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karen-anti-r-cml · 1 year

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April 24, 2023: Rep Zooey Zephyr, Montana State Democratic Representative who just happens to be a Transgender Woman has been Forbidden from Participating in Debates by republican-confederate maga loyalist for 3 Days in a row

This is not simply R-CML talking over Her or ignoring Her

The R-CML Voted for a 3rd Time to Continue Subjecting Zephyr to a Gag Order, Denying Her the chance To Speak.

But

This time Her Supporters were there and They Started Chanting “Let Her Speak!” from the Gallery.

It's important to note Her Supporters Who Were There, Were the PEOPLE of Montana who just Elected Her to Represent Them, Not Only in D.C., but also In Montana.

The republican-confederate maga loyalist Led House Denied PEOPLE OF MONTANA THEIR VOICE!!!

One CBS reporter wrote the PEOPLE'S Voices Were "Forcing legislative leaders [R-CML] to pause proceedings and clear the room."

But

Were the PEOPLE the cause, or was it a Group of FASCIST Silencing the Voices of PEOPLE Who Disagree With Them?

The PEOPLE Came to the House Peacefully, to Hear Their Representative Speak on Matters Important to Them.

The Democratic Way, Would've Been to Hear the Voice of the PEOPLE, Not to Send Armed Law Enforcement to Force The PEOPLE Out and Silence Their Voices

But

The R-CML Did Send Armed Law Enforcement To the Gallery Above the House Floor to Force Out PEOPLE Standing and Chanting "LET HER SPEAK"

Seven, 7 PEOPLE Who Disagreed With the R-CML were Arrested for Criminal Trespass, Criminal Trespass For Chanting.

Sheriff Leo C. Dutton said. The PEOPLE Arrested were going to be booked and released.

Before the House Session began there was a Peaceful Rally to Show Support for Rep Zooey Zephyr

The Capital Statue behind Her Supporter is Interesting to me, because it's depicting Union Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish Immigrant who was a Famous Revolutionary in Ireland and a Loyal United States Citizen During The Civil War.

January 1847: Meagher, John Mitchel, William Smith O'Brien, and Thomas Devin Reilly formed The Irish Confederation.

The Irish Confederation was for a National Parliament with Full Legislative and Executive Powers. The Founding was based on Principles of Freedom, Tolerance and Truth

Their goal was Independence for the Irish Nation from Britain and they held to any means to achieve that which were consistent with Honor, Morality and Reason.

July 1848: After a failed Rebellion that end The Irish Confederation Meagher Escaped, Came to the U.S. and Became a U.S. Citizen

His Reason Given for Loyalty to the United States During the Civil War...

"It is not only our duty to America, but also to Ireland. We Could Not Hope to Succeed in our effort To Make Ireland a Republic Without the Moral and Material Support of the Liberty-Loving Citizens Of These United States."

Meagher had supported the South, but disagreed over the issue of slavery.

The republican-confederate maga loyalist seem to have Nothing I Common With Thomas Francis Meagher

`1/

"Montana transgender lawmaker silenced again, backers protest"

"Montana transgender lawmaker silenced for third day; protesters interrupt House proceedings"

"Thomas Francis Meagher"

"Union Brigadier General/Politician Thomas Francis Meagher"

#human rights #transgender rights #Women's Rights #Rep Zooey Zephyr #United States of America #republican-confederate maga loyalist #republican traitors

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quicksiluers · 3 years

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Organized in 1861 shortly after First Bull Run, The Irish Brigade’s nucleus was the 63d, 69th, and 88th New York Infantry. In the fall of 1862 the 28th Massachusetts and the 116th Pennsylvania were added, and the 29th Massachusetts served with it for a short time. It saw action in the Peninsular Campaign, at Antietam, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Cedar Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, in the 1st Division of the II Corps. Reorganized in November 1864, with the 7th New York Heavy Artillery replacing the 116th Pennsylvania, it was by then no longer the old organization and certainly could not be truthfully designated the Irish Brigade. It had suffered over 4,000 casualties in killed and wounded, a total which exceeded the number of men enrolled in it at any given time.

