A positive Saint Patrick’s Day message re: We immigrants
Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh! Happy St. Patrick's Festivities!
“A heritage, a tradition and a respect to pass on to our children and grandchildren”
“My grandfather was born in 1881 outside Enniskillen. So, I’m one of you!”
Bruce Morrison, 81, was a member of Congress from Connecticut who convinced fellow lawmakers to approve 45,000 U.S. visas for citizens of Ireland and Northern Ireland issued between 1992 and 1995. It was only the second time Congress has ever approved an INCREASE in immigration. Thirty years later, Morrison is considered a hero in Irish America as he continues to take his victory lap around the country. The legacy of the Morrison Visas continues.
He was the featured speaker Sunday, March 15, at a ceremony in the offices of the Irish consulate in a downtown San Francisco high rise attended by 55 American citizens who successfully navigated the process of securing Irish citizenship.
“I honor that,” said Morrison. “I too was gratified to go through that journey. It was a lot of paperwork. (And he’s an immigration lawyer!)
“In our history there have been times when people have been forced to choose – or asked to choose – whether they were real Americans or something else. The idea of an Irish American was met with hostility because that must mean you didn’t leave your past behind.
“The truth is the great strength of America as a nation of immigrants is that they don’t leave their culture and their heritage behind. When they come to America, they bring it with them and that’s what makes America a very special place.
“When we talk about hyphenated Americans it makes it sound like a problem. But when we celebrate where we’re from and what we bring, whether it’s first generation or tenth generation, we are doing something that makes this nation what it is supposed to be.
“(By becoming Irish citizens) you aren’t abandoning all the things that make you American. You are grafting on something that makes you into the American you are. I am proud to have an Irish passport. I share the same thing that all of you in this room share: a heritage, a tradition and a respect that we carry with us our whole lives and give to our children and grandchildren.”
The Irish Consulate in San Francisco, headed by Consul General Micheal Smith, is the only one of Ireland’s eight U.S. consulates that hosts a ceremony for successful Irish citizenship seekers.
If you want to find out if you’re eligible for Irish Citizenship CLICK THIS.
In the meantime, enjoy the day.
We're always looking to sign up new members. So please share this with anyone you know who might want to explore the possibility of Irish Citizenship.
There won't be a Portland Hibernian Society meeting on the Third Thursday of March. See you on April 16.