Irish New Yorker will greet President Obama in Moneygall

Proud moment for Delaware man who flew home for visit

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A police officer walks past a house painted in the colours of the U.S. flag in Moneygall

Photo by Reuters

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A proud Irishman from New York is getting ready to greet Barack Obama in Moneygall today.

Tony Donovan's brother John, who is a business man in Moneygall, owns the house where Barack Obama’s ancestor, Fulmouth Kearney resided, before immigrating to the United States in 1850.

Tony and his family are looking forward to greeting the 44th president when he stops off in Moneygall’s main street on Monday afternoon Irish time.

Tony has been in America since 1992 and his family own the food store Donavan's in the Offally village.

Back home in America his wife Patty is expecting the couple's first arrivals, twins, in the US.

"Patty won't believe this, there's a traffic jam in Moneygall," he told the Irish Independent. "And I thought this place had a bypass."

Tony is originally from Moneygall and can’t believe the transformation.

"I left Moneygall because there were no jobs," he said. "There was plenty of work but no jobs that paid. I absolutely love it in America I'm a supporter of the Democrats.

"I contributed to Hillary Clinton's senatorial campaign -- not her presidential campaign obviously as a Moneygall man -- but I backed Bill and Hillary's senatorial campaign," he added.

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