Irish-American Heritage Month, 2016

Proclamation 9400 of February 29, 2016

Irish-American Heritage Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Hailing from the Emerald Isle, generations of Irishmen
and women have helped shape the idea of America,
overcoming hardship and strife through strength and
sacrifice, faith and family. With an undying belief
that tomorrow always yields a brighter day, Irish
Americans symbolize the perpetual optimism that defines
our country, and they have long embodied the truth at
the heart of our promise--that no matter who you are or
where you come from, in America, you can make it if you
try.

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.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2016 as Irish-
American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to
observe this month with appropriate ceremonies,
activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.