Of the five men who commanded the Irish Brigade, three were killed and the other two wounded. Colonel Richard Byrne was mortally wounded at Cold Harbor; Colonel Patrick Kelly was killed at Petersburg; Major General Thomas A. Smyth died at Farmville; and Brigadier Generals Robert Nugent and Thomas Meagher were both wounded.

The most colorful and flamboyant of its leaders was the original commander and organizer, General Thomas Francis Meagher. Born in County Waterford, Ireland in 1823, he was described as ‘the counterpart of some rash, impolitic, poetic personage from Irish poetry or fiction.’ Son of a wealthy merchant, he was an active disciple of Irish liberty and participated in the various independence movements. In 1845 the British exiled him to Tasmania. Three years later he escaped and eventually made his way to New York City. At various times a lawyer, lecturer, newspaper editor, and politician, his flaming oratory had made him a favorite of the ‘Young Ireland’ group and he soon became the political leader of the Irish element in New York. At the outbreak of the Civil War he raised a Zouave company and commanded it at First Bull Run as part of the 69th New York State Militia. That winter he organized the Irish Brigade and President Lincoln appointed him brigadier general of Volunteers in February 1862. (x)

The Fighting 69th by Mort Kunstler (x)

Fight’n Irish by Dale Gallon (x)

Raise the Colors and Follow Me! by Mort Kunstler (x)

Clear the Way by Don Troiani (x)

#american civil war #us civil war #mort künstler #dale gallon #don troiani #history #acw #i'd recommend the article i linked cause it's really good #i was thinking of maybe just posting and meagher but i like a lot of paintings that include the irish brigade #so i thought it was a good time today lol

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lukenneally-blog · 5 years

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He became the son of Calpornius

who served as the deacon of the metropolis of Bannavern Taburniae. St. Patrick got here from a rich circle of relatives so he by no means had struggles while developing up. In fact, the young St. Patrick grew up to be a wild Youngman, who "did now not recognize the proper God."

He grew up looking to be unbiased and oftentimes wandered far from the group. This made him an easy target of Irish pirates and resulted to his abduction wherein turned into introduced to Ireland. Study in Ireland It changed into in Ireland wherein St. Patrick remained as captive for a duration of six years. During that time, slavery turned into common and human rights had been never heard of. Hence, St. Patrick experienced heavy exertions being a slave. He survived the tough life he had in Ireland with the aid of turning to religion.

St. Patrick worked as a shepherd for his Master and most of his solitude time became spent wondering that his past mistakes lead him to come to be a slave consequently he needed repentance. He quickly learned to say hundred of prayers every morning and every night.

He was capable of get away Ireland and went lower back to his homeland. St. Patrick then determined to emerge as a clergyman and studied in France. After becoming a clergyman, he heard a voice telling him to go returned to Ireland. The subsequent 30 years of his lifestyles changed into spent in Ireland where he helped in constructing several churches, monasteries, and faculties in Ireland. He died on March 17 461, that's now being celebrated as St. Patrick's Day, a country wide vacation in Ireland.

Thomas Francis Meagher become born in 1823 in Waterford, Ireland. He turned into knowledgeable at Clongowes Wood College, Co. Kildare and Stoneyhurst College, Lancashire, England. In 1844 he moved to Dublin with the aim of studying for the bar however he instead have become involved in Daniel O'Connell's Repeal Association. With his eloquent oration he became a famous parent in Dublin, his speeches ensured crowded halls wherever he went.

