LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending the Brooklyn Irish American Parade
Committee upon the occasion of its 34th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade

WHEREAS, "FAITH, HISTORY, TRIBUTE & REMEMBRANCE" is the core of the
Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick's Day Parade held on the 3rd Sunday in
March; and
WHEREAS, We celebrate the faith of St. Patrick, the patron saint of
Ireland, despite religious persecution, famine, colonial occupation and
political oppression; our ancestors kept the faith alive by their indom-
itable spirit against the British occupier who banned the celebration of
Mass in their churches and arrested and harassed the priests during the
penal days; the faithful had to gather at "Mass Rocks" in the glens; and
WHEREAS, The Faith of St. Patrick was transmitted and transplanted by
the millions of Irish immigrants who came to America; the first Bishop
of Brooklyn was Bishop John Loughlin from County Down, Ireland; we join
in faith, with our present Bishop of Brooklyn, the Most Reverend Nicho-
las DiMarzio, in preserving that faith and Catholic education with its
Irish roots in the Diocese of Brooklyn; and
WHEREAS, The Parade was founded in 1975, in preparation for our
Nation's Bicentennial; its on-going theme has been The Battle of Brook-
lyn, the 1st battle of the American Revolutionary War and the heroic
role the "Maryland 400" Brigade played at The Old Stone House, holding
off the British long enough for Washington's army to cross the East
River to Manhattan, saving his army and our fledgling Republic; and
WHEREAS, The intertwined histories of Ireland and America are rich and
unique histories which span the contributions of Erin's sons and daugh-
ters to the independence, formation and development of the United
States; Irish Americans served with great distinction, honor and heroism
in all of the wars, from Washington's Irish generals in the American
Revolutionary War to Thomas Francis Meagher's Irish Brigade in the Civil
War to the famed fighting Irish 69th Regiment; and
WHEREAS, The Parade pays tribute to Erin's sons and daughters, both
past and present, for their vast contributions to the church, to our
military and uniformed services, to public and civic life, to labor and
the law, to education and healthcare, and to their borough, city, state
and nation; and
WHEREAS, Our Parade theme this year is "Cluichi na nGael"/Games of the
Gael in conjunction with the 125th Anniversary of "Cumann Luthchleas
Gael"/GAA founded in Thurles, County Tipperary in 1884; today, the Games
of the Gael Hurling, Camogie, Gaelic Football and Handball are played
worldwide; the New York Championship games are played in Gaelic Park in
the Bronx from March through November, and in years past, in Brooklyn's
Prospect Park beside Donegal Hill, making its location a "home away from
home," the place where newly arrived Irish Immigrants gathered in the
1800s and 1900s, and played their Gaelic games, their music, danced a
set or two, and told their stories; and
WHEREAS, The Donegal Hill Reunion of Irish immigrants and their
descendants will take place in Prospect Park on Saturday, June 6, 2009;
and
WHEREAS, The 2009 Parade is dedicated to the memory and spirit of
Annie Moore, Ellis Island's first immigrant, born in County Cork and
along with her two younger brothers, Anthony and Philip, boarded the SS
Nevada in Queenstown, now Cobb, on December 20, 1881; they spent 12 days
at sea before arriving in New York on her 15th birthday, joining her
parents who had immigrated two years earlier to make a better life for
their family; Annie and her brothers were processed through Ellis Island
on January 1, 1892; and

WHEREAS, We pause and say "An Ave" and remember Danny Mills who was
part of Farrells Bar for over 40 years, a quintessential "Brooklyn Guy"
and a friend to all; and
WHEREAS, The Parade will forever be "IN REMEMBRANCE OF" the Heroes and
Victims of 9/11-WTC, those whose spirit shines in the darkness include:
343 FDNY Fire Fighters; 23 NYPD Police Officers; 2 EMPS Officers; 3 NYC
Court Officers; 37 PA Police and 37 PA Personnel; we pause to remember
the 8th Anniversary of the attack; and
WHEREAS, This year, we have two special Parade honorees; NYC Commis-
sioner Brian Andersson and Richard Moylan, President of The Green-Wood
Cemetery; these two men have helped over the years to preserve and high-
light the intertwined histories of Ireland and America; Commissioner
Brian Andersson, recipient of the Annie Moore Award for his untiring
efforts in preserving the history of Ellis Island and its first immi-
grant, Annie Moore; and Richard Moylan, recipient of the Irish Korean
War Veterans Award for his great achievement and unveiling of their
Memorial in historic Green-Wood and his continued efforts in honoring
Irish patriots buried there; and
WHEREAS, This year's Grand Marshal is John Riordan, the 2008 Presi-
dent of the New York Gaelic Athletic Association; he is a dedicated
Kerryman who has promoted the Games of the Gael since his arrival in New
York in 1964; he is known from the East Coast to the West Coast for his
untiring efforts on behalf of the National Games of Ireland and is
involved in every aspect of the GAA, as well as in the Kerry Football
Club and the County Kerry Association; John and his wife, Mary, are the
proud parents of Kathleen and Irene, and another special young man in
their lives is Billy Murphy; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberation to
commend the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee on its 34th Annual
St. Patrick's Day Parade to be held on Sunday, March 15, 2009, and to
honor Grand Marshal, John Riordan, 2008 President of the New York Gaelic
Athletic Association; and the aides to the Grand Marshal, Lieutenant
James Woods, New York Police Department/Brooklyn South; Barbara Snow,
Vice-Principal, PS 119; Kathleen Collins, Gaelic Sports; Anna Henry, Co.
Derry Society; Sean Casey Scaglione, Columbus Council Pipes & Drums;
Patricia Sullivan-Jakubauskas, LAOH; Hugh Harvey, AOH; Patrick Flynn,
Grand Council/SD Emerald Society; and Parade Chairperson, Kathleen McDo-
nagh; and all the citizens of Brooklyn, participating in this important
memorable, cultural and civic event; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Commissioner Brian Andersson, Richard Moylan, John Riordan
and his aides, the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee, and the
aforementioned honorees.