So good evening and welcome, as they say in Ireland, CAD Mila Falcha.

A hundred thousand welcomes.

I'm Catherine White, Executive Director of the Neurochell Chamber of Commerce, and I'm thrilled to be back again this year to take part in the Irish American Heritage Month recognition program, sponsored together by the City of Neurochelle and the employee resource group of the City of Neurochelle.

So thank you very much for having me and for having this event.

The Irish like to say there are two types of people, those who are Irish and those who wish they were.

But tonight we're going to be celebrating what might be an even more special group, the Irish Americans.

Those who took the best part of Ireland and spread it across America and the world.

And this year, 2026 has an even greater impact because we're celebrating the 250th anniversary of America.

But again, more importantly, we're celebrating New Rochelle through those 250 years.

Tonight, thanks to Barbara Davis, we'll be hearing about an Irish American Neurochellian who made a tremendous impact on Neurochelle's history.

And of course, we'll be honoring one of our own, New Rochelle's favorite Irish American, Lauren Falcone O'Connor.

She's, as everyone knows, and we're celebrating even in March, which is also, you know, Women's History Month.

She is the deputy commissioner of Parks and Rec.

So we love that.

And just again, celebrating even more American history, we have the first American mayor, the mayor of Neurochell, Mayor Yadira Ramos Herbert here.

Thank you.

So it is indeed a joy to be here tonight and celebrating Irish Heritage here in Neurochelle, a community that has always honored our cultures and traditions that shape who we are as New Rochelle.

Tonight we recognize the Irish spirit of resilience, generosity, and faith, qualities that have enriched our city for generations.

From building our neighborhoods, strengthening our schools, Irish Americans have helped make New Rochelle the welcoming, vibrant place we cherish today.

As a point of personal pride, Deputy Commissioner, point of privilege, rather, it is so easy to celebrate you.

You are just such a thoughtful, you are everywhere doing all the things.

I'm convinced you like take care of the goats, grow the trees, run the programs, fill the swimming pool with the water.

I mean, I I am impressed by just your professionalism, the fact that you can make 24 hours, probably fit in 36 hours worth of work into any 24 hour period, always with a smile, always with the generosity of spirit, and always with just the humility.

So it is, I'm thrilled.

I know you probably hate this being on the other side, but I am so like thrilled that the committee chose you because you deserve all of the recognition.

You deserve all of the praise and you make us look incredibly good.

So it's a good night to celebrate.

Thank you.

Happy Irish Heritage Day, and Miss Barbara, you know, I always look forward to hearing what you're going to teach us.

So I'm excited.

It's just a great day for all of us.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mayor.

And we'll now hear from the city manager, Wilfredo Melendez.

So thanks.

Uh first of all, I want to thank the diversity and inclusion office and the comms office that uh came together and brought this uh beautiful ceremony together.

Uh special thanks to our employee resource group and the members who volunteer all their time to support events like this.

As Catherine mentioned, we're celebrating America's 250th anniversary, and it goes without saying that the American story would be hard to tell without Irish Americans.

Um, some facts here in the National Museum of Ireland estimates that nearly six million people have immigrated to America from Ireland since 1820, and one-sixth of the of the U.S.

citizens are able to trace their heritage back to Emerald Isle.

So, as newcomers to this country, the Irish Americans played a major role in the building the of the building of the infrastructure of our nation in the 19th century, from railroads to canals to to infrastructure projects throughout the country and even in our state, the Empire State Building.

They became a huge part of the civil service fabric of our cities, joining the ranks of police, fire departments, and big cities all across America.

They entered the political landscape with 22 presidents that are able to claim their heritage as Irish.

So even here in Neurochell, uh that dedication, that hard work, the resilience, as the mayor had mentioned, is seen on a daily basis, including from tonight's honoree, uh Lauren Falcone O'Connor.

And Lauren, I just want to just reiterate what the mayor said.

So thanks everybody for joining us, and I hope everyone enjoys tonight's ceremony.

Thank you, City Manager.

And now Barbara Davis.

Good evening, everyone.

It's a pleasure to be here, especially to honor Lauren.

I will give my two bits in also.

She's got good genes.

He was a very, very remarkable individual.

But tonight I'm here just to tell you a wee bit about uh Neurochell's Irish history because those of you who were here last year heard a long presentation that I think is still available to see online, but I'm going to give you a small bit of that, and then I am going to give the story of one particular Irish American.

So the first Irish began arriving in Neurochell in the 1840s as a result of the potato famine, of course, in their homeland.

Between 1845 and 1855, more than one and a half million adults and children would leave Ireland to come to America.

Most were desperately poor, and many were suffering from starvation and disease.

The potato famine, by the way, killed more than a million people in five years.

So a great many came to Neurochell.

Neurochell was the first stop on the New Haven Rail at the time.