Meagher and different individuals of the Repeal Association who wrote for The Nation became called the Young Irelanders. In January 1847, Meagher, collectively with John Mitchel, William Smith O'Brien and Thomas Devin O'Reilly shaped a brand new repeal association referred to as the Irish Confederation. The following year, Meagher and O'Brien went to France to have a look at progressive occasions there and they back with the tricolour of green, white and gold which forms the basis of the Irish flag to the prevailing day. Influenced by means of events in France and the suspension of habeas corpus in Ireland, the Young Irelanders organised a failed rebellion. Meagher, Terence MacManus, O'Brien and Patrick O'Donoghue have been arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. However because of public and international pressure the sentences had been commuted to transportation to Van Diemens Land, Tasmania, Australia. Meagher escaped to america in 1852, settling in New York City where he founded two newspapers the Irish News and the Citizen.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Meagher joined the Union Army, recruiting a full company of infantrymen to be connected to the 69th U.S. Infantry Regiment. Meagher become appointed Major and led the regiment into their first engagement on the First Battle of Bull Run in which he was wounded. He again to New York and fashioned the Irish Brigade which he led with the rank of brigadier general inside the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. After the struggle Meagher became appointed as Governor of the new Territory of Montana. In the summer season of 1867, even as journeying at the Missouri River, Meagher fell overboard, his body turned into in no way recovered. There is a first-class statue of Meagher on horseback with sword raised in his domestic metropolis of Waterford, Ireland.

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jjkenny10 · 3 years

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Thomas Francis Meagher was born in Waterford in 1823. He joined the abortive Tipperary uprising with Smith O’Brien in 1848. He was captured and sentenced to hang, but was reprieved and sentenced to life in the penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land. He helped to plan the escape, to New York of John Mitchel. He practiced as a lawyer in the United States courts. In the American Civil War, he was commissioned a Brigadier-General of Volunteers in the New York 69th Union Army.

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rosesfromtheheart · 7 years

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Grave of baby Henry Emmet Fitzgerald O'Meagher - who died when only 4 months old 8 June 1852. Bonnet is a special symbolic tribute to Henry's brief life. The drawing is one of a series on the Meagher family that I organised with staff and students at the nearby St John's Catholic School. Henry O'Meagher's mother Catherine Bennett/ Meagher is buried at the Faithlegg Cemetery, Waterford. Catherine and her husband Thomas Francis Meagher's second son, Thomas Bennett Meagher, is buried in the Manila North Cemetery. He died in the Philippines in 1909. Thomas Francis Meagher remarried after Catherine's death. His second wife Elizabeth Townsend died in 1906. She had no children. Thomas Francis Meagher was last heard of on 1 July 1867 when it is believed he disappeared on the Missouri River. To date no proof of his body being found has surfaced. In 2008 a headstone for Thomas Francis Meagher was erected alongside Elizabeth Townsend's grave. (Refer: Waterford Harbour tides'n'tales blog). It would be special to see something in memory of Thomas Meagher's life erected in the Faithlegg cemetery. Thomas early life in Ireland is significant. Born in the present day Granville Hotel historic building and having raised the tri-colour flag at 33 The Mall, Waterford Thomas Francis Meagher is well recognised as 'Waterford's son'. His father Thomas Meagher was the first post-reformation Catholic Mayor of Waterford in 1843, re-elected (1844-1846) and then member of Parliament - MP for Waterford (1847-1857). Thomas Francis Meagher's mother Alicia Quan was the daughter of an established merchant. Surely this Irish Patriot, leader of the Young Irelanders, who spent time in Van Diemen's Land, eventually becoming Brigadier -General in America and acting Governor of Montana Territory deserves a plaque and seat alongside the family vault where his much loved first wife lies interned with other Meagher family members. On my recent visit to the Faithlegg Cemetery I was struck that Catherine Bennet is buried with her husband's family but her two sons are buried elsewhere and her husband Thomas has a plaque beside his second wife yet his first wife lies in Thomas's home town with no tangible remembrance symbolising his life near the family vault and Catherine. A seat in his honour would be an admirable gift.

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strictlyfavorites · 7 years

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69th New York “Irish Brigade”

During the American Civil War, there were a handful of units on both sides that gained a reputation as being elite units, among the bravest, toughest, and fiercest of the army. The Iron Brigade for example, has a reputation as the best unit of the whole Civil War. Another unit to earn such a distinction was the Irish Brigade, consisting of Irish immigrants and composed of the 69th, 88th, and 63rd New York Volunteer Regiments. The Irish Brigade was commanded by Brigadier Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, who was born in Ireland but had to flee to America because he was a participant in the failed Revolution of 1848 against the British.

The courage and tenacity of the Irish Brigade began at the Battle of Bull Run AKA Manasas when it was one of the few units that didn’t break and run when the Confederates gained the upper hand. Holding firm, the Irish Brigade formed an effective rear guard, holding off the entire Army of Virginia while the Army of the Potomac fled in panic, thus averting a major military disaster for the Union. Throughout the rest of the war, the Irish Brigade was often employed as elite shock troops, either forming the spearhead of Union assaults or being employed in desperate rear guard actions as the Union Army retreated. The big problem with being an elite unit is that elite units suffer disproportionate casualties. The Irish Brigade was no exception. Originally the Irish Brigade originally consisted of around 2,000 - 2,500 men. When the unit was disbanded, it had less than 600 men.

Much of the Irish Brigade’s woes stemmed from the fact that they were armed with Model 1842 Springfield muskets which were smoothbores. Gen. Meagher insisted on the smoothbore muskets because then they could be loaded with buck and ball unlike a rifled musket. Instead of a single bullet, the musket was loaded with a .69 caliber ball and 4 to 8 pieces of .30 caliber buckshot, thus turning the musket in a shotgun. The problem with this was that their muskets had limited range, no more than 50 - 100 yards. When advancing against enemies armed with rifled muskets, which had a range of several hundred yards, the brigade would suffer horrific casualties. However, once in range, a volley from the Brigade would be devastating. Due to the casualties and loss of manpower, the Irish Brigade was disbanded in June of 1864, them men reassigned to other units.

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birchleo1-blog · 6 years

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Brownstone to 1920's Gothic - 125-127 Fifth Avenue

Almost unbelievably, the neo-Gothic commercial building is the result of the remodeling of two 19th century rowhouses.

By the middle of the 19th century imposing homes of Manhattan's wealthiest citizens were creeping up Fifth Avenue towards 23rd Street. In 1850 mason Joseph Sanford embarked on an ambitious project of constructing five speculative dwellings on the east side of Fifth Avenue, between 19th and 20th Streets.

Even before construction was completed in 1851 Sanford had sold No. 127 to commercial banker John B. Murray. No. 125 was sold later that year to portrait painter and miniaturist Thomas Seir Cummings. The esteemed artist held the posts of vice-president and treasurer of the National Academy of Design.

Thomas S. Cummings, from the collection of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art

Cummings' wife, Rebecca, was an amateur artist. The couple had three children, sons Charles and Thomas Augustus--also artists--and daughter Cora. The population of the house was reduced by one following Cora's fashionable wedding to Lemuel W. Morse in Trinity Chapel on January 7, 1863.

The Cummings' next door neighbors would have an impressive house guest later that year. Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher recruited and led the Irish Brigade and was highly responsible for the large numbers of Irish immigrants who led support to the Union. When he briefly visited New York in the summer of 1863 he stayed with the Murray family at No. 127.

Dr. James Chilton purchased No. 125 from Cummings in 1857. Like many physicians, he was also listed as "chemist," or pharmacist. Chilton died in 1869, but his wife, Mary, continued to live on in the house.

Mary Chilton was no doubt unnerved when an intruder was found hiding in the house in the summer of 1870. Thomas Harris, whom The New York Times described as "a mulatto lad," pleaded guilty to the charge of grand larceny, Judge Thomas Harris was not pleased with the charges. At Harris's sentencing on August 2, he told the prisoner in part:

The Grand Jury, I regret to say, made a mistake in not indicting you for burglary. Had you been indicted for that offence and convicted, I should sentence you to twenty years in the State Prison. I wish the lawless portion of this community to understand that hereafter [I] will hold that any man found concealed in a dwelling-house for burglarious purposes...on conviction will be sentenced to twenty years.

