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Second Irish village claims President Obama as their own

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, May 12, 2011, 11:14 AM

Updated Thursday, May 12, 2011, 11:14 AM

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Church in Shinrone, County Offaly

A second Irish village is now claiming President Barack Obama as one of its own ahead of his arrival in Ireland later this month.

The US leader is to visit his ancestral homeland in Moneygall, County Offaly, as the centrepiece of his first Irish visit on May 23rd.

Now another village in the same county is laying claim to the President after church records revealed links to his ancestors.

The parish records in Shinrone, not far from Moneygall, contain details of more than 40 members of the Kearney family, directly related to President Obama.

Children from Shinrone have now written to President Obama inviting him to visit their national school during his Irish tour.

The President’s third great grandfather Falmouth Kearney emigrated from Moneygall to America in 1850 after his family lost much of their wealth.

Now genealogists have discovered links between Obama and his seventh great-grandfather, Joseph Kearney, who was born around 1698 and was buried in Shinrone in January 1791.

Fifth and sixth class pupils at the local National School have researched the links to Obama and have even written to his children Malia and Sasha inviting them to visit.

School principal Joe Cleary told the Irish Independent that at least 15 members of the Kearney family, including eight children, were buried in unmarked graves in the Shinrone Church of Ireland graveyard.
“Joseph and Cicely Kearney, the seventh great-grandparents of President Obama, had four sons, Thomas born 1725, Joseph born 1730, and John and Patrick, who were baptised in Shinrone in 1741. One of the sons, Joseph, married Sarah Healy from Moneygall in Shinrone Church.”

A headstone was erected in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Shinrone earlier this month in memory of President Obama’s ancestors.

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9 Comments

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jnewnam | May 16, 2011, 09:28 AM EDT

The collapse of the economy took place because of the Democratic congress which took over in 2004 at the direction of Barney Frank, the Banking Committee and sub prime loans. Frank led the banks into this trap by example. All the mortgage rules in place that protected the financial system were set aside. Our debt amounted to $1.2 trillion dollars under Bush. It was the banks that were about to fail and Bush's TARP 1 was issued to hold up the system. By the way, Tarp I has been paid back. It was Obama and his socialist mission who has printed so much money (QEI and QE II) that our debt in close to $4 trillion dollars and has devalued the dollar. Obama has broken so many laws including setting aside GM secured bond holders in favor of the unions, not to mention directing GM to make a $40,000 electric car no one can afford (this is not free market), telling Boeing that it cannot build a new plant in a right to work state, stopping drilling in the Gulf for a political agenda, doing end runs around congress by executive order, using and supporting SEIU and ACORN to subvert election laws, etc., etc., etc., etc.

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PaddyMacOReilly | May 15, 2011, 09:44 AM EDT

Tourist trap!

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McNamara31 | May 13, 2011, 05:15 PM EDT

post below: should be bleeding 700,000 "jobs" a month

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McNamara31 | May 13, 2011, 11:18 AM EDT

suzandpej.... The people of Ireland have based their opinions on Obama's actions, and the facts since he took over the presidency from the prior administration who took America into two "unpaid" wars, took the economy to the brink of total collapse, and whose administration was bleeding 700,000 a month when Obama took office. They just remember more than you do.No Revisionism, just facts.

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suzandpej | May 13, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT

I fail to understand what Ireland sees in this man. He has done absolutely nothing to help the unemployed and uninsured in this country...after many, many promises. He hasn't done much at all, other than get OBL...he gave the order, dont forget,but the Seals did the work. Now the whole world has to worry about the consequences of that action. Momumental Revisionism, indeed!

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Towngate | May 13, 2011, 04:32 AM EDT

Mama: Of course you know my post was a little joke on the Irish notion that "When God made Time ~ He made plenty of it" usually used as an excuse for chronic Irish procrastination, but now being abused for the sake of sucking up to Barry O'Bama by inventing "Monumental Revisionism". Btw: There is nothing stopping you putting your name on it now,and letting your survivors add the date details later ~ which I hope will be a long, long time yet!

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longislander1940 | May 12, 2011, 11:45 PM EDT

I guess these townspeople have nothing better in their life

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mamaginnty | May 12, 2011, 05:16 PM EDT

Sorry Towngate, I've had my headstone up for the last 40yrs, and I aint dead yet, just a matter of getting the date right before my name goes on it...hehe.

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Towngate | May 12, 2011, 05:07 PM EDT

Ireland is looking up! It now only takes 220 years to get your headstone put up!

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