Contact: Jack Deacy (212) 788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani tonight hosted a Gracie Mansion reception to celebrate Irish Heritage Month, which the Mayor proclaimed at the beginning of March. The Mayor was joined by former First Deputy Mayor Peter Powers, 1997 St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal and Quinnipiac College President Dr. John Lahey, bestselling author Frank McCourt, whose memoir "Angela's Ashes" is number one on the New York Times non-fiction best seller list this week, and members of the Irish American community in New York.
"Irish Heritage Month gave us the opportunity during the month of March to celebrate the contributions that the Irish American community has made to the City of New York," Mayor Giuliani said. "During the month, we also commemorated the 150th Anniversary of the Irish Famine, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with the great parade up Fifth Avenue, and we also took note of the tremendous Irish revival in theater, film, writing, music and dance which is sweeping the City, the nation and the world."
"As Irish Heritage Month ends, we also observe on this Easter Monday the 81st Anniversary of the Irish Uprising in Dublin when the Irish people struck for their freedom," the Mayor added.
Tonight's celebration featured Irish music and dance and specialty foods were provided by several restaurants and shops, including Langan's, McGee's, Neary's Riverrun, the Traditional Irish Foods Bakery and Waldbaum's. Beverages were supplied by Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Murphy's Stout, Izzy Becker and Tropicana. Flowers were provided by Alpine Forest.
The corporate sponsors who underwrote several Irish Heritage Month events included AT&T, NYNEX, Mutual of America, McSorley's and Tiffany & Company.