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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
APRIL 3, 1M6.J
Irish in America Lauded in St.
Patrick’s Day Address in Congress
Thirty Minutes Set Aside to Hear Congressman Jeremiah
E. O’Connell of Rhode Island Relate Some of the Contri
tions of the Irish to the History of the Republic
(By N. C. \V. C. News Service.)
Contributions of the Irish race to
the history of the United States
wercj^ marshalled in brilliant array
in a St. Patrick’s Day address de
livered in the House of Representa
tives by Representative JcremlVi
E. O’Connell of Rhode Island.
Representative O'Connell spoke for
thirty minutes, that time having
been allotted him for his subject
by unanimous consent of the House
a week before upon the request of
Representative Tilson of Connecticut.
It was the first time, so far as is
known, that the house has formally
set aside a period for a St. Patrick’s
Day address.
“Today, throughout the whole civ
ilized world, wherever men of Ire
land and their descendants are gath
ered together, the natal day of Ire
land's patron saint is being cele-
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brated,” said Mr. O'Connell. “It is
a fitting tribute to the Irish race
and a splendid .and generous acknow
ledgment of the debt of the United
Slates to lhat world-famed country,
that this House pauses today in its
deliberations and, by the unanimous
consent of my colleagues, permits
me to point out the intimate asso
ciation of Ireland with our own
country and the part it has played ill
our upward progress.”
Asserting that “Ireland lias made
such contributions to human pro
gress as to startle and quicken the
imagination, and even slight reflec
tion will make apparent its influ
ence upon the history of many na
tions,” the speaker said he would,
however, lie forced to confine his
words to the race’s place in Hie his
tory of llie United Slates. He then
traced its services to the nation
since its inception.
“Authentic records show that near
ly ohe-third of Washington’s entire
army was composed of men horn in
Ireland or of Irish parentage,” he
asserted. “John Sullivan of New
Hampshire, son of a Limerick
schoolmaster, started the revolt by
I seizing the fort of William and Mary
I whose storehouses, filled with pow
der, furnished the .ammunition
which charged the guns fired at Bun
ker Hill in Ibe following year. ('.apt.
Jeremiah O’Brien, with his four
brothers, sons of Maurice O’Brien
born in Ireland: made (he first sea
attack on the British off Machias
Bay, Maine, 1775, which James Feni-
more Cooper describes as the ‘Lex
ington of the Seas’ . . . Col. Bar
rett and Capt. Jonas Parker, who
commanded at Concord, were Irish
and there were 258 Irish names
among the roster of those who
fought at Bunker Hilt.
■ “Three brothers of one family
were Colonial governors of Massa
chusetts New Hampshire and Ver
mont. They were of the well known
Sullivan family, members of which
served successively for several gen
erations as Attorney General of New
Hampshire. Matthew Lyon was horn
in Wicklow, Ireland. Serving willj.
Ethan Allen, he assisted in the cap
ture of the British vessels in the
first battle fought oji Lake Champ
lain. Lyon afterwards represented
■ three separate states in the lower
House of Congress—Vcrmonl, Ken
tucky and Arkansas—and east the
deciding vote which made Thomas
Jefferson President of the United
States.
‘ John Barry, born in County Wex
ford, Ireland, is known to the world
as (tie ‘Father of the American Navy.’
His achievements oil tile high seas
have never been surpassed by any
naval commander in the history of
l lie world.
“Eleven of the great Revolutionary
generals were horn in Ireland—Gen
eral Stark, tlie hero of Bennington;
Morgan, Hogan, Greaton, Butler; Sir
Richard Montgomery, who died lie-
fore Quebec; Irvine, Hand, Thomas,
Maxwell and Lewis. Six others were
soils of Irishmen Knox, ‘Mad An
thony,’ Wayne, George Clinton
James Clinton, Reed and Sullivan.
Dr. John Coqhrnn. an Irishman was
appointed by Washington as Sur
geon-General of the Continental
Army General George Clinton was
first Governor of New York, serving
for 21 years, and was afterwards
twice elected Vice President of tlie
United Stales.
“Twelve signers of Ibe Declara
tion of Independence, out of 56 were
of Irish lineage.
“Charles Thompson first Secretary
of tlie Continental Congress, who
prepared the first copy of tlie im
mortal Declaration of Independence,
from a rough draft of Jefferson, was
born in Ireland. John Nixon, who
first read it aloud to tlie assembled
people from tlie steps of the State
House in Philadelphia, was Irish, as
was John Dunlap, who first printed
it. He was the publisher of tlie
‘Pennsylvania Packet,’ the first daily
newspaper published in the United
States, started in 1771.”.
Mr. O'Connell told of the timely
financial assistance rendered the
Revolutionary cause by the Friendly
Sons of SI. Patrick of Philadelphia,
how they raised $300 000 among their
own members for the relief of tlie
starving army at Valley Forge, and
thus possible “iurned defeat into
victory,”
“Washington always recognized
our great debt to the Irish,” he con
tinued, “and on (lie nigiit before
the British evacuated Boston forever
on that memorable 17th of March
150 years ago today, he made ‘St.
Patrick’ the watchword of llie pa
triot lines. On December 18, 1781,
lie was made an honorary member
of Ihe Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
of Philadelphia, and attended many
of the early meetings.
“In the War of 1812, the outstand
ing figures were of Irish birth or
descent. Among them were John
Blakely, Stephen Decatur, Commo
dore Hazard Perry of Newport,
Rhode Island, son of an Irish moth
er; Commodore Thomas McDonough,
who won a decisive victory over the
British fleet at Plattsburg, and
Charles Stewari, ihe famous com
mander of ‘Old Ironsides.’ The last
decisive battle of that war on land
was fought by troops largely of
Irish origin, under Ibe leadership
of Andrew Jackson, later President
of Ihe United States and whose pa
rents were horn in Ireland.”
In the Civil War. tlie speaker
pointed out among Irish leaders of
the Union cause Gen. John A. Lo
gan, "ihe most distinguished volun
teer soldier of the Union,” who ser
ved in the Mexican War, was a hero
of the Civil War, became a Senator
and was a candidate foh Vice Presi
dent; Colonel Keenen who “led the
most desperate cavalry charge of the
war”; Gan Janies Shields, who was
horn in Ireland was a hero of the
Mexican and Civil wars and after
ward an Illinois Supreme Court
judge and a Governor of Oregon,
and at various times represented
three Slates in the Senate—Illinois
Minnesota and Missouri; Brig. Gen.
Thomas Francis Meagher, organizer
and commander of the Irish Bri
gade; General Kelly, later comman
der of the Brigade; Gen. Philip H.
Sheridan, “rated by Gen. Grant as
one of the most capable and fear
less leaders of all time and placed
in the same list as Napoleon”; Ad
miral Porter, who at the close of the
war held tlie highest command in
the Navy; and Admiral Rowan, who
was born in Ireland and was "the
second highest in command.
No fewer than 150,000 Union sol
diers in the Civil War were natives
of Ireland, and those of Irish des
cent numbered several hundred
thousand more, said Mr. O'Connell,
lie told of the brilliant exploits ol
the Irish Brigade, which bore the
green flag of Ireland into battle
besides the Stars and Stripes and
whose motto was “No Retreat”; and
of the blessing of the Brigade be
fore Gettysburg by father Corby,
its chaplain, /one of the most color
ful incidents of the great struggle.
Many who fought valiantly for the
South also were of Irish blood, tlie
speaker continued, citing whole Irish
companies in the Georgia Brigade.
“Stonewall” Jackson himself was of
Irish blood, and Gen, Patrick R Cle
burne, who was conspicuous for bis
valor, was born in Ireland, he said.
He told also of the service of the
beloved war noet of the South, Fa
ther Abram J. Ryan.
“Not alone' in tlie field of war but
in the more fruitful paths of peace
did the Irish in America excel,” he
continued. “A mere recital of their
names would fill a v olume. In sculp
ture I might mention Augustus St.
Gaudens one of the greatest sculpt
ors of modern times, who was born
in Dublin; in law Thomas Addis
Emmet. ‘Joseph McKenna, former At
torney General of the United States
and at present a retired Associate
Justice of the United States Su
preme Court, and Morgan J. O’Brien
of New York; in politics and in the
field of oratory, John Caldwell Cal
houn, of South Carolina, whose fa
ther, Patrick Calhoun, was horn in
Donegal, Ireland; in business affairs
the Cudahy brothers of Chicago,
William A. Clark and Marcus Daly
of Montana; in finance Thomas F.
Ryan and James J. Hill, the great
railroad builder and magnate, both
sons of Irishmen; Anthony N. Brady
and James A.-Farrell, president of
the United Stales Steel Corporation
And who has not been charmed by
the operas of (he late Victor Her
bert? Who has forgotten the match
less eloquence of the great W.
Bourkc Cochran, whose voice which
so often resounded through these
verV halls and charmed, captivated
anil held his auditors spell-bound
and enthralled, was stilled forever
three years ago this very month?
“Among the Presidents whose ar
ccstors came from Erin’s Isle were
Andrew Jackson. James Buchanan
Arthur, Polk, McKinley and Wilson
whose paternal grandfather and
grandmother were both horn in Iri-j
land.
“The Erie Canal and aqueductsj
to supply the City of New York were
projected by Christopher Colics, are
Irish immigrant. Robert Fulton, in-:
ventor of the steamboat: Morse, in-1
vent or of the electric telegraph, and
Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the
reaping and mowing machine, were
of Irish lineage, and John P. Hol-j
land, the inventor of the Submarine,
torpedo boat, was born in County,
Clare, Ireland. The statue of Armed
Liberty surmounting the dome of
Ihe Capitol here in Washington, and
the bronze doors which adorn the
facade of the same building, are the
work of llie Irish sculptor, Thomas’
Crawford. The plans for llie con,
struct ion of the White House were
drawn liy James Noban. a young
Irishman, and his plans were select
ed in competition with many others
submitted hv the best architects of]
the country.”
“I can say without hesitancy or
fear of contradiction,” he concluded,]
“that, there are no more loyal cilH
zens today,, in this great, golden land
of opportunity, the mightiest ana
most glorious nation in the world]
than these who trace their ancestry
to the little green Isle of Erin. Thcrl
is no divided allegiance to any pawl
er, foreign or domestic, temporal o|
ecclesiastical. They are first, lasa
and always devoted and loyal cili-j
zens of the United Slates of Ann-!
rica, Ihe greatest nation ever, known!
to man and this allegiance will al-j
ways he their proudest, boast.
"As they helped lo build her upj
to keep her, to preserve her in thtr
past, so shall they serve her in the
future, faithful to her institutions’
proud of her history, cherishing he?
ideals and with abiding faith in her
noble destiny,”
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