Only two months later it was the Murray house that was burglarized in the same manner. On October 7, 1870 The New York Times reported "On Wednesday night the residence of Mr. John B. Murray...was robbed by a thief who had secreted himself in the house during the day, and left by the front basement door."

What was utterly amazing was the boldness of the thief. Because Rebecca Murray was seriously ill, "the house was lighted from top to bottom all night," according to the newspaper. "Every room was occupied and every room door wide open, and the nurses passing from room to room, as in the day-time." Nevertheless, the thief tried hard to jimmy open the safe containing the silverware (although he finally gave up), and made off with "large sum of money, a chronometer watch...and a quantity of clothing and jewelry." The Times concluded "The audacity of the thief is remarkable."

After living at No. 127 for more than 25 years, Murray lost it in foreclosure in 1878. It was acquired by millionaire Robert Livingston, who did not live in the house, but leased it. His first tenant was the newly-wed lawyer Robert C. Fellows, who had married Mrs. Phoebe Robertson on February 28 that year. The marriage would give the attorney serious headaches.

Phoebe had not only neglected to mention that her former husband was not dead; but that they were not yet divorced. A complex tangle of legalities followed. Fellows left Phoebe and filed for annulment; and Phoebe briefly returned to her former husband but when he died in the summer of 1879, she and Fellows remarried. The two were still in court in 1880, however, when they battled over whether or not to continue the original annulment proceedings.

While they tried to explain it all to a judge, Mary Chilton was in the process of selling No. 125. By now commercial interests were inching up the avenue and before long the ground floors of both houses were converted for business purposes. In 1881 the society dressmaker and costumer T. W. Lanouette opened her shop in No. 125 and lived upstairs.

Simultaneously, real estate operator brothers Max and Moses Ottinger purchased No. 127 on March 21, 1881 for $44,500--just over $1 million today. The ground floor shop became home to Edward Favier's European art gallery. The upscale nature of his business was evidenced when his gallery was robbed by "two well-dressed young men" in February 1883. The men admired several paintings, including a small piece by Eugene Fichel which was temporarily out of its frame. Favier had it priced at over $12,500 in today's money. After they browsed and promised to come back to buy another painting, the Fichel work was discovered to be missing.

Small businesses eventually took over the upper floors of both houses. In 1894 Herman Bergdorf and Herman Voight opened their tailoring and fur shop in No. 125. The building was almost demolished in 1903, after Bergdorf hired Alfred Zucker to design an 11-story store and loft building on the site. The plans, filed in December 1903, projected the cost at $132,000. But for some reason Bergdorf changed his mind. In April 1903 he sold the building, which continued to house shops and offices.

The Evening World October 4, 1904 (copyright expired)

On February 4, 1921 the Domestic Lunch Corporation signed a lease for both buildings. The company no doubt intended to remodel the ground floors into a spacious luncheonette. But, like Benjamin Bergdorf, it quickly changed course. Three months later The New York Times reported it had sold its lease to the Shapanka Realty Corporation. "The new lessee will erect a new five-story and basement building with an elevator at a cost of $50,000," the article noted.

Three of the original row remained when this photograph was snapped. Nos. 125 and 127 are the two at left. from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

If, indeed, Shapanka Realty intended to demolish the old converted houses, it never happened. Instead architect Irving Margon stripped off the facades and rearranged the interiors to create a business building behind a 1920's take on neo-Gothic architecture.

Nestled among tall loft buildings, the joined buildings retained their original height and proportions. Each address contained a storefront at ground floor, separated by the entrance to the upper floors. Entire clad in terra cotta, the spandrel panels between each floor featured Gothic quattrefoils. The parapet, decorated with blind arches and ornamental carvings, sprouted Gothic pinnacles topped with crockets.

