LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending the Brooklyn Irish American Parade
Committee upon the occasion of its 36th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade
on March 20, 2011

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 ongoing 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 the Intertwined Histories of
Ireland and America; 30th Anniversary of the Irish Hunger Strikers; 50th
Anniversary of the Inauguration of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy;
150th Anniversary of the Civil War; and 10th Anniversary of 9/11-World
Trade Center (WTC); and
WHEREAS, The Donegal Hill Reunion of Irish immigrants and their
descendants will take place in Prospect Park on Saturday, June 4, 2011
with a rededication ceremony of the park bench on Prospect Park West and
14th Street to the memory of the Irish Immigrants who preserved and
promoted the Faith of St. Patrick, our Irish culture and Gaelic games in
our great Borough of Brooklyn; and
WHEREAS, The 2011 Parade is dedicated to the memory of John Davenport
Sr. of Holy Name Parish and Community Board No. 7; 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 10th Anniversary of the attack; and
WHEREAS, This year's Grand Marshal is Mae O'Driscoll from County Cork;
she has been active in the Irish American community since her arrival in

New York in 1958; she was a charter member and Chairperson of the New
York State Branch of the Cork Association when they founded the Irish
Immigration reform Movement in May of 1987; their dedicated efforts
resulted in the Immigration Act of 1990, which was passed into law
providing thousands of visas for the Irish through the Morrison Visa
Program; she is also a founding member of the Emerald Isle Immigration
Center, a fully Staffed Immigrant Advice Center, with offices in Wood-
side, Queens, and Woodlawn, New York; she is a loyal and dedicated
member of the County Cork B.P. & P. Association where she served as the
first woman President; furthermore, she is a delegate from County Cork
to the United Irish Counties Association and currently serves on their
Board of Directors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee on its 36th Annual
St. Patrick's Day Parade to be held on Sunday, March 20, 2011, and to
honor Grand Marshal, Mae O'Driscoll from County Cork and Irish American
community leader and the Aides to the Grand Marshal: Detective Michael
Cleary (Uniformed Services) NYPD-72nd Pct. Brooklyn; Thomas Corbett
(Grand Council/Emeralds) NYC Correction Department; John Gallahue (Aide-
At-Large) County Wexford and Holy Name Parish; John Gibbons (Ancient
Order of Hibernians/Kings County Board) Division 35, Flatbush; Judy Rose
(Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians/Kings County Board) Division 22, Bay
Ridge; Kathleen Snow (Public Education) P.S. 222, Brooklyn; Bernadette
Ward (Gaelic Sports) NY Young Ireland's Camogie Ceub; Bernadine Whalen
(Irish Culture) Clann Eireann Pipe Band, Brooklyn; and Parade Chair-
person, James McDonagh and Parade Co-Chairperson, Michelle Brennan; 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 Mae O'Driscoll, and her Aides, Detective Michael Cleary,
Thomas Corbett, John Gallahue, John Gibbons, Judy Rose, Kathleen Snow,
Bernadette Ward, Bernadine Whalen, Mrs. Eleanor Davenport, James McDo-
nagh, Michelle Brennan, and the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Commit-
tee.