WHEREAS,  St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, known for bringing Christianity to Ireland and, it is said, for instilling a sense of literacy and learning that allowed Ireland to become the "isle of saints and scholars" when the rest of Europe was in the Dark Ages; and

WHEREAS,  the feast day of St. Patrick is a national holiday that is given recognition outside its native land, which indicates the Irish influence throughout the world; and

WHEREAS,  the modern secular holiday of St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in America in Boston during colonial days and the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City was in 1766, and now St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all over America with pride; and

WHEREAS,  millions of Irish people emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s to escape brutal poverty and starvation due to the Irish potato famine, and most of those people came to America to start new lives and to embrace and contribute to a new land; and

WHEREAS,  tens of thousands of Irish immigrants arrived in New England and many came to Maine, and the Irish have been an important part of Maine's culture, history and society ever since; and

WHEREAS,  within a few years of their arrival in the United States and in Maine, these Irish immigrants became part of the American cultural landscape while preserving the best of their native culture, and they dedicated themselves to helping build this Nation and State; and

WHEREAS,  the Maine Irish Heritage Center, housed in the former St. Dominic's Church in Portland, is dedicated to preserving the history of Irish culture in Maine; and

WHEREAS,  four signers of the Declaration of Independence were Irish-born and nine signers were of Irish ancestry and 19 Presidents of the United States have proudly claimed Irish heritage, including George Washington, the father of our country; John Fitzgerald Kennedy; and Ronald Reagan; and

WHEREAS,  the 44,000,000 Americans of Irish ancestry, like their forebears, continue to enrich all aspects of life in the United States, in science, education, art, agriculture, business, industry, literature, music, athletics, entertainment and military and government service; now, therefore, be it