Posted on 01/19/2009 1:14:19 PM PST by BGHater
Barack Obama’s ancestral Irish homestead could be transformed into a museum or heritage centre to welcome the President-elect to Ireland should he visit in the future.
As preparations get under way in Washington DC for the momentous inauguration this week, the tiny village of Moneygall, Co Offaly is considering ways to honour the historic connection.
Records uncovered in 2007 found the President-elect’s fourth great grandfather was a shoemaker in the midlands village whose son Fulmuth Kearney left for the US in the 1850s.
The land — known in the area as Kearney’s Gardens — is owned by Offaly County Council which had been intending to sell the strip to develop housing.
But the authority is now holding on to it after a local councillor said its momentous history should be officially recognised.
“I asked Offaly County Council to withdraw that land off the market and look at the possibility of putting up some sort of heritage centre, museum, some sort of monument,” Fianna Fail’s Peter Ormond said.
“I’d like to see something there within the next couple of years, in time for if Obama does ever decide to come to Ireland.”
Moneygall was put on the map after a local Church of Ireland vicar uncovered records in the home of an elderly parishioner which tied the |political leader to the village.
Locals, who have grasped hold of the connection with enthusiasm, threw a celebration party on news of Obama’s victory last November and there are plans for another to mark inauguration night.
Nothing remains of the Kearney homestead and surrounding land, which ironically once belonged to the family of Obama’s distant cousin, Henry Healy. They were forced to give it up 30 years ago after the local authority compulsorily purchased it for new housing, but just four properties were built on the field. Backing plans for the site to be developed into a heritage centre, Mr Healy also suggested a children’s activity park given Obama’s background in community work.
“As well as a heritage centre, I think there’s plenty of space for a playground for children which is a badly needed resource in the area, which could be named after him.”
Mr Healy, along with Canon Stephen Neill, the rector who discovered the Moneygall/Obama link, was due to travel to Washington DC for an inauguration party organised by the Irish/American Democrats.
The Corrigan Brothers who released the song There’s no one as Irish as Barack Obama will also travel to perform at the inauguration. And how does he feel to have such a famous relative?
“In May 2007, the first question I asked was who is Barack Obama?,” Mr Healy said.
“He was an unknown in the world stage, but I’m only too delighted to have some link to him now.”
Meanwhile Ireland’s top envoy in the US is to represent the Government at Mr Obama’s inauguration. Irish Ambassador Michael Collins will join other international guests at the ceremony on Tuesday.
from the Irish side of my family
we talked about the Shanty Irish, Lace Curtain Irish and the Black Irish....
.....Nuff said.
I am going to puke.
Sure, he's real Irish. Next we'll be hearing how he's a distant relative of Queen Elizabeth II or Moses.
To my knowledge, Obama has never admitted to or acknowledged his Irish heritage. Except for allowing 40,000 illegal Irish amnesty, how does it fit his agenda? Being ‘Kenyan’ is all he seems to care about...you know the parent who abandoned him???
I’M Irish!!!!!!
I will sleep so much better knowing an Irishman is in office.
Cool, now Obama can drink on St. Patrick’s Day. First, he’ll have to establish his Irish street cred.
“Obama has never admitted to or acknowledged his Irish heritage.”
He’s never admitted his slaveholder heritage either, for some reason. The irony is, there are more slaveholders in Obama’s family than in the families of a lot of white people.
Excellent satire.
Is it me or has the entire world gone completely whacked? I hope when this is through people are sufficiently embarrassed that they fawned so unabashedly over this Marxist Poser.
“He’s never admitted his slaveholder heritage either, for some reason. The irony is, there are more slaveholders in Obama’s family than in the families of a lot of white people.”
I remember how smug I was about not having any slaves in my ancestors backgrounds...so I thought. Then I really explored the Cherokee ancestors...they had slaves.
Someone needs to tell “O” that he’s an American (Maybe!!lol), not a Kenyan.
He probably couldn’t take the shock.
Your gonna puke??? My grandmother’s maiden name was Healy!!! I could be related!?!
ConstitutionWatch.org Addresses The Obama Eligibility Issue
ConstitutionWatch.org | January 19, 2009 | ConstitutionWatch.org
Posted on 01/19/2009 1:13:27 AM PST by jeremybuff
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2167251/posts
Records made up in 2007 next they will say the idiot is a Kennedy.
He probably is as much as my first cousins, except that their name is McManaman and their mother, my dad's sister, is more English and Scots (Lee and Harrison) and something unknown since our Grandpa Gato was an orphan who came west on the orphan train. I personally think he was eastern European, but he could have been most any sort of Central European, maybe even a Ruski.
Barack Obama’s ancestral Irish homestead could be transformed into a museum or heritage centre to welcome the President-elect to Ireland should he visit in the future.
...the tiny village of Moneygall, Co Offaly is considering ways to honour the historic connection.
Records uncovered in 2007 found the President-elect’s fourth great grandfather was a shoemaker in the midlands village whose son Fulmuth Kearney left for the US in the 1850s.
The land — known in the area as Kearney’s Gardens — is owned by Offaly County Council which had been intending to sell the strip to develop housing.
But the authority is now holding on to it after a local councillor said its momentous history should be officially recognised...
That moron is no relation to me. :)
While the general consensus on MO's gown here at FR is it resembles a chenille bedspread, the media is fawning saying it will become part of fashion history with Vogue adding "She's off to an auspicious start". When will this honeymoon ever end?
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