President Obama’s Kilkenny relatives eager to meet him during upcoming trip

President Barack Obama's profile page

President Obama has a slew of relatives eager to meet him when he steps on Irish soil this May. Nine of them are currently studying at Kilkenny College, according to Kilkenny People.

Eight of the students can trace their connection to the president through his third great-grandfather on his mother’s side, Fulmouth Kearney, a farmhand from Moneygall Co Offaly who emigrated to America in 1850. Fulmouth’s great-grandfather, Joseph Kearney, (Obama’s sixth great grandfather) married a Moneygall woman named Sarah Healy in 1760. The Kilkenny College students are related to Obama through Sarah Healy.

The ninth student, Luke Sutherland, can trace his connection to Obama through his grandmother, Jane de Montmorency-Wright, who is a direct descendent of Bishop Kearney, the sixth generation grand uncle of Obama. Stephen Neill, a church of Ireland rector, researched the Obama family tree and confirmed the connections.

Obama’s cousins discovered that they were related to him during the presidential elections and have followed his political career.

Kate Condell, one of the students related to Obama through Moneygall, said: “You would take more of an interest in what he’s doing because he is related to you.”

Said Alex Condell: “I want to shake his hand and get a shot of it for my Facebook profile.”