Dear Colleague:

As co-chairmen of the bipartisan Friends of Ireland Caucus, we are writing to encourage you to join the oldest caucus in Congress that is dedicated exclusively to foster and strengthen ties between the United States and Ireland.

During the early 1980s, the Friends of Ireland Caucus was formed to recognize the unique relationship between our two great countries as well as to support a just, lasting and peaceful settlement to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Senator Ted Kennedy,
Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and House Speaker Tip O’Neill founded the organization and began a tradition of celebrating U.S.- Ireland relations during a series of events during St. Patrick’s week in March. President Ronald Reagan attended the first Friends
of Ireland luncheon hosted by the House Speaker in the United States Capitol during his administration, and every president since has come to Capitol Hill for this annual tradition. The event is also attended by the Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) and other
senior politicians from the island of Ireland.

More than 40 million Americans claim to have Irish ancestry. The pride they have in their heritage and the contribution they have made to the United States simply cannot be overstated. The Friends of Ireland Caucus acts as an effective advocate for
their legislative interests and are a unique and invaluable resource for the Irish Diaspora living in the United States. The Friends of Ireland Caucus organizes briefings with principal officials from the island of Ireland and Northern Ireland who are visiting
on official business. We work closely with the Irish Embassy and the Northern Ireland Bureau on issues of mutual concern. With the potential of Brexit having an monumental effect of the island of Ireland and the legacy issues in Northern Ireland being discussed,
it is an ideal time to join the caucus and express your enthusiastic support of U.S.-Ireland relations.

As we look to 2019, it is our shared hope that we can significantly increase the amount of members in the Friends of Ireland Caucus. We strongly encourage you to join this important bipartisan and bicameral organization. To join, please contact William
(Billy) Tranghese in Congressman Neal’s office at william.tranghese@mail.house.gov, or Kevin Fogarty in Congressman King’s office at kevin.fogarty@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,