"This is the day that all Irish Americans share their common heritage. It is also a day when just about everyone gets a little Irish feeling. One of the great things in my life has been the opportunity to see the Irish of this country use the power of the ballot box to pull themselves up, to join the front ranks of every profession and every walk of life."

That's what House Speaker Tip O'Neill told a St. Patrick's Day dinner in his honor - on March 17, 1986.

For St. Patrick's Day this year, the C-SPAN podcast "The Weekly" returns to the Washington Hilton for that salute to Tip O'Neill.

The dinner attracted a "who's who" of 1986 Washington:

Chief Justice Warren Burger, Senator Bob Dole, Senator Robert Byrd, former Vice President Walter Mondale, House Republican leader Bob Michel ... former House Speaker Carl Albert, whom Tip O'Neill succeeded in 1977... Plus, businessmen Lee Iacocca and Dwayne Andreas, who spoke... Other speakers: Senator Ted Kennedy, comedian Bob Hope, and two presidents.

It was nearly 40 years ago, but it remains one of the most legendary St. Patrick's Day political events C-SPAN has covered.

As Bob Hope might say, thanks next C-SPAN podcast, "The Weekly," for the memory.

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