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91_HR0725
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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Jeanie Johnston was a famous Irish 19th
3 century emigrant vessel; through rough waters, this seafaring
4 ship made its way to America, carrying the precious cargo of
5 men, women, and children to a new life; and
6 WHEREAS, The Jeanie Johnston has been reproduced with a
7 full-size replica; it was built at Blennerville, near Tralee,
8 County Kerry, Ireland; work commenced in 1997 and the
9 President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, laid the keel of the
10 replica ship on May 5, 1998, exactly 150 years after the
11 maiden voyage of the original Jeanie Johnston from Tralee to
12 North America; and
13 WHEREAS, The new Jeanie Johnston will visit both the
14 United States and Canada beginning in April of 2000; she will
15 stop at ports in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia,
16 Chicago, Baltimore, Quebec, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere;
17 President Clinton will greet the triple masted barque when it
18 arrives in the United States; and
19 WHEREAS, Volunteers from the United States and other
20 countries worked with craftsmen from Ireland to reproduce the
21 Jeanie Johnston; young people from North and South Ireland
22 will serve as volunteer crew when the ship sails to America;
23 and
24 WHEREAS, In addition to the replica project, the Irish
25 Emigration Research Project and the Irish 19th Emigration
26 Research Centre have been established at Blennerville to
27 focus on the history of the ship and the many passengers that
28 sailed on her; therefore, be it
29 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
30 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
31 we recognize the cooperative effort between Ireland and the
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1 United States in building the replica of the Jeanie Johnston;
2 we congratulate all the people involved in this historic
3 venture; when the Jeanie Johnston arrives in the United
4 States it will be the culmination of many hours of hard work
5 and devotion; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
7 presented to President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Counsel
8 General Eamon Hickey, Chairman of the Jeanie Johnston
9 Committee Dr. Henry Lyons, United States Ambassador to
10 Ireland Mr. Michael J. Sullivan, Cook County Board President
11 John Stroger, former Senator George Mitchell of Maine, and
12 Director of the Irish Emigration Research Project Helen
13 O'Carroll.