Thank you very much. Thank you very much, everybody. It's a great honor. I've been here just about every time. We had one that was terminated because of a thing called COVID. I don't know if anybody's heard of that, but that was never pleasant. And we would have been together twice, but we had COVID interrupted twice.
And I appreciate seeing you again, however. And you've done a fantastic job. We very much appreciate you being here. And I also want to thank my new friends from Northern Ireland for being here, whom I just met. Thank you very much. Great honor, great honor. [Applause] And I must say, they spoke very well of you.
So, that's good. That's good. And great to be with you. And thank you to Speaker Johnson, and thank you to all of the members of Congress who are here, quite a few, most of which are Irish -- most of whom are Irish. And we welcome Taoiseach. And I love the name because Micheal, but it's Michael. I said, "How many people call you Michael?" It's exactly Michael.
I said -- he said about 50 percent. I said, "Do you get upset when they do?" He said no. But I'm going to call you Micheal because that's the way it is. Martin, who is a really been terrific. I've been with him quite a bit. I've spoken to him quite a bit, and we're going to have no problems. And his wife Mary, we welcome you to America.
Fantastic people, and it's really a wonderful annual tradition being here. We're also grateful to be joined by Irish Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Byrne Nason. Where's Geraldine? Hi, Geraldine. Thank you very much. [Applause] And the entire Irish delegation. And I know we're -- we're a little bit -- everybody's a little bit late today, but that's OK because we're -- we're celebrating the Irish.
And I think it's OK we're a little bit late. I also want to congratulate a friend of mine, Ed Walsh. He's a great golfer. He's a championship golfer, actually, not quite as good as Rory, but that's OK. But he's right -- he's right up there. He's won -- he's won many, many club championships. Many club championships, and he's one of the best golfers you'll ever see.
And congratulations. Boy, are you going to have fun over there. He's going to be the ambassador to Ireland. So, congratulations, Ed. Well, maybe it is thanks to me, but you're going to have a good time. You're going to represent us well. He can do most of his business on the golf course, too. That's a nice way.
He's got the best job of anybody. And I really appreciate so many of my friends being here. So many great friends are here. This afternoon, we're gathered to celebrate the deep and abiding ties of history, family, and friendship that bind together Ireland and the United States of America. The Irish American Patriots have been part of our national history and our country's earliest days.
Amazing history they have with our country. Irish-Americans fought heroically in our war for independence, served with honor in the crucible of the Civil War and won fame and valor among Theodore Roosevelt's famous Rough Riders. They were Rough Riders. By some estimates, more than 2,000 Irish American warriors have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.
This is an amazing statistic because who would ever think that's even possible. It's more than 50 percent of the Medals of Honor were won by the Irish. I'm going to have to check that. That sounds like -- that's like a -- that's an awfully good statistic. We're going to have to check what's going on over there, huh?
But that's an amazing statistic, actually, 50 percent. This includes the great Audie Murphy, the most decorated enlisted soldier in American history whose service in the Second World War. Earned a Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, and a Legion of Merit. Quite a person. Became a movie actor.
The movie actor stuff wasn't quite as good as the soldier that he did, but he was great. Became a very famous person, actually. America has truly been blessed by the courage and unstoppable spirit of the Irish. Over the generations, Americans of Irish ancestry have helped build our railroads and raise our cities and man our factories, enrich our culture with art and music and literature.
We see that all over. And protect our communities by joining the proud tradition of Irish-American police officers and firefighters. And few have done more for the Stars and Stripes than the sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle. And I can tell you, I know your father was a great boxer. And they have a lot of good fighters.
I know so many Irish fighters. They like to fight, and they're damn good at it, too. But your father -- his father was a great fighter, actually. So, that means, genetically, I'm not going to mess around with you. You understand. I'm -- I'm a believer in that. But as you know, on Monday, millions of Americans will celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. We love Saint Patrick's Day, maybe especially in New York.
Hundreds of thousands of citizens decked in Irish Green will parade through the streets of Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and, of course, New York, a sight that I've witnessed many, many times. In Manhattan, the people will stream up Fifth Avenue and march past the Magnificent. I see it so much, and I love it, especially when you're looking down upon St. Patrick's Cathedral because it's, to me, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.
And it's a monument, not only to God, but also to the patron saint of Ireland. Patron saint. It's really an extraordinary testament to the connection between our two countries that, after more than 1,500 years, the shining legacy of Saint Patrick still rouses city blocks half the world away -- think of that -- and fills our people with incredible love and pride.
We have a lot of pride in that cathedral. That cathedral is something to me, so beautiful and I think, maybe, my favorite. They have larger -- you know, it's very large, but they have larger. But I think it's truly one of the most beautiful. The Irish spirit is truly alive and thriving in America. And as we see today, the friendship between our nations is strong, and it's really unbreakable, and that includes all of you.
You know, it's all of you. We -- we love you, all. So, Taoiseach, I want to just thank you once again for being here. It's an honor, and hopefully, we're going to be doing this at least three more times, OK? We're going to be doing this three more times at least. When I say at least, they go absolutely crazy.
So, thank you very much for being here. Mary, thank you very much for being here. It's a great honor. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. [Applause]