Acting American ambassador to Ireland Robert Faucher made a trip to Moneygall in Co. Offaly last weekend to see for himself the Obama homestead. Falmuth Kearney, President Obama's great great grandfather, left the Offaly village in 1850 to come to America. Locals have taken the connection to heart and are now very upbeat that a trip to Moneygall may be in the offing for the new president. Certainly the fact that Faucher gave the place the once over is a significant enough fact. The other reality is that Taoiseach (Prime Minster) Brian Cowen will be meeting Obama over the St. Patrick's Day period and would like nothing better than to announce a trip back to Offaly, where Cowen also hails from, as an outcome of that visit. The odds must still be long, however, though the obvious way for Obama to go would be to break off from a trip to London to fly over.