Whereas, For four centuries, Americans of Irish heritage have contributed their lives and fortunes to their adopted country; and,

Whereas, The Irish were the largest European group to inhabit the thirteen colonies in the 75 years leading to the 1776 revolution and played a significant role in the War for Independence; and,

Whereas, Irish Americans have excelled in all professions and occupations-education, science, medicine, the arts, politics, and in all aspects of human endeavors; and,

Whereas, Mackinac Island Fur Trader Charles O'Malley promoted a large-scale immigration of families from his native Mayo, Ireland, to Michigan in 1834; and,

Whereas, Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company in Michigan, was the grandson of an immigrant from County Cork, Ireland; and,

Whereas, Highland Park, Michigan, was the birthplace of Irish-American crooner Bill Haley who, along with the Comets, took the country by storm with hits such as "Summertime Blues," "Shake, Rattle and Roll," and "Rock Around the Clock;" and,

Whereas, According to the 2000 census, 1,067,474 Michigan residents, or 10.7 percent of our state's population claimed Irish ancestry; and,

Whereas, The Irish American Cultural Institute and other Irish organizations seek to preserve and promote Irish traditions, heritage, and fellowship of Irish and Irish American descendants in the state of Michigan; and, now therefore be it

Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor of the State of Michigan, do hereby proclaim the week of March 16, 2008, as Irish Week in Michigan.