February 24, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Murphy, Doyle, Dittrich, Callahan, O'Connor, McGuire, Armstrong, Bare, DeSmidt, Donovan, Fitzgerald, Gundrum, J. Jacobson, Joers, Johnson, Kitchens, Knodl, Kreibich, Melotik, Nedweski, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Penterman, Piwowarczyk, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snyder, Subeck, Tenorio, Tittl, Udell and Tusler. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AR5,1,1
1Relating to: celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17, 2025. AR5,1,32Whereas, March 17 is Saint Patrick’s Day, a day honoring the patron saint of 3Ireland; and AR5,1,94Whereas, Saint Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, Scotland, in 5AD 387; was captured and enslaved by Irish marauders at the age of 16; converted 6to Christianity; escaped slavery; entered the clergy; was named bishop of Ireland; 7returned to Ireland; converted Irish pagans to Christianity; established many 8monasteries, churches, and schools all over Ireland; and died on March 17 in AD 9461; and AR5,1,1210Whereas, Irish monks and scholars at the monasteries and schools founded by 11Saint Patrick preserved much of the learning that was lost throughout the rest of 12Europe during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire; and AR5,1,1413Whereas, natives of Ireland began moving to Wisconsin during the 1840s, 14driven in part by the wake of the Great Famine; and AR5,2,5
1Whereas, Irish immigrants in Wisconsin principally settled in Brown, 2Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green 3Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc, 4Marquette, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, St. Croix, Sauk, 5Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago Counties; and AR5,2,96Whereas, on September 8, 1860, the steamer Lady Elgin sank off the bluffs 7near Winnetka, Illinois, taking the lives of 297 people, including many of the Irish-8American political leaders from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and marking the end of the 9Irish domination of Milwaukee politics; and AR5,2,1210Whereas, Irish immigrants constituted a majority of the 17th Wisconsin 11Infantry, which fought in many of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, 12including the Battles of Vicksburg, Shiloh, and Corinth; and AR5,2,1513Whereas, the 17th Wisconsin Infantry contained company names such as the 14Mulligan Guards of Kenosha, the Peep O’Day Boys of Racine, and the Emmett 15Guards of Dodge; and AR5,2,1816Whereas, the 17th Wisconsin Infantry led a fearless bayonet charge at the 17Battle of Corinth with the Irish Gaelic battle cry, “Faugh a ballagh!” which 18translates as “Clear the way!”; and AR5,2,2019Whereas, the Smithsonian Institution named Milwaukee’s Irish Fest the 20“largest and best Irish cultural event in North America”; and AR5,2,2321Whereas, in 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that over 10 percent of 22Wisconsin residents claim to be of Irish decent, making Irish ancestry in Wisconsin 23second only to those claiming German heritage; and AR5,3,3
1Whereas, though originally a solemn Catholic holy day, Saint Patrick’s Day 2has evolved into a much more secular holiday celebrating Irish music, culture, and 3heritage; now, therefore, be it AR5,3,84Resolved by the assembly, That the members of the Wisconsin Assembly 5salute all of the persons of Irish descent for their significant contributions to this 6state, express appreciation for those persons who have kept alive Irish culture and 7traditions, and join with all Wisconsinites who revere their Irish heritage in 8celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17, 2025.
