AR 147

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 147
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED JUNE 30, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
���� Honors Irish contributions to U.S. independence.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Assembly
Resolution honoring Irish contributions to
the American Revolutionary War.
Whereas,
Irish immigrants and their descendants played pivotal roles in the history of
the United States dating back to the American Revolution; and
Whereas,
Numerous soldiers of Irish heritage served with distinction in the Continental
Army under General George Washington, who remarked upon their bravery,
advancing the cause of the American revolutionaries in the battlefields of New
Jersey; and
Whereas,
A notable Irish soldier was Lieutenant Colonel John Fitzgerald, who was born in
County Wicklow, Ireland and immigrated to Virginia as a young man; and
Whereas,
Fitzgerald served as a trusted aide-de-camp for General Washington in the
difficult winter of 1776 and 1777, supporting the troops during the crossing of
the Delaware River and demonstrating his martial prowess in the Battle of
Trenton and the Battle of Princeton; and
Whereas,
In 1778, Fitzgerald fought bravely and was wounded in the Battle of Monmouth,
which took place near modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey; and
Whereas,
Women of Irish descent were also instrumental to the success of the American
Revolution, as they supported the revolutionary efforts in various capacities
such as combatants, covert spies, nurses, and patrons; and
Whereas,
One of them was Lydia Barrington Darragh of Philadelphia who emigrated from
Dublin, Ireland in 1753; and
Whereas,
When the British occupied Philadelphia in September of 1777, General William
Howe commandeered several houses, including the Darragh residence, as his
headquarters, but Darragh convinced Howe to permit her and her husband to
remain in their home in exchange for allowing the British forces to use their
parlor as a meeting place; and
Whereas,
When on December 2, 1777 the British officers held a private meeting in the
Darragh home to discuss their plan of attack against General Washington�s
forces at Whitemarsh, located sixteen miles north of Philadelphia, in two days�
time, Darragh covertly listened to the plans and decided to alert a soldier in
the Continental Army; and
Whereas,
Darragh took great risks to brave a military checkpoint to dispatch critical
information, which allowed the Continental Army to better defend against the
impending attack and subsequently continue fighting in the war; and
Whereas,
Many statespersons of Irish descent made great contributions to establishing
and strengthening the unique and unprecedented system of representative governance
following the victory in the Revolutionary War; and
Whereas,
Among them was William Paterson of County Antrim, Ireland, who relied on his
training as a lawyer to represent New Jersey at the 1787 Constitutional
Convention, where he proposed the New Jersey Plan for a unicameral legislative
body with equal representation from each state, protecting the State�s
political power while advancing federalism; and
Whereas,
After signing the new Constitution, Paterson went on to help establish the Judicial
Branch of the United States government, serve as the second Governor of New
Jersey, and serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; and
Whereas,
The ideas borne out of the American Revolution served as an example for independence
movements beyond the shores of the United States, including in Ireland, where
revolutionaries and statespersons with American connections such as �amon de
Valera played instrumental roles in the founding of the Republic of Ireland; and
Whereas,
The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States is an opportune
moment to recognize and honor the numerous leaders of the American Revolution,
including the notable contributions of Irish immigrants; now, therefore
���� Be It
Resolved by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey:
���� 1. This House honors the Irish
immigrants and their descendants for the great contributions they made in the
American Revolutionary War on the nation�s 250th anniversary.
���� 2. Copies of this resolution,
as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the
General Assembly to the Taoiseach of Ireland, the President of
Ireland, the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America, and each
member of the United States Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
���� Irish immigrants and their
descendants played pivotal roles in the history of the United States dating
back to the American Revolution. Numerous soldiers of Irish descent, such as
Lieutenant Colonel John Fitzgerald, served with distinction in the Continental
Army under General George Washington, who remarked upon their bravery,
advancing the cause of the American revolutionaries in the battlefields of New
Jersey.
���� Women of Irish descent played
important roles, providing supplies and vital information on behalf of the
Continental Army. One such woman was Lydia Barrington Darragh, who listened in
on British officers� plans and traveled from occupied Philadelphia through a
military checkpoint to alert General Washington�s army of an impending attack.
���� Many statespersons of Irish
descent, such as William Paterson, made great contributions to establishing and
strengthening the unique and unprecedented system of representative governance
following the victory in the Revolutionary War.
���� The ideas borne out of the
American Revolution served as an example for independence movements beyond the
shores of the United States, including in Ireland, where revolutionaries and
statespersons with American connections such as �amon de Valera played
instrumental roles in the founding of the Republic of Ireland.
���� The 250th anniversary of the
founding of the United States is an opportune moment to recognize and honor the
numerous leaders of the American Revolution who were of Irish descent. Therefore,
it is fitting and proper for the Legislature to honor the contribution of Irish
immigrants to American independence.