THE INAUGURAL Kennedy Summer School got under way yesterday close to the ancestral home in Co Wexford of the famous Irish-American political dynasty.
Robert Kennedy III – a grandson of former senator Robert Kennedy and grandnephew of former president John F Kennedy – is the guest of honour at the three-day event in New Ross.
This year’s event is a precursor to a major celebration next year of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s 1963 visit to Ireland. The ancestral homestead is located at Dunganstown, outside New Ross.
The school began with a full house for an audiovisual presentation on Fifty Years of Politics on Irish Television since Kennedy Came, by broadcaster, historian and author John Bowman.
Last night’s theme was Reflections on Ireland, America and the Kennedy Legacy by “Wexford voices” Colm O’Gorman of Amnesty International; hotelier, businessman and All-Ireland-winning hurling manager Liam Griffin; historian Prof Kevin Whelan; and management consultant Julie O’Neill.
Local students debated the topic What, if Anything, Can America Do for Ireland Now?
Today’s events include a public interview at 1pm in St Michael’s Theatre with former Irish Times editor Geraldine Kennedy on her 40 years working in the world of newspapers and politics.
Before that there are talks on the Kennedy civil rights legacy – “lessons for modern Ireland” – by former SDLP MP and Fine Gael presidential candidate Austin Currie and Prof Howard Keeley, of the Centre for Irish Studies at Georgia Southern University.
The afternoon’s events include a debate on Irish Politics: New Frontiers, featuring former Fianna Fáil minister Mary O’Rourke; Irish Times columnist and author John Waters; disability rights activist and political commentator Suzy Byrne; and Seán McGraw of the University of Notre Dame.