John f kennedy biography 1963 galway speech

After a three day visit to Ireland at the end of June 1963, President John F. Kennedy bid farewell to the people and the land of his ancestors.

“You send us home covered with gifts, which we can barely carry, but most of all you send us home with the warmest memories of you and of your country. So I must say, though other days may not be so bright as we look toward the future; that the brightest days will continue to be those in which we visited you here in Ireland.”

Throughout his visit, the youthful president was greeted by wildly cheering crowds, young and old, all showing their love for an admired world leader they considered one of their own. Friend and Presidential Assistant Dave Powers, told the president prior to his visit that it might be construed as a pleasure trip to Ireland, with Kennedy quickly responding, “That’s exactly what I want.”

Irish president Eamon de Valera greeted Kennedy upon his arrival in Dublin on June 26.

“We are proud of you, Mr. President. We admire you for the leadership you have given,” he said on the tarmac. “We trust that under God’s inspiration and with his help, you will be able to accomplish the aims which you have in mind, the aims of all who love mankind.”

Years later, Powers recalled the welcome Kennedy received that day in Dublin.

“It was such a wonderful, wonderful greeting and I can remember the shops, everywhere you looked, you saw the American flag and the Irish flag cross like this and a smiling picture of President Kennedy,” he said.

Powers traced Kennedy’s lineage back to a member of the royal Brian Boru family named Cinneide. When informed that the name roughly translated as “helmet head,” Kennedy responded dryly, “Let’s keep that quiet.” Independently, Kennedy discovered that some in his bloodline were forced to leave Ireland in the 1

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President John F. Kennedy
Dublin, Ireland
June 28, 1963

Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister, Members of the Parliament:

I am grateful for your welcome and for that of your countrymen.

The 13th day of September, 1862, will be a day long remembered in American history. At Fredericksburg, Maryland, thousands of men fought and died on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the American Civil War. One of the most brilliant stories of that day was written by a band of 1200 men who went into battle wearing a green sprig in their hats. They bore a proud heritage and a special courage, given to those who had long fought for the cause of freedom. I am referring, of course, to the Irish Brigade. General Robert E. Lee, the great military leader of the Southern Confederate Forces, said of this group of men after the battle, "The gallant stand which this bold brigade made on the heights of Fredericksburg is well known. Never were men so brave. They ennobled their race by their splendid gallantry on that desperate occasion. Their brilliant though hopeless assaults on our lines excited the hearty applause of our officers and soldiers."

Of the 1200 men who took part in that assault, 280 survived the battle. The Irish Brigade was led into battle on that occasion by Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Meagher, who had participated in the unsuccessful Irish uprising of 1848, was captured by the British and sent in a prison ship to Australia from whence he finally came to America. In the fall of 1862, after serving with distinction and gallantry in some of the toughest fighting of this most bloody struggle, the Irish Brigade was presented with a new set of flags. In the city ceremony, the city chamberlain gave them the motto, "The Union, our Country, and Ireland forever." Their old ones having been torn to shreds in previous battles, Capt. Richard McGee took possession of these flag

About Sound Recording

On the 19th June, 1963, the streets of Galway were filled with young and old making their way to Eyre Square. The occasion was a special one - the visit to Ireland and to Galway of President of the United States, John FitzGerald Kennedy. The descendent of Irish emigrants in the 19th century, the story of the Kennedy's ascent to the highest political office in the world, and as the first Catholic president of the United States, captivated Ireland and the world. The crowd assembled in Eyre Square had gathered in a jubilant atmosphere for a 'homecoming' of sorts for President Kennedy. 

In his address to the crowd, President Kennedy spoke of Ireland's past and still recent history of emigration to the United States, as well as his personal links to Ireland, which had been to the fore along his journey, stating, "I must say that though other days may not be so bright, as we look toward the future, that the brightest days will continue to be those we spent with you here in Ireland."

He added "If the day was clear enough, and you went down to the bay, and you looked west, and your sight was good enough, you would see Boston, Massachusetts. And if you did, you would see working down on the docks there some Doughtertys and Flahertys and Ryans and cousins of yours who have gone to Boston and made good."

To mark this anniversary, a selection of material relating to Kennedy's visit to Galway in 1963 has been selected by Marie Boran and is on display in the foyer of the Hardiman Building. There you will see photographs of the visit, later coverage and writings about the visit, as well as an original issue of Time magazine from June 1963, featuring a cover illustration of the Kennedys. 

Other sources of interest include the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston who has digitised photographs of the speech on Eyre Square online. 

A film in the IFI archives, made by the Columba