The store of No. 125 was home to I. & H. Gold, Inc. men's clothing; followed by the United Balloon Company in 1938. W. R. Price, Inc., toys and maps, moved into No. 127 in 1922. The upper floors were leased as offices until 1929, when they were converted to permit light manufacturing.

The ever-changing Fifth Avenue saw The Mask, a children's theater, in the building in the 1960's and early '70's, followed by China Books and Periodicals in 1972. It remained through the 1980's.

The 21st century brought expected updates, like replacement windows and a remodeled storefront. But on the whole Irving Margon's 1921-22 makeover is intact. That the bones of the combined buildings date back to lavish 1850's residences is impossible to detect.

photographs by the author

Source: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2018/12/brownstone-to-1920s-gothic-125-127.html

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chpatdoorsl3z0a1 · 8 years

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Remarks by the Vice President to the American Ireland Fund National Gala

The National Building Museum Washington, D.C.

8:20 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.

Taoiseach, Fionnuola, Ambassador Anne Anderson, John Fitzpatrick, Kieran, Senator Mitchell, members of Congress, and distinguished guests, it is hard to describe what a privilege it is for me and my family to join you here tonight for the American Ireland Fund’s 25th Silver Anniversary National Gala. Thank you for having us tonight. (Applause.)

I bring greetings tonight from my friend, the leader of the free world, the 45th President of the United States, and to the Taoiseach I would say, as he’ll find out, a guy who likes to play golf in Ireland, President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

The President asked me to give everyone his greetings and his best wishes tonight. And also our hope is that my presence here tonight is a visible sign of America’s enduring friendship with Ireland and all her people.

You know, I actually received the invitation to be here tonight nearly two months before the President and I were sworn in for these offices of ours. It was one of the very first invitations I received after the election, and I’m humbled to say, it was the first one that I accepted. And I’m honored and privileged to be here tonight. (Applause.)

Tonight is really a family affair. It’s been said before from this podium this evening. I can tell you it feels that way to our family, and it’s a joy for me tonight to be joined by my wife of 31 years and our new Second Lady, Karen Pence. (Applause.)

Karen and I are also delighted to be joined tonight by our Irish daughter Charlotte Rose. (Applause.) And my Irish sisters, Annie and Mary, traveled from far across the country to be with us tonight. And if there weren’t all these inches of snow, Mr. Taoiseach, I can assure my mother, 83 years young, red hair, crystal blue eyes, would still be here. But I know she’s smiling. (Applause.)

This really does feel more like a homecoming for us, too, to be honest with you. And I’ll talk about that on a personal level a little bit later.

It is my privilege to be here tonight on behalf of the President of the United States to address the American Ireland Fund. Since its founding in 1976, the fund and its sister organizations have raised a remarkable $550 million dollars to support peace, prosperity, and cultural accomplishment on the Emerald Isle. That's a staggering amount of generosity, as we've already heard before. Ireland, and all who call it home, have benefited tremendously from the generosity of you who are gathered here tonight and all who have gone before.

And that’s worth dwelling on. There’s a reason why so many in this room -- and in this country -- have been so generous towards Ireland. We may be separated by an ocean, but the American people have always been bound by a kinship to the Irish people, and we always will. (Applause.)

The bond between the people of America and the people of Ireland stretches back into the mists of American history. Drawn by the promise of this brave new world, the sons and daughters of Ireland began leaving their land for ours as far back as the 17th century. They came here, one by one, or sometimes in small bands. But what they lacked in numbers, we already heard tonight, they more than made up in courage.

Irish immigrants and their descendants became proud patriots in America. Thousands fought for their adopted homeland -- and the timeless ideals we hold dear -- in our Revolutionary War. No fewer than nine, as you've already heard, signers of the Declaration of Independence, no fewer than four of the Founding Fathers at our Constitutional Convention could trace their roots to Ireland. And no less a man than George Washington himself, our first President, referred to Ireland as a “friend of my country.” And so it will always be. (Applause.)

