Craic » Paddy Chat » Obama-linked Irish town
Topic by mark_o |
American flags and campaign boards spelling out Obama's slogan were dotted around the pub, where locals -- one wearing an Obama t-shirt -- watched coverage of the election on television. Two "Welcome to Obama Country" billboards have gone up at either side of Moneygall, a town of 250 in County Offaly, central Ireland, that hopes Obama will visit if he wins. "Senator Obama's connection goes back six generations, to when his ancestor Fulmuth Kearney emigrated" in 1850, said Church of Ireland Cannon Stephen Neill on Monday. "There is a lot of excitement in the area," Neill added. The entire Kearney family has emigrated from the area, though some cousins by marriage still live locally. Gone, too, is the Kearney family shoe shop, with remaining traces of the building demolished three years ago. About 34 million people in the United States claim Irish heritage, and past presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy all had Irish roots. |
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