Up to a few years ago, the popular opinion seemed to be that the Irish first began crossing the Atlantic after the famine of 1846, or about the time of the building of the canals and railroads. That many Irish men and women came to the Connecticut valley and participated in the formation of the first settlements, that is from 1635 to 1735, practically the first hundred years of American life, the records of the towns will prove. The descendants of the old Irish settlers here, in many cases, ceased to look upon their ancestors as Irishmen, or at least forgot about, or appeared not to be familiar with, their Irish origin, because of the prejudices that existed respecting the more recent comers from the “ever green isle” that have tended to make them disinclined to acknowledge an ancestry which was so little in general favor and popularity. As we become more educated, intelligent, and enlightened as a people, however, and become familiar by careful study with the early history of our country, we will learn to our great advantage of the names and deeds of Irishmen who played a prominent part in the establishment of this government. We will appreciate more fully something of the pride that should animate us for being so fortunate as to be able to trace our ancestry back to such worthy relationship. The people of this race, men and women, born on Irish soil, and their descendants, have been here from the first “prompted by the motives common to all emigration, dissatisfaction with the old order of things and the resolve to obtain a freer and better life in the new land under favorable conditions.” Here in the Connecticut valley the best, the cleanest, and strongest blood of Europe has come in to strengthen and accentuate the old stock that existed here, and the result has been the enterprising and progressive communities of to-day in the cities and towns of the valley. A recent publication announced the death of Sir William MacCormic, who passed away recently, as the “celebrated English surgeon,” although he was born in Ireland. Similar freedom has been taken in the case of the Duke of Wellington, Edmund Burke, Goldsmith, Sheridan, Dean Swift, Justin McCarthy, and other famous Irishmen. This is even worse than being called “Scotch-Irish,” as is the fate of many of our famous Americans of Irish ancestry. We are all Americans and the Irish are all Irish, whether their ancestors were from Spain, or France, or England, or Scotland; they all became Irish as we became Americans, and the Irish who came here in the early days of the colonies represented all the blending of these races. We are all of us the resultant of a great many different, and, apparently, antagonistic races. We commonly became Irish, Scotch, or American as the result of the surroundings of two or three generations.