Flags lined both sides of the main street through Moneygall.
The Fourth of July is just another day in Kilkee, but on Sunday, July 3rd, the “4th” was celebrated with a U.S. Independence Day Festival in President Obama’s ancestral Irish village of Moneygall, a town with residents still delighted over the President’s May 23rd visit.
The Obama Cafe
The band was playing mostly American Country Music on a hot, sunny Chicago-like summer's day!
As we were traveling along the M7 motorway, returning home from Dublin on Sunday afternoon, I decided to turn off at the Moneygall exit in order to have a look at the town from which President Obama’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Fulmuth Kearney emigrated to the United States in 1850. Although I expected to see some signs that the president had been there, I was not expecting a crowded town with American and Irish flags displayed along the main street and a festival taking place.
Eoin at Ollie Hayes Pub
Although Eoin and I did not seek President Obama’s Irish 8th cousin, Henry Healy, we did stay long enough to enjoy the band onstage playing mostly American Country music, have tea and delicious home-made apple pie in the Obama Cafe, buy a couple Is Féadir Linn/Yes We Can t-shirts and read the plaque on the President’s ancestral home, having just missed the tour hours.
Plaque on Obama ancestral home
We even had a look inside the now famous Ollie Hayes Pub, where the President and First Lady enjoyed a pint during their visit. Inside we found an Obama impersonator schmoozing with the locals!
It may seem a bit over the top to some, but it was all in fun and the President’s visit appears to have given a needed economic boost to this quaint little town nestled within the fertile, green landscape of County Offaly at the border of Tipperary!
Obama impersonator schmoozing!
Blogging from the Bog 
6 comments
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July 5, 2011 at 7:35 am
lifeonthecutoff
What fun! Reminds me a bit of when JFK visited Ireland and nice to hear that Obama’s visit had such a nice effect on the economy in Moneygall. The impersonator looks a lot like our president, but, I think I like the picture of the young lad outside of Ollie Hays Pub a bit more.
July 5, 2011 at 9:48 am
bloggingfromthebog
The impersonator looked more like Obama than he does in this photo, except obviously younger. Eoin just happened to be wearing his White Sox jersey and shorts that day, which was appropriate since that is the president’s favorite baseball team!
July 5, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Mel Berg
What a wonderful post, loved the pictures also.
July 5, 2011 at 6:21 pm
bloggingfromthebog
Thank you Mel! I have to remember to bring my camera everywhere while I’m here, otherwise I end up missing some great shots! Also, I have to give Eoin credit for a couple of those photos, in fact I think he took the one at the top of the flags along the street, probably the best of the bunch!
July 6, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Patricia
Hi Janet:
Glad to see you’ve settled in once again. I’m really enjoying your wonderful posts. I’m telling you…..a few months in Ireland and you would be a fulltime writer. Look how productive you’ve been since you arrived! There is no doubt that the West of Ireland stimulates the creative juices no matter what the art form. I look forward to lots more over the next few weeks.
July 6, 2011 at 5:58 pm
bloggingfromthebog
Great to hear from you Patricia! I agree that the West of Ireland stimulates the creative juices and a person would almost NEED an outlet of some sort to not go bonkers from the being overwhelmed by the beauty and moodiness of this place!
By the way, I was able to get over to Dublin for the weekend but though I did look up the contact info for the tour of Glasnevin Cemetery, my stay was too short to fit it in. Traveling there on Friday afternoon and back again on Sunday afternoon gave me only one full day. It was great to be in Dublin again though, I love that city! Say “hi” to everyone in Irish Class from me! I picked up a little book of contemporary poems in Irish for John in “Scéal Eile Books” in Ennis.