PROCLAMATION 6771—FEB. 23, 1995 109 STAT. 1751 poisonous medicines and household chemicals. Every year we lose children to poisoning—and almost all of these poisonings are preventable. This week—and every week—^we must rededicate ourselves to informing everyone of th^ importance of prevention and to educating all caregivers about ways to prevent childhood poisonings. To encourage the American people to learn more about the dangers of accidental poisonings and to take more preventive measures, the Congress, by Public Law 87-319 (75 Stat. 681), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of March of each year as "National Poison Prevention Week." NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning March 19, 1995, as National Poison Prevention Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by participating in appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6771 of February 23, 1995 Irish-American Heritage Month, 1995 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation America's bounty—^the abundance of the fields, the beauty of the landscape, the richness of our opportunities—^has always attracted people who are in search of a better life for themselves and their children. Our democracy owes its success in great part to the countless immigrants who have made their way to our shores and to the tremendous diversity this Nation has been blessed with since its beginnings. In March, when communities all across the country celebrate St. Patrick's Day, our Nation honors the rich heritage of the millions of Americans who trace their lineage to Ireland. Coming to this land even before om* Nation was founded, sons and daughters of Erin undertook the perilous journey to make their home in a place of hope and promise. They made inestimable contributions to their new country, both during the struggle for independence and in the founding of the Republic. Nine of the people who signed our Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin, and nineteen Presidents of the United States proudly claim Irish heritage—including our first President, George Washington, The largest wave of Irish immigrants came in the late 1840s, when the Great Famine ravaging Ireland caused 2 million people to emigrate, mostly to American soil. These immigrants transformed our largest cities and helped to build them into dynamic centers of commerce and industry, and their contributions to our smaller cities and towns are evident today in the cultural, economic, and spiritual makeup of the communities. Throughout the country, they faced callous discrimina-
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