President Biden “calls upon all Americans to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation” in his Irish-American Heritage Month Proclamation 2022.
IrishCentral Staff@IrishCentralMar 01, 2022March 17, 2021: US President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. GETTY IMAGES
Every March since 1991 has been designated as Irish American Heritage Month in the US.
US President Joe Biden has issued a proclamation designating March 2022 as Irish-American Heritage Month in the US.
In his proclamation, Biden makes special note of his own Irish roots which can be traced back to the Blewitts of Co Mayo and the Finnegans of Co Louth.
Traditionally on St. Patrick’s Day, the US President meets with the Taoiseach in Washington, DC. Last year, the meeting was held virtually due to public health concerns, but Taoiseach Micheál Martin will be traveling to Washington, DC this year for St. Patrick’s Day.
President Biden’s Proclamation on Irish-American Heritage Month, 2022
For centuries, Irish Americans have played a crucial role in helping define the soul of our Nation, and today, nearly 1 in 10 Americans proudly trace their roots back to the Emerald Isle. With hope and faith in their hearts, the first immigrants from Ireland crossed the Atlantic in search of liberty and opportunity. It was the dream of a better life that brought my ancestors — the Blewitts of County Mayo and the Finnegans of County Louth — and countless other Irish immigrants.
Like so many Irish American families, my grandparents carried the spirit and memory of Ireland in their hearts — a pride and passion they instilled in their home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Through the journeys of their own mothers and fathers and in the lessons they passed on to my mother, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden, they joined Irish Americans in every corner of America in helping to write the next chapter of the American story.ADVERTISING
The story of Irish Americans has always been one of strength and perseverance through adversity. Many Irish immigrants arrived on America’s shores to escape the Great Famine, only to face discrimination, prejudice, and poverty. Despite these hard times, they embraced their new homes in every corner of America — from the Atlantic to the Pacific, across the Midwest and through the Rocky Mountains — and helped build and fortify our Nation into what it is today.
Irish Americans expanded the American middle class, building ladders of opportunity that future generations could climb. They became teachers, firefighters, police officers, labor leaders, farmers, business owners, and more. Along the way, Irish Americans contributed enormously to the American labor movement — championing safe working conditions, advocating for children’s rights, and fighting racism, prejudice, and income inequality. They bravely answered the call to serve, defending our Union and its values in every battle. They continue to work on behalf of the American people as public servants — serving in the Congress, the Supreme Court, Federal agencies, the White House, and in State and local offices across the country. Irish Americans have enriched our culture and nourished our hearts and souls through the arts and humanities, earning recognition as Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning poets and authors, award-winning musicians, storytellers, and dancers, and critically acclaimed actors. They have blessed our Nation with their indomitable spirit, faith, and love for family that has been passed down through the generations. This sense of community, hospitality, resilience, and passion are integral pieces of America’s cultural tapestry.
The United States and Ireland are deeply and forever intertwined: linked in memory and imagination — in joy, sorrow, and resilience — by our common love and common dreams. We share, in every heart, an unrelenting optimism — a flicker of hope that guides us through even the darkest of nights.
As we celebrate Irish-American Heritage Month, let us honor the journey and contributions of Irish Americans who helped shape this land of opportunity and define what it means to be American. Let us reaffirm the legacy of friendship and strong family ties between the United States of America and Ireland — united by our common purpose, by our histories, and by our futures.ADVERTISING
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2022 as Irish-American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.
A burning power station in eastern Ukraine.Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
A global retreat
Democracy has been on the decline worldwide for more than 15 years. One major reason is the growing ruthlessness of authoritarian leaders, particularly Russian President Vladimir Putin. Today, I will walk through how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fits into the broader geopolitical trends of the past decade and a half.
Putin has spent more than two decades consolidating power, rebuilding Russia’s military and weakening his enemies. He has repeatedly undermined democratic movements and popular uprisings, including those in Syria and Belarus. He has meddled in Western elections. And he has deployed Russian troops to enforce his will, including in Georgia and Crimea.
The invasion of Ukraine — the largest war in Europe since World War II — is a significant escalation of this behavior. The country’s fall would mark a violent end to one of the world’s democracies.
Maneuvers like Putin’s, as well as insufficient pushback from other governments, have fostered this global democratic decline, experts say. Just one in five people now live in countries designated as “free,” down from nearly one in two in 2005, a new report from Freedom House found.
The invasion of Ukraine is “a taste of what a world without checks on antidemocratic behavior would look like,” Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House, told me. He remains hopeful that democracies will rally to impose serious penalties on Russia, signaling that they will not tolerate Putin’s behavior. But, he warned, “if they don’t, this is going to set the world back in a major way — not just for democracy, but for the rule of law.”
