Obama Proclaimed Irish American Heritage Month



Obama Proclaimed Irish American Heritage Month Find more genealogy blogs at FamilyTree.comMarch is the month in which St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. Many towns and cities have parades. Typically, the celebration happens on March 17th, but it is not unheard of for people hold a St. Patrick’s Day parade on the weekend before or after that date. In 2016, President Obama proclaimed March to be Irish-American Heritage Month.

St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th. It is a Catholic Saint’s Day that honors St. Patrick. He is the patron saint of Ireland and he died on March 17th in the year 461.

While some people in the United States celebrate St. Patrick’s day by going to church, the majority of people celebrate the holiday with a parade. People wear green clothing. Some make Irish soda bread. Adults drink Guinness, Harp, or other alcohol manufactured in Ireland. People rush to McDonald’s in the hopes of obtaining the elusive Shamrock Shake before they run out.

March has unofficially been considered to be Irish American Heritage Month for quite some time now. President Obama made it official with a Presidential Proclamation on February 29, 2016. Part of his statement that went along with the Proclamation said:

“As we celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month, we recognize the Irish people’s contributions to our country’s dynamism, and we reaffirm the friendship and family ties between our two nations. For centuries, sons and daughters of Erin have come to America’s shores, adding to our rich vibrancy and putting their full hearts into everything they do. From building our country’s cities as preeminent architects and earnest laborers to building our national character as people of great joy and cherished culture, Irish Americans have endured intolerance and discrimination to find a place for themselves and their children here in the United States. While remembering the great Irish Americans of the past, we celebrate what forms the foundation of the lasting Irish-American story — a shared embrace of hard work and humility, fairness and dignity, and a mutual quest to secure a freer and more peaceful future.”

“Today, the United States and Ireland enjoy a thriving and cooperative bond buoyed by a strong legacy of exchanges between our peoples. During Irish-American Heritage Month, let us pay tribute to the extraordinary mark Irish Americans have made on our Nation, and let us look forward to continued collaboration, friendship, and partnership between our countries.”

The proclamation officially designates March as Irish-American Heritage Month. President Obama called upon all Americans to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

President Obama himself has Irish heritage. He is a descendant of a man named Falmouth Kearney who lived in Moneygall. Obama’s Irish heritage comes from his mother’s side.

Image by Paul Sableman on Flickr.

Related Articles on FamilyTree.com:

* John Punch / Bunch – Obama’s Kin

* Got That Irish Feeling?

* Irish Genealogy Tookbox

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