The Amherst Select Board declares February 1st as Irish Day, Brigid's Day at the request of the Amherst Irish Association.
WHEREAS, America has welcomed Ireland's emigrants to its shores for centuries, particularly during and after the Great Famines of the 1840s, and continues to do so into the twenty-first century.
WHEREAS, Irish people contributed to the history of Amherst through their labor as factory workers and domestic servants, they continue to enrich the civic, academic, cultural and commercial life of the town today.
WHEREAS, On this day, February 1st, Brigid's Day/Lá le Bhríde, we recognize our Celtic origins, the name most associated with Irish domestic servants in America, and Ireland's first native saint, St. Brigid (for whom the Catholic church in the center of Amherst is named).
THEREFORE, we declare February 1st as the day on which to celebrate Irish heritage in the Town of Amherst, Massachusetts, and further urge its citizens to explore the Irish Association’s Event Series on topics of Irish history, culture and current events.