RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is known throughout the world for its long history of ethnic and racial diversity and as a destination and haven for immigrants from around the globe; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is grateful for all of the hard-working people who have come to settle in this city from nearly every nation on Earth; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago appreciates the contributions of immigrants toward its historic rise as one of the great cities of the world and the nucleus of a metropolitan area of over nine and a half million people; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago has always taken pause to honor individual communities that have contributed to its greatness; and
WHEREAS, one of the communities that the city has historically regarded as providing great contributions to Chicago is the Irish-American community, which is comprised of nearly a quarter of a million Chicago residents; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of Chicago Irish-Americans trace their ancestry, if not their birth, to the Town of Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland, which is a rural market town of approximately 2,000 people; and
WHEREAS, in this year, 2019, the Town of Swinford, County Mayo, is celebrating and commemorating the 250th anniversary of its founding as a chartered town in 1769; and
WHEREAS, among the many people of Chicago who trace their ancestry to the Town of Swinford are nineteen public officials, now serving or retired, who serve or have served the Chicago metropolitan area, and who have either lived, worked, served in office, or were born in the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, a remarkable number of Chicago-area public officials name the Town of Swinford as their ancestral home, including:
Hon. Michael J. Brennan, former Orland Township Supervisor
Hon. Daniel P. Brennan, Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. John T. Carr, Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Alison C. Conlon, Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Michael G. Connelly, former Illinois State Senator, 21st District
Hon. John J. Curry, Jr., Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Sheila O'Grady Duffy, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago
Hon. James B. Durkin, Illinois State Representative, 82nd District, House Minority Leader
Hon. Melissa A. Durkin, Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Thomas M. Durkin, United States District Judge, Northern District of Illinois
Hon. Thomas P. Durkin, retired Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. James Henry, retired Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Michael T. Mullen, Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Sheila M. O'Brien, retired Justice ofthe Illinois Appellate Court, First District
Hon. Paul A. O'Grady, Orland Township Supervisor
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Hon. Maureen Durkin Roy, retired Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Martin T. Tully, Mayor, Village of Downers Grove
Hon. Thomas M. Tully, former County Assessor of Cook County
Hon. Thomas M. Tunney, Alderman, 44th Ward, City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, these officials will be honoring Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland this year as it commemorates its 250th anniversary, by their presentation of a group portrait to the Town on August 1, 2019, the day of their anniversary festival; and
WHEREAS, many other descendants and emigres ofthe Town of Swinford, Ireland have enriched the City of Chicago by serving in the medical, legal, and other professions, in business and commerce, in the arts, in public service, and in community involvement; and
WHEREAS, through its hundreds of descendants and natives living in Chicago, the residents of our City are aware of the charms of the 250-year-old Town of Swinford, County Mayo, which is known for its recreational fishing, cycling, and hiking and its annual August Siamsa Sraide Festival, and its proximity to the natural beauty of Lough Conn, the River Moy, the Nephin Mountain Range, and the scenic Atlantic coast of Mayo, as well as its significant and historic locales such as Neolithic archeological sites, medieval round towers, ancient monasteries, the religious pilgrimage site of Knock, and the historic Mellett's Pub, 1797, the 12th oldest business in Ireland, owned by cousins to the late Patrick Mellett of Chicago, who owned Mellett's Tavern at 4728 West Madison Street for over fifty-five years; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this 10th day of April, 2019, do hereby honor the proud natives and descendants of the Town of Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland, who are devoted citizens of the City of Chicago, including the nineteen public officials among their number who have dutifully served in the City of Chicago and in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, and further do hereby honor the Town of Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland, and its citizens, as they commemorate the 250th anniversary of its founding in this year, 2019; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Town of Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland, as a sign of our recognition of the 250th anniversary of its founding. J
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