Latest News……
In June 1963, President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy, global inspirational leader, returned to the nation of his forebears and his ancestral home in New Ross, Co Wexford and ignited the spirit of a nation.
The summer of 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of this visit. The JFK 50 promises a series of highlight events to celebrate this momentous occasion in Irish American History.
Key Event dates for the JFK50;
May 29th - The Journey
June 22nd - The Homecoming
November 22nd - The Remembering
Click here for the Programme of Events
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, Enjoys reading the JFK50 Programme of Events.
New Ross is the ancestral home of US President John F Kennedy. It was on the Quay of New Ross that his Great Grandfather, Patrick Kennedy, boarded a Famine Ship and commenced his journey for America.
President John F Kennedy received a rapturous welcome on an emotional visit to his ancestral home in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland on 27th June, 1963.
President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland in 1963 was a pivitol moment in Irish history and is commemorated by a statue on the Quayside which was commissioned by New Ross Town Council and unveiled in 2008.
President Kennedy embodied the ultimate success story of the Irish emigrant family, from famine emigrant to the most powerful man in the world in three generations.
More than that, his visit and the inspiring speeches he delivered were to change forever how the Irish perceived themselves, particularly in relation to the emigrant experience and the Diaspora.
During his speech on the quayside he said;
“When my great-grandfather left here to become a cooper in East Boston he carried nothing with him except two things – a strong religious faith and a strong desire for liberty. I am glad to say that all of his grandchildren have valued that inheritance...”
