WHEREAS, on March 17th, during the annual celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, Irish-Americans join with men, women and children of all other ethnic origins who, for one day, become Irish and celebrate Saint Patrick and the love of Ireland; and

WHEREAS, millions of Irish people emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s to escape brutal poverty and starvation due to the Irish potato famine, and most of those people came to America to start new lives and to embrace and contribute to a new land; and

WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Irish immigrants arrived in New England and many came to Maine, and the Irish have been an important part of Maine's culture, history and society ever since; and

WHEREAS, within a few years of their arrival in the United States and in Maine, these Irish immigrants became part of the American cultural landscape while preserving the best of their native culture, and they dedicated themselves to helping build this nation and state; and

WHEREAS, four signers of the Declaration of Independence were Irish-born and nine signers were of Irish ancestry and 19 Presidents of the United States have proudly claimed Irish heritage, including George Washington, the father of our country; John Fitzgerald Kermedy; and Ronald Reagan; and

WHEREAS, the 44,000,000 Americans of Irish ancestry, like their forebears, continue to enrich all aspects of life in the United States, in science, education, art, agriculture, business, industry, literature, music, athletics, entertainment and military and government service; and

WHEREAS, as of the 2020 census, Maine was 5th most Irish state in the nation by percentage, with around 1 in 6 Mainers identifying as being of Irish descent; and

WHEREAS, the Maine Irish Heritage Center, housed in the former St. Dominic's Church in Portland, is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Irish culture in Maine and to serving as a community center for the good of all citizens;

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim March 17, 2026 as

Maine Irish Heritage Day

and I urge all citizens to observe this day with appropriate ceremony and activities.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this twenty fifth day of February Two Thousand Twenty-Six