Vladimir Putin.Pool photo by Mikhail Metzel
A war on democracies
The collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago gave birth to democracies across Eastern Europe — and to Putin’s grievances. He once described the Soviet breakup as “the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” — a time period that included two world wars and the Holocaust. He has suggested he wants to reverse that collapse.
Putin’s complaints are less ideological — he is not a communist, and has not ruled like one — and more self-interested: He wants to protect his hold on power as well as further Russia’s global reach, which would increase support for him at home.
But the effect of his rule has been to undermine democracy globally. After Georgia moved to join NATO, with the support of voters, Russia invaded in 2008 and has meddled in the country’s politics ever since. Russia has worked with autocratic leaders to help crush democracies and protests where Putin believes that his country has security or economic interests, including in Kazakhstan and Venezuela.
He has also tried to destabilize democracies in the West — by interfering in elections in the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, among other nations.
In Ukraine, Russia’s meddling in the 2004 presidential contest helped spawn protests against corruption and for fair elections, a movement known as the Orange Revolution. In another round of protests a decade later, Ukrainians overthrew a pro-Russian government and replaced it with one closer to Europe and the West.
Russia responded by invading and annexing Crimea, in southern Ukraine, and by backing separatists in the east, who have fought a grinding war against the Ukrainian government ever since. Now, Putin is trying to seize control of all of Ukraine.
Dozens were killed during 2014 protests in Ukraine.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
Unchecked autocrats
Democracy has also declined globally because democratic leaders have done too little to stand up for themselves, the Freedom House report argued.
As is now clear, the world’s response to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula was not enough to deter Putin from going further. Even the sanctions imposed on Russia after its full assault on Ukraine this week stopped short of maximum punishment, sparing much of the Russian energy sector that Europe’s economy still relies on.
At the same time, autocratic governments have increasingly worked together, using their collective economic and political power to create a cushion against punishments from other governments. China approved Russian wheat imports this past week, effectively softening the impact of the West’s new sanctions.
Authoritarians have also abandoned pretenses of democratic norms. Putin, as well as rulers in Nicaragua, Venezuela and elsewhere, once tried to at least maintain the appearance of free and fair elections. But now they regularly jail political opponents, denying the opposition the ability to campaign.
All of these moves have shown other leaders with authoritarian aspirations what they can do as the liberal democratic order loses its sway.
In that context, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is part of a broader test: whether the global erosion of democracy will continue unchecked.
Bobby Sands – born March 9th, 1954 – died May 5th, 1981Began Hunger Strike March 1st, 1981Bobby Sands was born in Abbots Cross, Newtownabbey and lived there until 1960[1] and then moved to Rathcoole, Newtownabbey. His family had moved due to intimidation by loyalists, although it was not clear that the Sands were Roman Catholics as their last name derived from his paternal grandfather who was a Protestant.[2] On leaving school, he became an apprentice coach-builder, until he was forced out at gunpoint by loyalists.[3] In June 1972, at the age of 18 he moved to the Twinbrook housing estate with his family.Sands’ sister Bernadette Sands McKevitt is a prominent Republican who is no longer aligned with the Provisional movement. She is married to Michael McKevitt who is currently imprisoned in the Irish Republic after being convicted of directing terrorism as leader of the RIRA, the group responsible for the Omagh Bombing which killed 29 people.In 1972, the year of the Troubles with the highest death toll, he joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In October of that year, Sands was arrested and charged with possession of four handguns which were found in the house in which he was staying. In April 1973 he was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment [5] [6].On his release in 1976, he returned to his family in Twinbrook in west Belfast. Sands returned to active service in the IRA. It was claimed that in October 1976 he was involved in the bombing of the Balmoral Furniture Company in Dunmurry, although he was never convicted of this bombing, and at the trial the judge said there was no evidence to support the assertion that he took part in the bombing. After the bombing, Sands and at least five others in the bomb team, were allegedly involved in a gun battle with the police, although he was also never convicted of this, for lack of evidence. Abandoning two of their wounded friends, Seamus Martin and Gabriel Corbett, Sands with Joe McDonnell, Seamus Finucane and Sean Lavery, tried to escape in a car, but were caught. One of the revolvers used in the robbery was found in the car in which Sands was travelling.His trial (in September 1977) saw him convicted of possession of firearms, the revolver from which bullets had been fired at the police after the bombing, and was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment.PrisonerHe served his prison term at HM Prison Maze, also known by Irish republicans as Long Kesh. After internment a series of buildings known from their floor plans as ‘H-Blocks’ were built to make the prison suitable for the large number of inmates belonging to paramilitary organisations; each block contained members of the same organisation.In prison, Sands became a writer both of journalism and poetry which was published in the Irish republican newspaper An Phoblacht. In late 1980 Sands was chosen as Officer Commanding IRA prisoners in Long Kesh.Political status protestsRepublican prisoners had organised a series of protests seeking to regain their previous status of political prisoners and not be subject to ordinary prison regulations. This started with the “blanket protest” in 1976, when the prisoners refused to wear uniform and wore blankets instead. Attempts to break the protest by brutalisation of prisoners saw the escalation to the “dirty protest” of 1978 when repeated beatings during “slop-out” led to prisoners living in squalor by smearing excrement on the walls.[8] There had been an earlier hunger strike in Autumn 1980, which had ended when the British Government appeared to concede the prisoners’ demands. When that strike was over, the Government reverted to it’s previous stance.Hunger strikeThe Second Hunger Strike started with Sands refusing food on 1 March 1981. Sands decided that other prisoners should join the strike at staggered intervals in order to maximise publicity with prisoners steadily deteriorating and dying successively over several months.The hunger strike centred around “Five Demands”:The right not to wear a prison uniform;The right not to do prison work;The right of free association with other prisoners;The right to organise their own educational and recreational facilities;The right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week.The significance of the hunger strike was wider, however, and was aimed at embarrassing the government and forcing it into concessionsElectionShortly after the beginning of the strike, Frank Maguire, the Independent Republican MP for Fermanagh & South Tyrone died of a heart attack suddenly and precipitated a by-election.The sudden vacancy in a seat with a small Roman Catholic majority was a valuable opportunity for Sands’ supporters to unite the nationalist community behind their campaign [citation needed]. Pressure not to split the vote led other nationalist parties, notably the Social Democratic and Labour Party, to withdraw and Sands was nominated on an “Anti H-Block/Armagh Political Prisoner” ticket. After a highly polarised campaign, Sands narrowly won the seat on 9 April 1981, with 30,493 votes to 29,046 for the Ulster Unionist Party candidate Harry West, incidentally also becoming the youngest MP at the time. [9]Following Sands’ success the Government rushed through Parliament the Representation of the People Act 1981 which prevents convicted prisoners serving jail terms of more than one year in either the UK or the Republic of Ireland, or unlawfully at large when they should be serving such a sentence, from being nominated as candidates in elections.DeathThree weeks later, Bobby Sands MP died from starvation in the prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27. The announcement of his death prompted several days of riots in nationalist areas of Northern Ireland. Over 100,000 [11] people lined the route of his funeral. Sands was a Member of the Westminster Parliament for twenty-five days, though he never took his seat or oath.He was survived by his parents, siblings, and a young son (Gerard) from his marriage to Geraldine Noade.Political impactNine other IRA and INLA members who were involved in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike also died after Bobby Sands. Many Irish Republicans and IRA sympathisers regard Bobby Sands and the other nine men as being martyrs who stood firm against the intransigence of the British Government, and many Irish nationalists who abhorred the IRA were outraged at the British government’s stance. On the other hand, Unionists saw him as a pawn in a wider political movement which was trying to force concessions for republicans [citation needed].The media coverage that surrounded the death of Bobby Sands resulted in a new surge of IRA activity and an immediate escalation in the Troubles , with the group obtaining many more members and increasing its fundraising capability. Both nationalists and unionists began to harden their attitudes and move towards political extremes. [12] Sands’ Westminster seat was taken by his election agent, Owen Carron standing as ‘Anti H-Block Proxy Political Prisoner’ with an increased majority ReactionsEuropeIn Milan, 5,000 students burned the Union Flag and shouted “Freedom for Ulster” during a march.In Ghent, students invaded the British Consulate.In Paris, thousands of Marxists marched behind huge portraits of Sands, to chants of ‘The IRA will conquer.’In Oslo, demonstrators threw a balloon filled with tomato sauce at Elizabeth II, the Queen of the UK and Commonwealth.In the Soviet Union, Pravda described it as ‘another tragic page in the grim chronicle of oppression, discrimination, terror and violence’ in Ireland.In France, many towns and cities have named streets for Sands. Examples include Nantes, Le Mans and St Denis.USA The Longshoremen’s Union in New York announced a twenty-four-hour boycott of British ships. [15]Over 1,000 people gathered in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral to hear Cardinal Cook offer a Mass of reconciliation for Northern Ireland. Irish bars in the city were closed for two hours in mourning.In Hartford, Connecticut a monument was dedicated to Bobby Sands and the other hunger strikers in 1997. The monument stands in a traffic circle known as “Bobby Sands Circle”, at the bottom of Maple Avenue near Goodwin Park[16].The New Jersey State legislature voted 34-29 for a resolution honouring his ‘courage and commitment.'