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The Story of Barack Obama’s Irish Roots

While much attention has been placed on President Barack Obama’s African ancestry, he also claims family ties to Ireland. Through the lineage of his mother Ann Dunham, Obama’s family history can be traced back to 18th Century Ireland and the Kearney family of County Offaly, then Kings County.

One part of the family had relocated to Dublin and prospered in the wig industry. Meanwhile, the family members in Offaly had been successful enough to purchase property rights in Moneygall and Shinrone around 1800.

By the time wigs fell out of fashion, the Dublin Kearney’s had already taken on other established professions. The most notable Kearney of

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U.S. Presidents with Irish Roots

My visit this summer to Barack Obama’s ancestral town of Moneygall in County Offaly got me thinking about other presidents with ties to the Emerald Isle. With just bit of basic research, I spotted Irish ancestry among half the U.S. Presidents, and I’m sure that with a bit more digging, one could make a few more connections as well.

This collection of U.S. Presidents claim ties to

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Arizona Rose Votes Cliffs of Moher & Grand Canyon for New 7 Wonders of the World

Danielle McBurnett is doing her part to promote her home state of Arizona AND the country of her ancestry by voting for the Cliffs of Moher and the Grand Canyon for the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Danielle is among 32 finalist vying for this year’s Rose of Tralee title which will be awarded this Tuesday in Tralee, County Kerry. While representing Arizona, she made not one but two visits to the Cliffs of Moher. Danielle said, “I’m delighted to have the chance to see such a spectacular work of nature as the Cliffs of Moher. Both the Cliffs and the Grand Canyon, back home, truly deserve the description of ‘Natural Wonder’. I hope voters for the Grand Canyon also vote for the Cliffs and vice versa.”

Links between the Cliffs of Moher and Arizona are strong. Clare’s County town of Ennis has been a Sister City to Phoenix for 22 years. A further connection lies in the fact that the First Aid facility at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience named “Nicolas Room” has benefited from substantial fundraising by Phoenix couple Delia Garcia-Stokes & Kelly Stokes in memory of their newborn son Nicolas, whose brief life ended at the Cliffs of Moher in 2006.

Danielle, who works as a registered nurse at the Arizona State University Center for

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A Visit to Barack Obama’s Ancestral Town

Last month Corey and I met up with genealogist Megan Smolenyak in the town of Moneygall, County Offaly. Megan traced Barack Obama’s roots to the village back in 2007, and we were there this year as she met the people of Moneygall (including those who rustled their window curtains in an effort to see what the out-of-towners were doing on the main street) and reviewed the original documents that linked the U.S. President to Moneygall.

She has posted some photos from the visit at http://megansmolenyak.posterous.com/visit-to-moneygall-home-of-pres-obamas-irish

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Home Grown in Ireland

Keeping Irish Traditions Alive

Creamy Irish butter churned from fresh milk using wooden paddles and flavored with salt from the sea. Brilliant craftspeople finding a contemporary place for old-school blacksmithing. Native Irish cows standing only 38 inches tall, yet bred as milk producers and beef cattle. And… at last, a closer look at what really goes into making fresh blood pudding. These are a few topics covered by Ella McSweeney in the Home Grown project.

Home Grown brings traditions in Irish food and farming to radio, online video and social media. The concept centers around a weekly feature on RTE Radio 1′s Pat Kenny Show, but between the episodes, fans are invited to extend the experience on Facebook and Twitter where Ella and the Home Grown community post photos, videos and share their thoughts about a variety of traditional skills.

Building a Home Grown Ireland Community

Since I’m someone interested in “real” Irish traditions in contemporary Ireland, I find the radio segments fascinating and superbly produced. Meanwhile, the casual nature of the videos and photos on Facebook are doing their part to connect people and celebrate the individuals who are keeping traditions alive. Fans are also invited to contribute by sharing their stories in nostalgic food and farming from around Ireland.

Get in touch with Ella by email homegrown@ireland.com or join the HomeGrownIreland Facebook page to share your memories, recipes, photographs and stories. Be sure to scroll through the history on the Facebook page to see all the content (links, audio, video, discussions), and if you enjoy it, click the “LIKE” button at the top of the page.

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/rtehomegrown
AUDIOBOO: www.audioboo.com/homegrown
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/pages/Home-Grown-Ireland/104399489615609?v=wall&ref=ts

Photo credit: Dex Info – www.dex-info.net/origart-wilson1918_106.htm

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