From the Revolutionary War to the Irish Brigades in our Civil War, Irish Americans have fought for freedom in every American conflict. And before I go one step further, would the men and women who are with us here tonight who have worn the uniform of the United States of America, please stand and give us the opportunity to thank you one more time for your service to this country? You make us proud. (Applause.)

But Ireland’s contributions to America didn’t end with the establishment of the shining city on a hill. Indeed, none saw that beacon more clearly, or with more excitement, than the Irish across the sea. Whereas once they had come to America slowly, in a trickle, suddenly the children of Ireland came here in a swell as history records.

They spread to every corner of this continent, settling in cities and towns, in places where none had settled before. And wherever they went, opportunity and prosperity soon followed. From the vantage point of the present, it’s clear that the Irish have left an indelible mark on the history of this country for the betterment of the American people and the betterment of the world.

Our history books are filled with the names of Irish immigrants and their descendants. More than 32 million Americans can trace their heritage back to Ireland, a reminder that the Irish are one of the strongest and most vibrant threads of our national fabric.

And tonight, it’s an honor to be here on behalf of President Trump to reaffirm the United States’ enduring commitment to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, to the peace process, and above all else, to the timeless and enduring friendship between our people and yours. (Applause.)

Tonight, I’d like to express our friendship by letting you know that Americans of all backgrounds have been heartened to see Ireland’s extraordinary accomplishments in recent years. The story of the Irish everywhere is one of facing hardship and emerging stronger for it, and there’s perhaps no better recent example than Ireland’s remarkable economic success story over the past decade.

It’s amazing to think of Ireland’s recovery after the global financial crisis. It was the first country to exit the IMF’s Eurozone economic assistance program. And for the last two years, Ireland has been one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. (Applause.)

I firmly believe one of the key reasons for this is the drive, the determination, the character, and the ingenuity of the Irish people wherever they may live. Taoiseach, Ireland’s success is testament I can say on behalf of everyone here to your strong leadership these past six years. And many leaders around the world would surely do well to emulate your example in Ireland. (Applause.)

Another sign of our friendship with Ireland is America’s robust economic partnership with you. We host many innovative and successful Irish companies here in the United States, and in 2015 I’m pleased to see that Irish direct investment in America totaled $13.5 billion, creating many good-paying American jobs.

Tonight I’m proud to say with great confidence that our bond is strong, and it will grow stronger still. (Applause.)

But I’m not just here to discuss the Republic of Ireland. On behalf of President Trump, I’d also like to congratulate the people of Northern Ireland on their election only two weeks ago, which had one of the highest turnouts in recent memory.

The advance of peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland is one of the great success stories of the past 20 years. Many in this room, and the Ireland Funds across the world, have played a leading role in fostering this progress. Senator Mitchell, you have been properly paid tribute tonight. Let me thank you personally. It’s an honor to be with you tonight. I’m proud to be an American, the nation that you call home. And I’m proud of what Senator Mitchell and all of you have done to advance the peace and the prosperity of people all across the island. (Applause.)

And we thank those unsung heroes in Ireland and Northern Ireland who day-in and day-out, do the difficult and important work of strengthening communities, educating children, building that brighter future for Emerald Isle and all who call it home. Their heroic actions bring to mind someone else, a proud son of Ireland, a proud servant of America -- Thomas Francis Meagher.

On this side of the Atlantic, we remember Meagher for his bravery in our Civil War. He led the Irish Brigade I mentioned just a few moments ago, and he ultimately rose to the rank of brigadier general. He was originally from Ireland. In 1848, he famously designed the Irish tricolor that flies over the republic to this very day.

Upon presenting his design, he spoke words that resonate even today, and I quote: “The white in the center signifies a lasting truce between the orange and the green -- and I trust that beneath its folds, the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood.”

Tonight, let’s all pray that those hands of brotherhood may never separate. (Applause.)

