Speech #940121080

I did. not mention the specific contributions of individuals of Irish descent. Needless to say. they were numerous and notable. As Joseph F. OConnor. the executive director. of the American Irish Bicentennial Committee. points out: It -was Lord Montgomery who in the British Parliament in April. 1784. stated that "America was lost by Irish emigrants." It was the Irish of 1776 whose inbred hatred for the British formed the fighting core of the Continental Army. At times. 60 to 80 percent of Washingtons Army were "Irish." . . Patrick Carr. a native of Ireland. was a victim of the Boston Massacre on March 5. 1770.