“There also came to Massachusetts the Limerick schoolmaster, John O’Sullivan, a name illustrious in our country’s annals. One of his sons was General Sullivan, of Revolutionary fame. One of his lineal descendants, Mr. Russell Sullivan, the well-known author, is one of the signers of our roll. There were Higginses and Reillys at Plymouth and along the shores of Cape Cod. “One of the Indian transfers of land was to one of the Reillys. “One of the most distinguished Irishmen who came to New England was George Berkely, a native of Kilkenny. Born near Thomaston, he came here to found a college for the civilization of the Indians. He is best remembered by his poems. Those of you who have visited the national capitol at Washington will see in fresco on the walls at the foot of the stairway portrayed by the brush of the artist in almost speaking pictures the story of the settlement and civilization of the United States, and you will see inscribed the lines which gave the artist inspiration, written by George Berkely: Westward the course of empire takes its way; The four first acts already past, A fifth shall close the drama with the day: Time’s noblest offspring is the last. “Yet we should not be vainglorious. We are but representatives of many nations who from the earliest settlement of the country have helped to plant here free institutions, but we are not intruders, nor are we here by the tolerance of any party. We live here under the constitution and laws of the country, and are vitally interested in its well-being and future prosperity. We, of this generation, decline to accept that series of lies which English historians and their imitators have agreed upon as truthful history of what the Irish have done in this country or any other country. “We propose to investigate facts and ask for their impartial consideration. “The object of this association is to call to mind those noble types of men and women that the Irish race have sent here, that we may receive credit for our fair share in the development and maintenance of a government founded upon manhood.” Hon. John C. Linehan spoke briefly, saying: “I think there is not a prouder title than that of American citizen. I am proud of it. I glory in it. But as I believe that a man who cannot love his mother cannot love his wife, a man who is false to the land of his birth can never be true to the land of his adoption. New Hampshire presents a rich field for the society’s research. “Our first governor was an Irishman. Darby Field, an Irish soldier, discovered the White Mountains, and there was not a battle of the French and Indian wars in which Irish blood was not spilt just as freely as in the battles of the Civil War. “If we do our work, the American people, of whatever birth, will put the present Scotch-Irish myth where it belongs.”