Tired after a full morning of lobbying on Capitol Hill, the best was yet to come for the ILIR activists at the back of the room for the afternoon rally back at the Holiday Inn. GEORGINA BRENNAN reports.

In the early afternoon, the groups of Irish who had been spotted by everyone in Washington as they walked the halls of Capitol Hill returned from their work. Soon rumors flew around the Holiday Inn that the main rally of the day was about to start.

“I’m going to go in and get a seat, and then get the kids something to eat. This is too important to miss,” said Una Fee as she led her three children to the middle of the room to get a prime view of what was to come.

“This day has made everyone feel so high,” reported bus organizer Eugene Kyne from Queens. “Even my son, who doesn’t need a green card, is thrilled to be here.”

As the Holiday Inn ballroom filled to overflow, one hotel worker remarked that the scene even made her feel Irish. “All those nice people in this hotel. You are so organized. You are a credit to your country. I will never look at St. Patrick’s Day in Washington the same way again,” said Hector, a janitor for the hotel.

Rockland bus leader Matt Reilly from Fermanagh reported that he and his team had one of the greatest experiences that day as they bumped into Senator Hillary Clinton of New York.

“It was absolutely brilliant,” he said.

Tony Doyle from Dublin was eager to secure a good seat for the rally. He was one of the lucky ones. Many of the ILIR lobby teams that didn’t get back in time were forced to listen to the speeches from the cramped hallway.

Those inside the room kicked off their shoes and found whatever carpet space they could to set their weary bones down. “I think I might need a seat but I know this crowd will get excited,” said Paula as she rooted around for one of the posters provided by ILIR to hold up. Excited probably doesn’t cover it.

Before anyone came into the room to address the buoyant ILIR lobbyists the heat in the hotel raised to record levels.

“My body wants to pass out, but I know I can’t,” said Patricia from Boston who had started her day at midnight for the long road trip to the nation’s capital.

“It’s going to go to 90,” said Mark Farrell. It did.

T-shirts so precious they could not be abandoned were stretched as the under layers of clothing got peeled off. Even socks were abandoned at the back of the room as the crowd got ready to rumble. And the earth moved as soon as ILIR Chairman Niall O’Dowd took the stage to start the proceedings.

“Stand up whenever you want to show your support,” he urged. Later he couldn’t get them to sit down.

The ILIR activists erupted into a large jump when Congressman Jim Walsh from New York took the stage. “You’re holding your ‘Irish Americans for Jim Walsh’ sign upside down,” shouted Gemma to her friend Louise.

“At least I’m not holding the one for Hillary Clinton up,” said Louise as she pointed to a volunteer waving the wrong poster.

“We need to see the legislation embrace the Irish,” said Walsh. “I pledge myself to that.” And the crowd went wild.

Mary Maguire, one of the ILIR organizers, reported that she had earlier in the day asked New York Senator Chuck Schumer to come to the rally but he said he might be busy.

“I told him he had three hours to make it,” she said.

Then there was a silence as someone noticed her lobbying had paid off. “He’s here, he’s here,” she heard her team say.

“Oh my God it would make you feel like you could burst through the wall,” she said, making boxing motions with her arms in the air.

When Schumer delivered his end of speech blessing, Mary was quick to return it. “God bless the Irish, God bless the immigrants and God bless America,” Schumer said to standing ovation.

“God Bless you too, Chuck,” Mary shouted.

Senator John McCain had hugs for everyone he was near when he came into the room to whoops and whistles and a standing ovation. He had to wait through three standing ovations, wolf whistles and whoops before he could say his piece.

The same crowd danced and whistled when Congressman Joe Crowley talked about his Irish heritage. When Crowley said he addressed a Hispanic delegation recently and began his speech by saying ‘Look at this face,’ an 80-year-old woman at the back of the room wolf whistled him.

When Senator Clinton took the stage she could say nothing when the crowd burst into a impromptu “Ole, Ole, Ole.” Her eyes danced as she looked across the crowd, many of whom literally had tears of joy in their eyes.

“Jesus, this is the greatest thing in the world what’s happening in this room,” said Brenda Casey from Clare.

“You are really here on behalf of what America means, America’s values, America’s hopes,” the senator said.

Samantha was crying. “I love America and this is what I love,” she said as she sat for a brief minute to listen to Clinton.

When ILIR Vice Chair Ciaran Staunton told the crowd they didn’t have far to look for heroes on the day — everyone who made the trip to D.C. was a hero, Staunton said — Sean Gorman was crying. A 30-year-old plumber from Queens, he said he had never heard such emotional speaking.

“I always thought I was alone, but I know as long as I have Irish blood pumping through my veins, I’ll never be alone,” he said.

He was emotional again as handsome Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy waltzed into the room. He had to wait through another rendition of “Ole, Ole, Ole” before he spoke.

“It’s great to see those t-shirts all over Capitol Hill,” he said as he took one offered by a Boston woman.

“I could climb Mount Everest right this minute. I feel on top of the world,” said Jane an undocumented immigrant from the Bronx. But she was sobbing.

“I’m only crying because its like a wedding. I’m so happy I’m crying,” she laughed through her tears.

“I really feel like I did something today,” said Lisa from Stamford. “ I became a part of history.”