More than shamrocks

Last Thursday was the day when we all go and drink Irish beer and wear green and even have a parade in celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. But the Irish don't just get one day to celebrate; March is Irish-American History Month. \nBut I don't see the Community Educators doing any programs about the Irish and how they suffered to make America great. There are no programs at IU celebrating the accomplishments of the Irish. And why aren't there any? Because I believe Irish people have had a significant impact on this country, I am going to take it upon myself to remind you of the important accomplishments of the Irish in the United States.\nBefore the Revolutionary War, only a few Irish lived in the United States, but some of these people were very important to our history as a nation and a people. Charles Carroll, an Irishman from Maryland, was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence. He did this at a time when the Irish were not allowed to hold prominent political offices or excluded totally for politics.\nAnother Carroll, John Carroll, would become the first American Catholic bishop in the United States and would help form and mold an identity for Catholics here. He would also be an audible voice for religious liberty for persecuted Catholics in the country using the tools given all Americans in the Bill of Rights. \nWhile some Irish were wealthy and obtained high positions in government and Church politics, most were poor and uneducated. This might have been OK with the mostly Protestant nation in the mid-1800s, except that most of the Irish were also Catholic. This would prompt signs in stores saying "Irish need not apply" and would lead to other more violent outbreaks against these immigrants. As a result, many Irish were pressed into the service of the Union army during the Civil War. Many of these Irishmen were fresh off the boat, but it was a decent job for a new immigrant. Some of them had their own regiments and served with prestige in the war. Other Irish contributions were the work they performed on the continental railroad. On the rail that made its way east, it was mainly Irish labor that built it.\nBut if they didn't work on the railroad, the Irish would set up schools, hospitals, orphanages and churches to aid the needs of new Irish immigrants. Not only would the Irish help build America, but they would also rally round the people that helped build it. A woman called Mother Jones would become a rallying point for workers. Among her many accomplishments, she helped found the United Mine Workers of America. This would be a huge service to often exploited mine workers. \nAnother notable Irish American was Eliza Gillespie, who set up military hospitals during the Civil War. This happened at a time when the women who frequented battle fields were there as entertainment for the soldiers. Gillespie and her group cared for wounded and dying soldiers.\nHenry Ford is another significant Irishman. Ford produced the first American cars and established the assembly line, which revolutionized the manufacturing industry by speeding up production, while reducing costs. \nSo while the Irish are not as visible today as an ethnic group because of European heritage, they should not be forgotten as a major force for change and advancement in the United States. \nÉireann go Brách.