The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/311328
16 SAR MAGAZINE I n preparation for the SAR's trip to Ireland in May 2014, President General Joseph W. Dooley met with Her Excellency Anne Anderson, Ireland's 17th Ambassador to the United States, at the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C., on April 3. The embassy is located on Massachusetts Avenue, Washington's famous Embassy Row, between the Romanian and Sudanese embassies, and across the street from the Greek Embassy. The embassy flies the flags of both Ireland and the European Community, which Ireland joined in 1973. Meeting in the embassy's beautiful conference room— Gilbert Stuart's "Portrait of a Lady" hangs over the fireplace—PG Dooley surprised the ambassador by greeting her in Irish. During their discussion, the PG described some of the highlights of the SAR's upcoming trip to Ireland, in which nearly 100 compatriots and spouses will participate. In addition to ceremonies honoring two Irish-born patriots of the American Revolution, the trip includes stops at historic sites throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. Meetings are scheduled with various officials, including the Lord Mayor of Dublin and the Lord Mayor of Belfast. PG Dooley and Anderson also discussed several common acquaintances in the Irish-American community. Anderson gave an overview of some of the current issues that SAR members may hear about during their trip. One of those issues is immigration. Because of the recent economic hardships, many Irish citizens have sought work in the United States while living with Irish friends or relatives. Some entered the United States as tourists but have stayed to work and, therefore, are now illegal immigrants. Because of tight immigration policies, they could not legally have immigrated for work, and now they cannot leave for fear of not being able to return and being separated from spouses and children. In short, there are Irish immigrants facing the same challenges usually associated with illegal aliens from Mexico and Latin America. This issue is on the minds of Irish citizens and their government. During the meeting, PG Dooley presented Anderson with the SAR International Medal and the Commodore John Barry Medal, which is the medal specially struck for the SAR trip to Ireland. Commodore Barry is known as the "Father of the American Navy." Barry was born in a modest thatched cottage in 1745 to a poor farming family at Ballysampson on Our Lady's Island, in County Wexford, Ireland. By 1766, he was in Philadelphia, where his skills as a ship's captain eventually came to the notice of one of Philadelphia's premier mercantile houses, Meredith and Clymer, and Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris. When war broke out, Barry was assigned to outfit the first ships of the Continental Navy. When he finished the fitting out, he was commissioned as a captain in the Continental Navy on March 14, 1776, and given command of the brig Lexington. He served throughout the Revolution, including in the final sea battle between his ship, the Alliance, and HMS Sybil on March 10, 1783. While the Continental Navy was disbanded at the end of the Revolution, in 1794 President George Washington PG Dooley Visits the Irish Embassy Above, President General Joseph W. Dooley meets with Anne Anderson, IrelandÕs ambassador to the United States, at the Irish Embassy; right, PG Dooley and Michael J. Elston honor Anderson with the SAR International Medal and the Commodore John Barry Medal; below, the medals presented to Anderson. E.B. Coggins Jr. photos SPRING_14_sar5-21.indd 16 5/7/14 4:13 PM