LRB-2119/1
PJD:jld:pg
2005 - 2006 LEGISLATURE
March 3, 2005 - Introduced by Representatives Sheridan, J. Fitzgerald, Albers,
Boyle, Gronemus, Hahn, Hines, Hundertmark, Jeskewitz, Kerkman, Kestell,
Lehman, McCormick, Molepske, Musser, Pocan, Pridemore, Seidel,
Townsend, Van Akkeren, Vos
and Petrowski, cosponsored by Senators Plale,
S. Fitzgerald, Erpenbach, Hansen, Kanavas, Lazich, Risser, Roessler
and
Taylor. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AJR19,1,1 1Relating to: celebrating Saint Patrick's Day on March 17, 2005.
AJR19,1,32 Whereas, March 17 is Saint Patrick's Day, a day honoring the patron saint of
3Ireland; and
AJR19,1,94 Whereas, Saint Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, Scotland, in
5AD 387; captured and enslaved by Irish marauders at the age of 16; converted to
6Christianity; escaped slavery; entered the clergy; was named bishop of Ireland;
7returned to Ireland; converted Irish pagans to Christianity; established many
8monasteries, churches, and schools all over Ireland; and died on March 17, in AD 461;
9and
AJR19,1,1210 Whereas, Irish monks and scholars at the monasteries and schools founded by
11Saint Patrick preserved much of the learning that was lost throughout the rest of
12Europe during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire; and
AJR19,1,1413 Whereas, natives of Ireland began moving to Wisconsin during the 1840s,
14driven in part by the wake of the Great Famine; and
AJR19,2,5
1Whereas, Irish immigrants in Wisconsin principally settled in Brown,
2Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green
3Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc,
4Marquette, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, St. Croix, Sauk,
5Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago counties; and
AJR19,2,96 Whereas, on September 8, 1860, the steamer, Lady Elgin, sank off the bluffs
7near Winnetka, Illinois, taking the lives of 297 people, including many of the
8Irish-American political leaders from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and marking the end
9of the Irish domination of Milwaukee politics; and
AJR19,2,1210 Whereas, Irish immigrants constituted the majority of the 17th Wisconsin
11Infantry, which fought in many of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War,
12including the Battles of Vicksburg, Shiloh, and Corinth; and
AJR19,2,1513 Whereas, the 17th Wisconsin Infantry contained company names, such as the
14Mulligan Guards of Kenosha, the Peep O'Day Boys of Racine, and the Emmett
15Guards of Dodge; and
AJR19,2,1816 Whereas, the 17th Wisconsin Infantry led a fearless bayonet charge at the
17Battle of Corinth with the Irish Gaelic battle cry, "Faugh a ballagh!" which translates
18as "Clear the way!"; and
AJR19,2,2119 Whereas, the Smithsonian Institution's National Folk Life program named
20Milwaukee's Irish Fest the "largest and best Irish cultural event in North America";
21and
AJR19,3,722 Whereas, many important individuals in the history of Wisconsin were of Irish
23descent, including Wisconsin Secretary of State Peter Doyle, Wisconsin Attorney
24General James O'Connor, United States Senator F. Ryan Duffy, United States
25Representatives Michael Burke, Gerald Flynn, James Hughes, Howard McMurray,

1James Murphy, Reid Murray, Thomas O'Malley, and Michael Reilly, Wisconsin
2Supreme Court Justices Edward Ryan (C.J.) and Henry Hughes, Wisconsin State
3Senate Majority Leader Tim Cullen, Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker David Kelly,
4Green Bay Mayor Henry S. Baird, government innovator and author of the
5Wisconsin Idea Charles McCarthy, labor organizer and suffragist Maude McCreery,
6artist Georgia O'Keefe, businessman Patrick Cudahy, and professors James
7Donnelly and John Gregory, as well as countless others; and
AJR19,3,108 Whereas, 11 percent of Wisconsin residents claimed to be of Irish descent for the
9U.S. Census in 2000, making Irish ancestry in Wisconsin 2nd only to those claiming
10German heritage; and
AJR19,3,1311 Whereas, though originally a solemn Catholic holy day, Saint Patrick's Day has
12evolved into a much more secular holiday celebrating Irish music, culture, and
13heritage; now, therefore, be it
AJR19,3,18 14Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the
15Wisconsin legislature salute all of the persons of Irish descent for their significant
16contributions to this state, express appreciation for those persons who have kept
17alive Irish culture and traditions, and join with all Wisconsinites who revere their
18Irish heritage in celebrating Saint Patrick's Day on March 17, 2005.
AJR19,3,1919 (End)
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