A MESSAGE FROM GLEN COVE'S MAYOR Thomas Suozzi

March 1997

Welcome to Glen Cove's Ninth annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. I hope that the sun shines for this great occasion to further illuminate that already bright and indomitable Irish spirit.

We are proud of our Irish citizenry in Glen Cove, their contributions and well-documented history. In the 1850's our city was the site of one of the earliest Irish settlements on Long Island. Many Irish families, escaping the famine in their country, came to Glen Cove to find work and a new home. Tenement dwellings sprung up along Mill Hill Road where families lived, raised children, and worked at the once-famous Duryea Starch Works nearby. These early Irish families took root, flourishing as farmers, factory workers, shopkeepers, later becoming an integral part of community life as teachers, priests, and mayors.

In Glen Cove we are proud of the Ancient Order of Hibernian's efforts to keep alive the values, culture, and traditions of their ancestors. Today, on March 22, 1997, we join with our Irish neighbors by "wearing the green" and donning shamrocks to share together the intense pride of their heritage.

An early written recollection by President John F. Kennedy spoke about his own ancestral homeland:  "Ireland has never been a rich or powerful country, and yet, since earliest times, its influence on the world has been rich and powerful. No larger nation did more to keep Christianity and Western culture alive in their darkest centuries. No larger nation did more to spark the cause of independence in America, and indeed, around the world. And no larger nation has ever provided the world with more literary and artistic genius. This is an extraordinary country."

Our thanks to Grand Marshal J. Brian Fitzpatrick, and his Aides Martin Mannion and Patti Ann Browne for leading the parade, and our thanks to Division 8 AOH for another successful event. On behalf of myself, the City Council, and all the citizens of Glen Cove, we salute this beautiful country and their extraordinary people.

"CEAD MILE FAILTE---and a Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Very truly yours,

Thomas Suozzi

Mayor of the City of Glen Cove