LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 34th Annual Queens County St.
Patrick's Day Parade, to be held on March 7, 2009

WHEREAS, Saint Patrick's Day is a time for people of all nationalities
and generations to assemble and celebrate the rich culture and heritage
of the Irish people throughout these United States; and
WHEREAS, A Saint Patrick's Day parade reflects and records the ongoing
history of the United States and Ireland, and highlights the many
contributions and historical accomplishments of the Irish community in
this diverse land; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 34th
Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade, to be held on Saturday,
March 7, 2009; and
WHEREAS, This year the 34th Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day
Parade will honor Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Grand Marshal of the parade
and The Honorable Christine Quinn and Martin Cottingham as Honorary
Grand Marshals of the parade, as well as Dennis Milton as Gael of the
Year; and
WHEREAS, In addition, the Deputy Grand Marshals of the 34th Annual
Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade will be Captain Joan Byrne Duffy,
Richie Knott, The Honorable Elizabeth Crowley, Father Brendan Duggan,
Kevin Smith, Mary Margaret Heaney, Maureen Leahy, Kathleen Carroll,
Michael Gallagher, and Captain Joe Duggan, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, St. Patrick's Day is not, as many believe, a celebration of
the Patron Saint of Ireland's birth but of his death; and
WHEREAS, It was Pope Celestine I who named him Patricus, and sent him
to Ireland where he tangled with the Druids over religious beliefs, and
where his efforts to convert the Irish to the Catholic faith were untir-
ing, as seen today in the significant observance of God in Irish life;
and
WHEREAS, In every walk of life, in the arts, in the sciences, in the
political world and in every manifestation of the human spirit, the
Irish people have excelled; and
WHEREAS, No nation on earth has sent to the shores of America a people
more spiritual than the Irish; throughout the ages, they have left their
cares forgotten among the lilies; from the mode and texture of that
endowment, the cathedrals and colleges of our nation were built, a
heritage largely formed, our American character greatly forged; and
WHEREAS, Each year as we honor St. Patrick, whose life mirrored a deep
and abiding example of the challenges of sainthood, we are mindful of
the history of the Irish people and their struggle against oppression,
religious intolerance and political, social and economic barriers; and
WHEREAS, The Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade truly cele-
brates the spirit, purity, and strength of Irish culture and its fine
traditions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 34th Annual Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade, to
be held on March 7, 2009; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade, the Cultural
Committee, and the aforementioned Honorees.