Let’s also pray to strengthen the hands of friendship that reach across the Atlantic, between the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the people of United States.

This bond was forged by our forebears, and it endures to this day, and it’s bequeathed to us to strengthen it.

Whether they left their homeland for another, or stayed in the country of their birth, they shared a heritage -- and more than that, they shared hope for a brighter future, and they strived to find it with all their might.

So many millions of them found it here on these shores. And we're proud that they call America home. The story of the Irish in America is the story of America itself. And as I close, let me just say it’s hard for me to express the pride that I feel on night like tonight because my little family is a small part of that story, the story of Ireland and America.

Like so many of my fellow countrymen, I literally carry Ireland with me everywhere I go. On one of my first trips to Ireland when I was a young man, I was sitting -- what did you call it? -- in a public house. (Laughter.) Pat Morrissey’s Pub -- it’s still open in Doonbeg to this day. Pat was around back then, and he let me help out behind the bar. I’ll never forget the little old lady who spoke to me. And I told her very quickly that I was related to the Morrissey’s, distant cousins. And I said, actually I’m Irish by heritage. And she looked at me and smile and said, you don't have to tell me, son, you’ve got a face like the map of Ireland. (Laughter.)

It does all go back to that day. It was Inauguration Day just a few short weeks ago. People ask me what I was thinking about surrounded by my wife and my children, our beautiful new daughter-in-law. My mother was just there, a few seats behind the President. I just kept thinking of that day in April in 1923. That was the day when Richard Michael Cawley stepped off the boat on Ellis Island. He was in his early 20s when he steamed into Upper New York Bay aboard the Andania, the ship that carried him here.

I can't imagine what the sight of the Statue of Liberty meant to him that day, holding aloft the torch of freedom. My grandfather went home to be with the Lord when it was in about my 26th year. But we were very close. He said I was the only Irishman born among the four boys in our family. (Laughter.) Not sure yet what that meant. But I was flattered by it.

My grandpa had grown up in a little town called Tobercurry, in County Sligo. When I was young man I had a chance to visit that house before they tore it down. It was just a two-room house where his eight brothers and sisters grew up. And I literally walked up the hill that -- when Karen and I and the kids visited Ireland just a few years ago, we walked up that hill, as well. The legend in our family was my great grandmother had stood outside that little house and looked over at the Ox Mountains and looked off to the west, and told him that he needed to go because she said, there’s a future there for you.

He wouldn’t speak to his mother for 25 years. And when he said the old country, he said with a reverence that I could never adequately express. He talked about crossing the pond, talked about the heartbreak of that separation.

But as I stood on that inaugural stage, I just kept thinking of that Irishman. I kept thinking of what he would be thinking about looking down from glory. And I know two things for sure.

Number one, knowing me as well as he did, he would be extremely surprised. (Laughter.)

Number two, I have to think he just thought he was right. He was right about America. He was right to summon the courage as generations did before and since to come here and follow their dreams, and make the contributions that they did. He was right to drive that bus for 40 years in Chicago. He was right to raise that irascible redhead that would marry a fast-talking salesman and follow work down to a little, small farm town in southern Indiana and raise six kids with the same heritage and the same values that she had been raised with.

The truth is that whatever honors I will receive over the course of my service as Vice President, and to receive an honor in the name of the Irish people and my Irish heritage will count as chief among them. Because all that I am and all that I will ever be and all the service that I will ever render is owing to my Irish heritage. And I will summon what is the best of it as I serve the people of this country with the faith, with the determination, with the cheerfulness, the humility, and the humor that is characteristic of the great people of the Emerald Isle.

So here’s to Ireland. Here’s to the United States of America. Here’s to our shared heritage, and here’s to the confident, confident hope that the ties between our people and the Irish people will only grow and expand as the years go on to the betterment of our people and the world.

Thank you very much for this honor tonight. And God bless you all. (Applause.)

END 8:36 P.M. EDT

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rtawngs20815 · 8 years