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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 17
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WHEREAS, Visiting the State Capitol on January 16, 2019, is |
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the Honorable James Collins, Mayor of the City and County of |
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Limerick; and |
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WHEREAS, The purpose of Mayor Collins' trip is to establish |
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a formal relationship with the City of Austin and the Limerick |
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City and County Council; he is accompanied by representatives |
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from the University of Limerick, the Limerick Institute of |
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Technology, the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership, the |
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Limerick Chamber of Commerce, the Limerick Gaelic Athletic |
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Association, and other senior business and community leaders; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas' link with Ireland dates back to the 18th |
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century, when Hugo Oconór, one of the first Irish Texans, served |
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as governor of Coahuila and Texas from 1767 to 1770; in the early |
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19th century, Irish families joined Stephen F. Austin's first |
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colony and also settled in South Texas and along the Gulf Coast; |
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Irish-born soldiers fought at the Alamo and with Sam Houston at |
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the Battle of San Jacinto, and four Irishmen signed the Texas |
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Declaration of Independence; and |
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WHEREAS, In the mid-19th century, Irish immigrants played |
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vital roles in the building of Texas' physical infrastructure and |
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in its economic and social development; additionally, Irish |
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natives Samuel McKinney, an early president of Austin College, |
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and Father Michael Sheehan, who established the first Catholic |
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Church in Austin, were prominent Texas residents; John William |
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Mallet served as the first faculty chair at The University of |
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Texas later in the century, and artist Henry Arthur McArdle |
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specialized in paintings based on Texas history, several of which |
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hang in the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, In recognition of the economic, social, and |
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cultural ties between Ireland and Texas, the Irish government |
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opened a consulate general in Texas in 2015, becoming the only |
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European Union member with a diplomatic mission located in the |
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state's capital; Ireland is among the top 10 foreign investors in |
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the United States, and trade between Texas and Ireland is at |
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record levels; moreover, approximately two million Texans, |
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representing eight percent of the state's population, claim |
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Irish ancestry and are making their mark in both the public and |
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private sectors; and |
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WHEREAS, Irish Texans have contributed immeasurably to the |
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state's growth and vitality for hundreds of years, and the |
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mayor's visit offers a fitting opportunity to recognize the deep |
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and historic bonds that the people of Texas share with the people |
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of Ireland; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th |
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Legislature, hereby welcome the Honorable James Collins, Mayor |
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of the City and County of Limerick, and the delegation from |
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Limerick to the State Capitol and join with them in celebrating |
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the long-standing friendship that exists between Ireland and the |
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Lone Star State; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared |
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for Mayor Collins as an expression of high regard by the Texas Senate. |
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Bettencourt |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on January 16, 2019. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |