WASHINGTON — Today in the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol, Speaker Johnson hosted President Donald Trump and Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, for the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon, a St. Patrick’s Day tradition which began in 1983.
The event featured remarks from Speaker Johnson, President Trump, and the Taoiseach as well as a musical and dance performance from the Irish musical “Where Eagles Fly” and the Gardiner Brothers.
Following the luncheon, Speaker Johnson hosted the Taoiseach for a bilateral meeting to discuss the United States-Ireland relationship.
Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here
Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:
So grateful again to have you all with us. I hope you’re enjoying this special event and the extraordinary meal that’s still being prepared and presented. So, thank you for that.
I know many of you have been attending this luncheon for many years. The President and I were just speaking, and I think this is his sixth of these events. It’s my third and we look forward to it every year. It’s a tradition that many of you know. It’s been going for four decades because it began back in the Ronald Reagan era. Two proud sons of Ireland—one was a Republican, one was a Democrat—President Ronald Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill, originally joined forces to celebrate the enduring bond of Ireland and the United States.
We have kept the tradition going ever since. The Friends of Ireland has been a bipartisan tradition, and we look forward to it every year. And of course, this luncheon is just one of the many ways that America is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day around the country.
Of course, New York City, is a great place, lots of Irish Americans there. They host the longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world that dates back to 1762. That’s right. I can’t believe you didn’t know that, Senator Welch.
In our state, Steve Scalise and I hail from Louisiana, they celebrate a little differently. St. Patrick’s Day often falls in the midst of Mardi Gras, so they toss Mardi Gras beads, they put on their own spin on everything. They even throw cabbages and potatoes from the Mardi Gras floats.
In Chicago, famously of course, they dye the city’s river bright green, and that’s always interesting. I’m not entirely sure that’s happening again this year because our Health Secretary, RFK Jr., might’ve banned it. But, we’ll see. We’ll see.
Now, if you’re familiar with this event, you know that speakers traditionally share their stories of their Irish roots and their long-lost relatives from the homeland. I unfortunately am not Irish. My folks come from, my mother’s side from Sicily. So, ‘Mike Johnson’ is so boring. You wouldn’t know that. But my maternal grandfather was Nunzio Messina. Okay? I could have been somebody. I could have been Vinny Messina.
But anyway, this is my third year hosting and I’ve exhausted all my stories. But I do want to say, I do have Irish credibility because I married a beautiful Irish woman. Kelly is my wife, over here, Kelly. Her maiden name is Lary. And it used to be, originally O’Leary. So, Kelly O’Leary, that’s pretty Irish, right? I think I qualify.
I’m certainly a great admirer of the Irish spirit and of course, the indelible mark that Irishmen and women have left on our country. There’s an old saying that the Irish, like the presence of God himself, are everywhere. And that certainly holds true here in Congress, as well as most of the history of our extraordinary nation.
Irish influence in America dates back to the earliest days of our great country. In fact, some of the most fiery patriots, the ones who inspired our Founders to declare their independence, were the Irish. And when the father of our country, George Washington, needed an army, it was the Irish who made up roughly one third of the fighting force.
Their determined spirit and their love of liberty were so well known that a top British official is said to have lamented, “We have lost America through the Irish.” And that’s bragging rights.
Perhaps it was that famous Irish charm, or perhaps it was their rather exuberant ways that made a lasting impression on George Washington himself. Now being the dutiful and stoic general that he was, he rarely picked favorites among his ranks. He was famous for how he did that. But if he ever did, it would’ve been in the winter of 1780. On that winter, Washington’s men were enduring. Some of the harshest conditions of the entire war were while camped at Morristown, New Jersey. The food had been rationed, supplies were scarce, and they had below freezing temperatures that made every task somehow more miserable. Washington knew he had to do something to improve the spirits and morale of his men. So, on March 16, he issued a rare order. The next day, March 17, all work would cease and every soldier would stop to properly celebrate this unexpected day off. It was the day of respite and recovery and merriment. And as Washington noted, a day held in particular regard by the people of Ireland.
Now, here’s what I find so interesting about this story. Despite the brutal conditions and despite the shortages in food and supplies, and despite some men going without shoes on their feet, the Irish somehow managed by what I can only assume to be divine intervention, to find beer. Steve, they found beer in the midst of all that. Ever since then, we’ve continued to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and we carry on that proud tradition here again today in many ways, the story of America cannot be told without the story of the Irish, we are intertwined in that way.
Your love of freedom, your grit and industriousness, and your proud and resilient spirit, all of which have shaped the character of our country through great servants like Kennedy and Reagan and O’Neill and countless others, many of whom have Irish roots are serving with us still today, many here with us here today. And, America celebrates her 250th anniversary. And in the midst of that, we celebrate the great legacy and reaffirm this enduring and eternal friendship.
And now, without further ado, it’s my honor to introduce our next speaker. It’s a man who spent a lifetime working with the Irish first to build skyscrapers and golf courses and now trade deals and diplomatic ties. It is my great honor to host him here in the Congress every time he comes down the street. He is our great 45th and 47th President, Donald J. Trump.
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