March 4, 1778 is the birthdate of the Irish nationalist, Robert Emmet, that our county is named after. Mr. Emmet only lived 25 years, as he was executed by the British Crown for being found guilty of the crime of high treason.
In his well-regarded speech in the courtroom, known as the Speech from the Dock, young Emmet concluded with this statement:
Let no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let them and me rest in obscurity and peace, and my name remain uninscribed, until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then, and not till then, let my epitaph be written.
Celebrate his birthdate and give a nod to history by listening to Professor Patrick Geoghegan's, of Trinity College, Dublin, smart presentation on the man who championed Ireland's sovereignty. And is remembered, in the 21st century, in northern Michigan.