, converted all of Ireland to |
8 | Christianity during his lifetime; and |
9 | WHEREAS, Irish immigrants to Rhode Island helped to form the cultural foundation of |
10 | our State, and Rhode Islanders of Irish lineage today proudly sing of their roots in Ballinamore |
11 | and Ballinasloe, in Ennistymon and Enniscorthy, in Cahirciveen and Castlebarr, and in |
12 | Skibbereen and Skerries; and |
13 | WHEREAS, The songs of Ireland are the tragic songs of love and the joyous songs of |
14 | battle: the nostalgic reveries of the sorrows and the glories that are the Emerald Isle; and the |
15 | lamentations of life's myriad travails and the odes to joy and the life eternal; and |
16 | WHEREAS, A century ago, in October of 1924, Ireland formally opened diplomatic |
17 | relations with the United States of America when Timothy Smiddy presented his credentials to |
18 | President Calvin Coolidge. Following the Irish people’s long and painful struggle for |
19 | independence, the U.S. was one of the first nations to recognize the fledgling Irish state earlier |
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1 | that year, and when Smiddy emerged from the White House, he had become Ireland’s first |
2 | Ambassador to any country in the World; and |
3 | WHEREAS, It was very appropriate that Ireland’s first representative overseas should be |
4 | dispatched to Washington D.C. for, while 1924 marked the beginning of formal diplomatic |
5 | relations, the deep Irish American connection dated back centuries; and |
6 | WHEREAS, Today, nearly one tenth of Americans identify as being of Irish ancestry. |
7 | Irish immigrants helped build the America we know today, not only the physical infrastructure - |
8 | the skyscrapers of Manhattan or the transcontinental railroad-but also the political construct that |
9 | is America. Irish people have made an enormous contribution to public debate and politics in |
10 | America, from their local communities right up to the White House; and |
11 | WHEREAS, More than twenty American Presidents claimed some Irish ancestry. But the |
12 | influence of Irish America extends well beyond the Oval Office and the Capitol Building, to |
13 | every state within the Union, most evident by the significant number of state legislators within the |
14 | American Ireland State Legislators Caucus, which is open to everyone of Irish Heritage and those |
15 | who are supporters of Ireland; and |
16 | WHEREAS, Since Timothy Smiddy’s momentous audience in the Oval Office 100 years |
17 | ago, a further eighteen Irish Ambassadors have presented credentials to U.S. Presidents. Over this |
18 | time, Ireland’s relations with the United States have evolved significantly. From an impoverished |
19 | and internationally isolated state, scarred by years of conflict, Ireland has transformed over the |
20 | past century. Ireland today is at peace, economically prosperous and culturally vibrant; and |
21 | WHEREAS, This transformation is due to the support of friends in the United States, |
22 | from the crucial role America played in brokering peace in Northern Ireland – culminating with |
23 | the 1998 Good Friday Agreement– to the huge American economic investment in Ireland; and |
24 | WHEREAS, There are almost one thousand US companies in Ireland, employing over |
25 | two hundred thousand people directly. Our economic relationship is truly two-way; some one |
26 | hundred thousand people are employed in the U.S. by over 650 Irish-owned companies, across all |
27 | fifty states. Indeed, Ireland is now the ninth largest source of foreign direct investment in the US; |
28 | and |
29 | WHEREAS, The US-Irish relationship is a shining example of how ancestral ties, |
30 | historical connections, cultural affinities, and shared values can create a foundation for enduring |
31 | partnership and mutual prosperity. Irish American state legislators across the United States are |
32 | playing a vitally important role in fostering this partnership and ensuring that it continues and |
33 | flourishes for another century to come; now, therefore be it |
34 | RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby celebrates St. Patrick’s |
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1 | Day and the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United |
2 | States of America and Ireland; and be it further |
3 | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
4 | transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to The Chair of the American Irish State |
5 | Legislators Caucus, Senator Mark Daly, the 24th Chair of the Senate of Ireland and to the |
6 | National Co-Chairs listed below; Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island; |
7 | Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, New Jersey; Assemblyman Robin Vos, Wisconsin; Senator |
8 | Shannon O’Brien, Montana; Assemblyman James Gallagher; California; the Honorable Fran |
9 | Hurley, Illinois; Representative Killian Timoney, Kentucky; Senator Wayne Harper, Utah; |
10 | Representative Bridget Walsh Moore, Missouri; and the Honorable Mia Costello, Alaska. |
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LC005757 | |
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