|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Each year, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March |
|
17, and this occasion provides an opportunity to honor the origins |
|
of the event and to highlight the many contributions that |
|
individuals of Irish descent have made to the Lone Star State; and |
|
WHEREAS, Born into a wealthy Romano-British family in the 4th |
|
century, St. Patrick was kidnapped at the age of 16 by Irish raiders |
|
and taken captive to the Emerald Isle; according to his writings, |
|
divine intervention allowed him to escape, and he entered the |
|
priesthood soon after; he later returned to Ireland and spent |
|
nearly 30 years teaching the island's residents about his faith, |
|
thereby becoming the principal champion of Irish Christianity in |
|
legend and folklore; St. Patrick's Day, which commemorates the day |
|
of his death in 461, has become a celebration of Irish heritage |
|
around the world, and in recent decades the government of Ireland |
|
has made the observance a centerpiece of its efforts to showcase the |
|
country and its culture; and |
|
WHEREAS, One of the earliest Irish residents of Texas was |
|
Hugh O'Connor, who served as governor of the Spanish territory from |
|
1767 to 1770; natives of Ireland also played a central role in the |
|
settlement of Texas in the early 1800s, including empresarios James |
|
McGloin, John McMullen, and James Power, who brought dozens of |
|
Irish families to South Texas and the Gulf Coast; and |
|
WHEREAS, All three of these men participated in the Texas |
|
Revolution, as did Irishmen such as John Joseph Linn, Francis |
|
Moore, Jr., and Thomas William Ward; a dozen individuals from the |
|
Emerald Isle died defending the Alamo, and 100 Irish-born troops |
|
helped win the independence of Texas in the decisive Battle of San |
|
Jacinto; and |
|
WHEREAS, The number of immigrants from Ireland grew |
|
dramatically in the mid-1800s, and several prominent Irish natives |
|
made their mark during that period; Samuel McKinney was an early |
|
president of Austin College, Father Michael Sheehan established the |
|
first Catholic church in Austin and became one of the first |
|
full-time Catholic chaplains in the U.S. Army, and Peter Gallagher |
|
served as a Texas Ranger and helped organize Pecos County; later in |
|
the 19th century, Irishman John William Mallet served as the first |
|
faculty chairman at The University of Texas at Austin, and artist |
|
Henry Arthur McArdle produced many famous paintings inspired by |
|
Texas history, some of which now hang in the State Capitol; and |
|
WHEREAS, With the passing decades, additional people from |
|
Ireland found a new home in Texas, and they and the descendents of |
|
previous immigrants have had an enduring influence on the state's |
|
lifestyle and development; today, Irish culture is celebrated in |
|
formal programs such as the Center for Irish Studies at the |
|
University of St. Thomas in Houston, as well as in statewide St. |
|
Patrick's Day celebrations, and it is appropriate to join with |
|
thousands of other residents in recognizing the significant role |
|
that Irish Americans have played in the story of the Lone Star |
|
State; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the state's vital Irish heritage |
|
and extend Happy St. Patrick's Day wishes to all Irish Americans. |
|
|
Murphy |
|
Patrick |
|
Turner |
|
Vo |
|
Lucio III |
|
|
|
Straus |
Gonzales of Williamson |
Morrison |
|
|
Aliseda |
Gonzalez |
Munoz, Jr. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anderson of Dallas |
Hancock |
Orr |
|
|
Anderson of McLennan |
Hardcastle |
Otto |
|
|
|
|
Beck |
Harper-Brown |
Patrick |
|
|
|
|
Bohac |
Hernandez Luna |
Pena |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Burkett |
Howard of Fort Bend |
Pitts |
|
|
Burnam |
Howard of Travis |
Price |
|
|
Button |
Huberty |
Quintanilla |
|
|
|
|
Callegari |
Hunter |
Reynolds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Christian |
Keffer |
Schwertner |
|
|
Coleman |
King of Parker |
Scott |
|
|
Cook |
King of Taylor |
Sheets |
|
|
Craddick |
King of Zavala |
Sheffield |
|
|
Creighton |
Kleinschmidt |
Shelton |
|
|
Crownover |
Kolkhorst |
Simpson |
|
|
Darby |
Kuempel |
Smith of Harris |
|
|
Davis of Dallas |
Landtroop |
Smith of Tarrant |
|
|
J. Davis of Harris |
Larson |
Smithee |
|
|
S. Davis of Harris |
Laubenberg |
Solomons |
|
|
|
|
Driver |
Legler |
Taylor of Collin |
|
|
Dukes |
Lewis |
Taylor of Galveston |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Farias |
Mallory Caraway |
Veasey |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frullo |
Martinez Fischer |
Weber |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Giddings |
Miller of Comal |
Zedler |
|
|
Gonzales of Hidalgo |
Miller of Erath |
Zerwas |
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 786 was adopted by the House on March |
|
17, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|