Irish Though for April 21

Irish-American Facts

Eight Irish-Americans signed the United States Declaration of Independence.  Matthew Thornton, George Taylor, and James Smith were all born in Ireland, and Thomas Lynch, Jr., George Read, Thomas McKean, Charles Carroll, and Edward Rutledge were descendants of Irish immigrants.  Charles Thompson, the secretary who signed the document, was Irish-American, too.

I love the importance of these names to me.  These names were not taught to me in American History because they were not the "big contributers" that people like Benjamin Franklin were.  But even though they were not the most famous of the founding fathers, Irish-Americans were part of the elite group who were chosen to make a stand to the British.  Those names might not be memorable to most people today, but they represent all of those Irish who came to America for whatever reasons they had.  They represent bringing to America part of their history while creating American history.  That dual citizenship is what makes remembering these people in events like Kansas City Irishfest so important.  Irish or Irish-Americans were important to America, to Kansas and Missouri, to Kansas City, to our own families.  Their legacy means so much in so many different, but equally important ways.