Biden and JFK the two ‘really, really Irish’ US presidents, discussion on 1963 visit hears

A panel discussion marking the 60th anniversary of John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland in 1963 heard that although many US presidents have claimed Irish heritage, “there are really two that are really, really Irish”, Mr Kennedy and the current president, Joe Biden.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin joined a cast of prominent Irish Americans at the event in Dublin on Wednesday moderated by journalist Dearbhail McDonald. She had taken over the role from Ryan Tubridy, who contacted the organising JFK Library Foundation at the weekend to say that he was unable to fulfil the commitment.

Mr Martin, whose consultative forum on security included discussions on Irish neutrality earlier this week and last week, said Kennedy had summed up the country’s position during his Oireachtas address when he said Ireland was “not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be”.

US Ambassador to Ireland Claire D Cronin; Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey; and Stephen Kennedy Smith, son of former US Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith and grandnephew of President Kennedy, also took part in the discussion. All of the speakers have connections to Ireland.

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The event acted as a launch for the Epic Museum on Dublin’s quays’ Homecoming: JFK in Ireland exhibition which runs from June 7th to September 24th.

The Tánaiste recalled hearing stories from his father about President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland and particularly Cork during the discussion, as Mr Martin was only three years of age when the visit took place.

Mr Kennedy Smith spoke about his grandmother teaching him and his siblings about Irish history, telling them Irish stories and teaching them Irish poetry, some of which he can still recite today.

“We grew up talking about Irish history, and it meant a lot to our family, and still does mean a lot, of course,” he said.

The richness of Irish and US relations were discussed in depth by the panel, most recently with the visit of current US President Joe Biden in April.

“It was truly, truly wonderful to see a president come here who really embraced his Irish heritage in a way, although many US Presidents have claimed Irish heritage, there are really two that are really, really Irish – and that would be President Kennedy and President Biden,” Ms Cronin said.

Moderator Dearbhail McDonald quickly responded to this claim saying “don’t tell them at Obama Plaza,” which was met with laughter by the crowd.

The far right were also discussed by the panel, the “migration of experience,” and the strong relationship Ireland has with Massachusetts in terms of life sciences and technology.

“We cannot lose that sense of an open Ireland, and we have to be very mindful of, I don’t want to go into too political voices of the far right saying that Ireland is full and of that, that would be lethal for Ireland’s future, it’s that sense of openness that people can come here and realise their potential of their skills, add value to our economy and towards society, that’s the game changer,” Mr Martin said.

The Tánaiste also said that when President Kennedy said that Ireland pursues an independent course in foreign policy, but it is not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be during his address at the Oireachtas in 1963 “sums up” the country’s position.

“As we’ve become members of the European Union we have the capacity in the European Union to strike an independent line on many, many issues and militarily neutral but not neutral in a political sense and not neutral against tyranny so therefore our response to Ukraine is exactly that,” Mr Martin said.

“That’s tyranny, that’s a violation of the UN charter what Russia is doing in Ukraine and we said no that’s not, we have to impose that and we’ve done everything we possibly can,” he added, praising Kennedy’s speeches afterwards.