Kennedy's first address to the Irish

President John F. Kennedy gave many speeches in the four days of his official visit to Ireland. He had a jam-packed schedule that took him the length and breadth of the country, and he managed to squeeze in a few unscheduled stops too.

However, here is how he started his visit, with a short but sweet speech at Dublin Airport after landing on 26 June 1963.

“Mr President, there are many reasons why I was anxious to accept your generous invitation, and to come to this country. As you said, eight of my grandparents left these shores in the space, almost, of months, and came to the United States. No country in the world, in the history of the world, has endured the haemorrhage which this island endured over a period of a few years for so many of her sons and daughters. These sons and daughters who are scattered all over the globe, who have been among the best and most loyal citizens of the countries that they have gone to, but have also kept a special place in their memories, in many cases their ancestral memory, of this green and misty island, so, in a sense, all of them who visit Ireland come home.

Kennedy addressing the dignitaries and crowd gathered to greet him at Dublin Airport
26 November 2014

“In addition, Mr President, I am proud to visit here because of you, an old and valued friend of my father who has served his country with such distinction, spreading over the period of a half-century; who has expressed in his own life and the things that he stood for the very best of Western thought, and equally important, Western action.

“And then I am glad to be here because this island still fulfills a historic assignment. There are Irishmen buried many thousands of miles from here who went on missions of peace, either as soldiers or as churchmen, who travelled throughout the world, carrying the gospel as so many Irish have done for so many hundreds of years.

“So, Mr President, with the special pride that I feel in my own country, which has been so generous to so many immigrants from so many different countries, I want to say that I am happy to be here tonight.”

If you'd like to find out more details about Kennedy's visit, you will find plenty in our digital book, President John F. Kennedy Visits in 1963, available from the iTunes Store.

Under the covers with JFK

We’ve told you about how our first digital book, President John F. Kennedy Visits Ireland in 1963, was launched yesterday. We would love if you purchased a copy, but we thought you might like a look inside first.

The second day - meeting the cousins

Each day Kennedy spent in Ireland is provided with a separate chapter. The images taken by the Lensmen photographers are the focus, of course, but we have tried to provide extra information on the other people featured in the shots. Most people know about how Kennedy visited his cousins and addressed the Dáil, but perhaps aren’t as familiar with the rest of the details of the trip, like for instance, the death threats issued against him or the riots that took place at the dinner party.

The major benefit of digital books is that the material can be updated without delay. There is no more need to wait for the next edition, or for the first print run to be exhausted. And anybody that bought a copy will have their digital book updated automatically each time the material is updated or added to.

All the images in the book are available from the Irish Photo Archive as fine art prints. There is a gallery at the end of the book featuring all images we have discovered of the visit so far. Each image has a link from the book directly to our website. Or you can of course access them directly from www.irishphotoarchive.ie.

Check inside and see if you find it interesting

You can also access a sample of the President John F. Kennedy Visits Ireland in 1963 on the iTunes Store. Each digital book has the option of downloading a sample 15 pages, like the ‘See Inside’ option on Amazon. This will be a section from one chapter, and you can purchase the full copy directly from it if you so choose.

We hope you enjoy the book, and that you find the photos as interesting as we do. If you have any further information about the people involved, or recognize anybody from the photos, we would love to hear from you on irishphotoarchive@gmail.com.

Launch of our first digital book

The Irish Photo Archive and ePublish  are delighted to announce that Minister of Diaspora Affairs Jimmy Deenihan is launching our inaugural digital book, President John F. Kennedy Visits in 1963, at the Irish Consulate building in New York on 4 November 2014.

This digital book is the result of a collaboration between two very different Irish companies, Irish Photo Archive and ePublish. The Irish Photo Archive is the largest private collection of historical images in Ireland whilst ePublish is a new and exciting digital publishing agency working with independent authors to produce interactive digital publications.

Our first digital book

President John F. Kennedy Visits in 1963 is structured around the images taken by the Lensmen photographers of JFK while he was on tour in Ireland. Many of these images have not been published since they were taken over 50 years ago, and many are unique. For instance, Andy Farren, one of the founders of the Lensmen agency, was the only professional photographer allowed inside the Kennedy homestead. 

The digital book follows Kennedy on his trip around Ireland, from Air Force One touching down at Dublin Airport to his farewells four days later. We see the ceremonies planned for his trip, the crowds that turned out everywhere to greet him, and Kennedy’s own enthusiasm for Ireland and the Irish people. The book does not just focus on Kennedy alone, but also all the other key personalities involved in bringing him to Ireland; De Valera, Lemass, Frank Aiken, the Ryan family of Dunganstown, Ambassador Matt McCluskey, etc. as well as others that shone out while Kennedy was here, e.g. the cadets performing the Funeral Drill at Arbour Hill.

Minister Deenihan is also the first ever Minister for Diaspora Affairs, and we are honoured that he chose our digital book as the Irish product he would launch on his first official visit to the US. He first became involved in the project when he contributed a foreword to the book, and has since thrown his full support behind the Irish Photo Archive and our plans for the future. We hope the interaction of our historical resources and the cutting edge technology provided by ePublish will open doors to new audiences across the globe.