WHEREAS,  October 2018 marks the 300th anniversary of the arrival in Casco Bay of 2 ships, the HMS McCallum and the HMS Robert, carrying a large group of immigrants from the north of Ireland; and

WHEREAS,  the HMS Robert anchored in the Fore River off the coast of what is now South Portland and the HMS McCallum discharged settlers in the area of Merrymeeting Bay; and

WHEREAS,  Maine has many descendants of these settlers and later immigrants from the north of Ireland, who brought with them a unique worldview, language and musical culture that enriched and influenced Maine's development; and

WHEREAS,  the settlers brought with them fundamental beliefs in representative democracy and in freedom of religion, as they had been persecuted in Scotland and Ireland for their Presbyterian faith; and

WHEREAS,  they planted some of the first field crops of potatoes to be grown in New England, an agricultural product that has played a key role in the State's economic development; and

WHEREAS,  they brought with them a knowledge of textile production, having participated in the linen manufacturing trade in Ireland, and helped establish important textile manufacturing industries in Maine; and

WHEREAS,  these settlers and their descendants participated fully in Maine's local militias and the descendants have participated in all military activities in which the United States has been involved since 1776; and

WHEREAS,  these settlers and their descendants have produced many significant legislative and political figures who have played important roles in the history of the State and there have been at least 20 American Presidents with Scotch-Irish ancestry; now, therefore, be it