Bill Text: NJ ACR70 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Celebrates flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee [ACR70 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-ACR70-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 70
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman S.Kean and Assemblywoman Dunn
SYNOPSIS
Celebrates flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Concurrent Resolution celebrating the flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Whereas, April 10, 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which represents historic progress and success despite outstanding issues in Northern Ireland; and
Whereas, There are Irish people alive today because of the continuous support for the Good Friday Agreement by elected officials through partnerships with governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland; and
Whereas, We honor and give thanks for the Good Friday Agreement, the framework for lasting peace in Northern Ireland, on the historic anniversary of its ratification; and
Whereas, The Good Friday Agreement represented a landmark breakthrough that provided Ireland with a political framework to address its future and pursue its goals of remaining part of the United Kingdom or of Irish Unity, and acknowledged the right of differing political traditions; and
Whereas, The Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements demonstrated democratic and peaceful resolving of differences, especially through the continued support and implementation of the agreement by the British and Irish governments; and
Whereas, 2023 marks the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the vertical tricolor Irish flag by Thomas F. Meagher, an Irish political leader; and
Whereas, The green on the flag represents the Roman Catholics, the orange represents the Protestants, and the white represents the hope for lasting peace and union between the two groups; and
Whereas, March 17th marks the annual observation of the feast of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, a day in which the people of Ireland, Irish Americans, and people of all ethnic origins come together to celebrate; and
Whereas, Over 1 million people living in New Jersey are of Irish heritage and the State is pleased to appreciate the contributions that Irish-Americans and Irish people have made to the State; and
Whereas, New Jersey is proud to recognize Ireland and its achievements and traditions, as the State continues to strengthen its partnership with the Emerald Isle; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature of New
Jersey celebrates the flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and the 25th
anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland and President Michael D. Higgins of Ireland.
STATEMENT
This resolution celebrates the flag of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10th, 1998, making 2023 the 25th anniversary of the historic document. The agreement was a peacekeeping measure to end several decades of violence and conflict in Northern Ireland, called The Troubles. In 1921, when Northern Ireland was created, it remained part of the UK, while the Republic of Ireland became a free state. From then on, unionists, who believed Northern Ireland should stay in the UK, and nationalists, who believed Northern Ireland should join the Republic of Ireland, clashed in violence. Almost 3,500 people were killed over 30 years due to The Troubles. The Good Friday Agreement established the Northern Ireland Assembly, a new government in Northern Ireland that represented both unionists and nationalists. The new Assembly was given control over significant areas of policy by the UK government. The agreement also allows the people of Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic through referendum, allows both Irish and British born people to reside there, and resolved weaponry and imprisonment issues that occurred during the conflict.
March 17th of each year is St. Patrick's Day, a day in which people from around the world celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is said to have died on March 17th, 416 A.D., after establishing a legacy of spreading Christianity to thousands of people in Ireland. Today, the holiday is celebrated in Ireland with a day off of work and school to spend time with family and friends by listening to traditional music, dancing, attending parades, and more. It is celebrated in other countries with a variety of traditions established by the Irish diaspora. In the United States, it is common to wear green and eat corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread.
The Irish flag seen today was first flown in 1848, in Waterford, Ireland by Thomas F. Meagher, making 2023 the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the vertical tricolor Irish flag. Thomas F. Meagher, a leader of the Young Irelanders, is said to have been gifted the tricolor flag by a group of French women who sympathized with Irish nationalism. Thomas F. Meagher has become a significant figure in both Irish and American history. He received a life prison sentence to be carried out in Tasmania for his participation in the Irish nationalist Rebellion of 1848, and escaped to the United States, where he served in the U.S. Army as Brigadier General in the Civil War. He is remembered in the United States for leading the Irish Brigade and motivating Irish immigrants to fight for the Union. The tri-color flag that Meagher flew was not widely recognized across the country until the Easter Rising of 1916. It was officially designated the national flag by the new Constitution of Ireland in 1937.
