By U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal
This year, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, a defining moment that has changed the course of world history. With the establishment of a democratic republic, the United States has conducted a bold experiment in representative democracy for the last two and a half centuries, one that remains a loud and spirited work in progress to this very day.
A uniquely American exercise, what President Lincoln called “a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” our country continues to be an inspiration for those who seek independence and self-determination across the globe.
As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day here in western and central Massachusetts, we are reminded of the many significant contributions the Irish have made to America’s remarkable story, even from the earliest days of our nation’s founding. Consider three Irishmen, James Smith, George Taylor and Matthew Thornton, who were among the 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence. Five Irish Americans joined them.
Four delegates at the Constitutional Convention, William Paterson, James McHenry, Pierce Butler and Thomas Fitzsimons, were born and raised in Ireland before emigrating to America and, ultimately, representing their respective states in shaping the framework of our Constitution and the institutions that define our democracy.
Some of the most prominent symbols of our nation are the work of Irish hands and minds. Charles Thomson, a son of County Derry, designed the Great Seal of the United States. James Hoban, a son of County Kilkenny, was the architect who designed the White House.
Of the 47 presidents who have served our nation, 23 lay claim to Irish heritage. Two of them also served as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
During the Great Famine, nearly two million Irish immigrants fled to the U.S. When the blight of the potato famine began to recede in the late 1850s, their family and friends soon followed, and they forever changed the fabric of our country.
They laid the railroad tracks that connected our communities and fueled our economic growth. They served in uniform, including the military, police, fire, and EMS, protecting us at home and abroad. They organized and strengthened labor unions, fighting for fair wages and safe working conditions. They served in government, helping to shape the policies and institutions that guide our nation to this day.
For us here in western and central Massachusetts, the Irish helped build and sustain the communities we call home. They carried with them a belief in opportunity, resilience and self-determination, values that defined not only their journey, but the American experience.
For a tiny country of just seven million people, Ireland’s influence in the arts, especially in literature and music, is particularly notable, with a cultural legacy that has resonated far beyond its shores and enriched societies across the globe. It is hard to imagine the United States without the Irish.
In many ways, the American story and the Irish story are intertwined; they are one story.
In recent times, Irish America has played an indispensable role in the effort to bring peace and reconciliation to the island of Ireland. The historic Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of discord, remains one of the United States’ greatest foreign policy achievements in recent memory. It is undoubtedly a template for successful conflict resolution worldwide. Many Irish Americans, including right here in western and central Massachusetts, took great risks for peace and helped change the course of history forever.
For the nearly 40 million Americans who claim Irish heritage, this shared history is not simply something to celebrate.
Rather, it is something that calls us to action. Just as Ireland’s people helped shape America’s rise over the last 250 years, the United States has and must continue to play a vital role in Ireland’s journey. We are entering a new chapter of our shared story, and with that comes a new challenge, one that requires our collective attention: Irish unification.
As guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, we must start a robust conversation here in the United States about the prospects of a united Ireland. Or what my great friend, Nobel Peace Prize laureate John Hume, called “a New Ireland.”
On both sides of the Atlantic, a conversation on the planning for such a constitutional outcome is essential. With demographics and perspectives on the island of Ireland rapidly changing, a conversation on the prospect of a united Ireland is essential. Let us learn from the lessons of Brexit that a lack of strategic planning can have consequential and far-reaching consequences, both economically and politically.
At the same time, we must ensure that such a conversation is rooted in the principles that underscore the Good Friday Agreement. Preparing now will ensure that all stakeholders are actively engaged, economic and political challenges can be addressed, and the rights and identities of all those who call the island of Ireland home are respected and protected.
As we mark 250 years of American democracy, we are reminded that our system has endured because it has evolved, but it has never wavered from its founding ideal of working for the people.
Each generation has had the awesome responsibility of being stewards of that great ideal. It is now incumbent upon us to help Ireland as it prepares to chart its own future and carry that same ideal forward into the next chapter of our shared story.
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, is chair of the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus.
