Irish Contribution to the American Revolution

“On more than one imminent occasion, Congress owed their existence, and America possibly her preservation, to the fidelity and firmness of the Irish.”  George Grieve, Travels in North America, in the Years 1780, 1781 and 1782

In the midst of the American Revolution, General George Washington issued an official proclamation in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day. In honor of the high percentage of Irish-born and Irish-American troops under his command, the proclamation declared March 17, 1780 a holiday for the Continental Army stationed in Morristown, New Jersey. It was the first holiday granted to the troops in two years.  General Washington awarded this holiday “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence".

People from Ireland were the largest single group to arrive in the thirteen colonies in the seventy-five years leading up to the American Revolution. Having fled an oppressive system at home, these immigrants needed little persuasion to enlist in the cause of American liberty. Many people of Irish ancestry, therefore, are to be found among the officers and leaders of the rebellion. Sources claim anywhere from 35% -66% of the colonial forces were Irish.

Irish born participants in the Revolution and the birth of this nation include:

• The first Secretary of the Continental Congress and the designer of the Great Seal of the United States, Charles Thomson
• 3 signers of the Declaration of Independence: Matthew Thorton, James Smith and George Taylor; six were of Irish background: Charles Carroll, Thomas Lynch, Thomas McKean, Edward Rutledge and George Read
• 4 signers of the Constitution: Pierce Butler, Thomas Fitzsimmons, James McHenry and William Patterson
• Printer of the Declaration of Independence, John Dunlop
• The father of the American Navy, John Barry
• 5 Aides decamp of General Washington
• Sharpshooter Tim Murphy of Morgan’s Rifles
• Sixteen generals were from Ireland, including Generals Moylan, Montgomery, Knox
• The Pennsylvania Line was also known as the Line of Ireland
• First units to be sent by France were the Irish Brigades under Walsh, Dillon and Roche
• State governors, Thomas Burke of North Carolina and John McKinly of South Carolina; first governor of Pennsylvania – George Bryan
• Fedanus Burke, one of the most notable figures in revolutionary South Carolina.
• Washington’s intelligence men: Hercules Mulligan and John Honeyman
• Architect of the White House, James Hoban

Thus, the Irish were an integral part in the fight against the British during the American War of Independence. They are rarely recognized for their contributions.

“May the Kingdom of Ireland merit a stripe in the American Standard” – Marquis de Lafayette, 1779 on the contributions of the Irish to the American Revolution
 

IACI Washington's Ball

Every year, the IACI commemorates this unique historical moment with the Washington’s St. Patrick’s Day Ball, fittingly held within a stone’s throw of Washington’s Headquarters National Park in Morristown.  The Washington's St. Patrick's Day Ball is an annual gala to benefit the established educational, arts, and cultural programming of the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI).  The evening is a blend of history, pageantry, music, and dance. 

The centerpiece of the ball is the IACI’s Annie Moore Award presentation. The Annie Moore Award is bestowed on an individual who has made significant contributions to the Irish and/or Irish American community and legacy.  The Washington’s St. Patrick Day Ball is one of the IACI’s most successful fundraising events and provides vital support to the programs and initiatives of the Institute.

The evening begins with a cocktail reception and traditional fife and drum troupe lead the transition from the cocktail hour to the ball room.  The Ball commences with a re-enactment of George Washington’s 1780 St. Patrick's Day proclamation.  Dinner is served and attendees will enjoy dancing to the music of The Cara Show Band, an Irish-American band providing the perfect blend of Irish traditional jigs and reels and American rock and roll.