Bill Clinton

“ America's bounty-the abundance of the fields, the beauty of the landscape, the richness of our opportunities-has always attracted people who are in search of a better life for themselves and their children. Our democracy owes its success in great part to the countless immigrants who have made their way to our shores and to the tremendous diversity this Nation has been blessed with since its beginnings. ”

“ Today, millions of Americans of Irish ancestry continue to enrich all aspects of life in the United States. Irish Americans are proud to recall their heritage and their struggle for well-deserved recognition in all walks of American life. ”

“ The largest wave of Irish immigrants came in the late 1840s, when the Great Famine ravaging Ireland caused 2 million people to emigrate, mostly to American soil. These immigrants transformed our largest cities and helped to build them into dynamic centers of commerce and industry, and their contributions to our smaller cities and towns are evident today in the cultural, economic, and spiritual makeup of the communities. ”