[17]The Grateful Dead played the Nassau Colliseum on the night Sands died and guitarist Bob Weir dedicated the song “He’s Gone” to Sands. It was notable as the band made a conscious effort throughout their career to be apolitical. The concert was later released as Volume 13 of the band’s “Dick’s Picks” series of concert releases.Asia and OceaniaIn Tehran, Iran revolutionaries sympathizing with Sands renamed the street on which the British embassy was located on from Winston Churchill street to Bobby Sands street. The name remains despite pressure from the British foreign secretary to change it [19].The Hindustan Times said Margaret Thatcher had allowed a fellow Member of Parliament to die of starvation, an incident which had never before occurred ‘in a civilized country.'[17]In India, Opposition members of the Upper House stood for a minute’s silence in tribute.The Hong Kong Standard said it was ‘sad that successive British governments have failed to end the last of Europe’s religious wars. MusicSongs written in response to the hunger strikes and Sands death include;The Ballad of Joe McDonnell- The Wolfe TonesIt’s gonna happen[20] – The UndertonesThe Roll of Honour – Gerry O’Glacain (The Irish Brigade)10 Years On – Blaggers I.T.A.Bobby Sands – KretensThe Sign – Eric BogleBobby Untitled – Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers on his solo album “I Killed The Zeitgeist”The People’s Own MP – Christy MooreThe Time Has Come – Christy Moore (although written specifically after the death of Patsy O’Hara)Bobby Sands MP – Black 47Bobby Sands – Christy MooreInspiration – EasterhouseThe Ghosts of Long Kesh – Crimson SpectreThe H Block Song- Francie BrollyWhilst in prison, Sands wrote the song “Back Home In Derry” which would be later recorded by Christy Moore.
The way the national holiday is celebrated has changed a lot over the years.
The green of the Chicago River for St. Patrick’s Day. ISTOCK
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and we hope you’re looking forward to it as much as we are.
It’s a day of celebration and fun, but it’s also a day to recognize and appreciate our identity and Irish history, not just in Ireland but alongside our friends within the Irish Diaspora and beyond.
Who was St. Patrick?
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. Originally from England, the story goes that as a teenager, St. Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of raiders. They transported him to Ireland and kept him captive until he eventually escaped and returned to England. During his time as a prisoner he turned to Christianity for solace, and it’s said that God came to him in the form of a dream and told him he would help convert the Irish people to Christianity.
St. Patrick returned to Ireland to do just that and traveled all over the country teaching people about the religion. It’s believed he used a three-leaved shamrock, which is now seen as the official symbol of St. Patrick’s Day, to explain the Holy Trinity, i.e., God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is also remembered for the famous legend that he banished all the snakes from Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day officially became a national holiday in Ireland in 1903. The 17th of March was practiced as a Holy day and families would pin bunches of shamrock to their jackets and go to Mass. Years later, the day became more of a celebration. Parades would be held in Dublin and even in small towns across the country featuring performances and community clubs.ADVERTISING
St. Patrick’s Day today
Over the years, St. Patrick’s Day has gained international recognition, and people from all over the world flock to Dublin for the spectacular festival normally held each year.
Karen Walshe is the artistic director for the St. Patrick’s Festival, and she spoke to IrishCentral in 2021 about what goes on behind the scenes of one of the biggest days in the Irish calendar. “The Festival takes place one week each year centered around St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th of March when we host the internationally renowned parade,” she says.2
People from all over the world flock to Dublin for the spectacular St Patrick’s Day Festival
“From 12 p.m. the streets of Dublin are packed with over half a million revelers as we see marching bands from all over the world perform, and our world-famous pageant companies who respond to the Festival theme for that year. There are over 3,000 participants performing that day. Over the course of the Festival week, we celebrate Irishness past and present through a huge cultural program for all ages, abilities, and interests.”
How do the global Irish celebrate?
Each year countries all over the world pay tribute to St. Patrick’s Day and get behind the celebrations as part of a “Global Greening,” with landmarks and tourist sites going green for the day.ADVERTISING
From New York to Sydney, it’s incredible to see the passion others feel for their Irish roots. It’s also an important day for Irish politics, and each year the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) travels to the White House in Washington for a diplomatic exchange, by gifting a bowl of shamrocks to the president of the United States, which first took place during the 1960s.
St. Patrick’s Day is also a time for the Irish Diaspora to connect with their roots and is especially poignant this year as travelers who haven’t had the opportunity to return to Ireland hit the ground running.
March 17, 2021: US President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. GETTY IMAGES
A burning power station in eastern Ukraine.Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Vladimir Putin.Pool photo by Mikhail Metzel
Dozens were killed during 2014 protests in Ukraine.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
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