In 1991, Congress first designated March as Irish-American Heritage Month, recognizing the long and intertwined histories and cultures of the United States and Ireland. March was chosen as Saint Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national holiday, falls on March 17.  Cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia have held annual Saint Patrick’s Day parades since the late 1700s. More recently, Ireland’s Taoiseach (Ireland’s Prime Minister and Head of State) comes to the White House on March 17 to present the President with shamrocks.

The history between Ireland and the United States dates back to the founding of the nation. Three Irish immigrants were signers of the Declaration of Independence:  James Smith and George Taylor of Pennsylvania and Matthew Thornton of New Hampshire. The youngest signer, Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, was a first-generation Irish-American as his father came to the colonies in 1735 from County Tyrone. In August 1776, the Belfast News Letter was the first newspaper outside of America to publish the Declaration in its entirety. As for the Constitution, William Paterson (County Antrim), James McHenry (County Antrim), Pierce Butler (County Carlow), and Thomas Fitzsimons (County Mayo) were all Irish immigrants who were members of the Constitutional Convention and participated in the creation of the document which governs our nation today.

The history of Ireland and the United States deepened during the surge of immigration from the early 1800s to the early 1900. Estimates vary wildly but most conclude that four million Irish citizens braved the long and difficult crossing to make a new life for themselves in America. In the mid-1800s, the Great Famine swept Ireland, causing almost one million deaths and 2.1 million people to leave the country entirely. Famine relief organizations sprung up across the United States, eventually sending 118 ships with relief goods to assist. Famously, the Choctaw Nation, only years removed from being forced from their homes in Mississippi, raised $170 in 1846 to send for famine relief. Ireland has remained closely linked to the Choctaw Nation ever since, dedicating a monument to the Nation in County Cork, creating a scholarship program for Choctaw children to come to Ireland for college, and donating $1.8 million dollars in 2020 for relief to the Navajo and Hopi Nations for COVID relief.

More recently, during the period of violence between Northern Ireland and Ireland, Irish-American politicians Ted Kennedy, Daniel Moynihan, and Tip O’Neill founded the Congressional Friends of Ireland who were dedicated to the peace process. Their efforts assisted in the creation of the Good Friday Accords which ended the long struggle. George Mitchell, a first generation Irish American, chaired the talks and President Bill Clinton visited both Northern Ireland and Ireland to celebrate the end of the hostilities.

The contributions of Irish-Americans to our nation are endless. From James Hoban, the architect of White House, to Walt Disney, to Gene Kelly, to Bruce Springsteen, and even Barack Obama (the great-great-great grandson of a cobbler in County Offaly!), the benefits and respect between the citizens of these two nations are vast and strong. Sláinte!

Authored by William M. Brennan, Esq., an associate in Cipriani & Werner’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office and a member of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee