Joy sparks Obama because it refers to Irish roots

MONEYGALL, Ireland - the inhabitants of a crié Irish village "Welcome Home" as a U.S. President Barack Obama Happy Monday traced its roots at the beginning of its most important European tour in two years.

The leader radiating U.S. was rocked by violent winds on a helicopter departing from Dublin to visit the tiny Moneygall, where his grand-back-back-grand-father defined course for the new world, 160 years ago.

The visit was the emotional highpoint of the first judgment of week Obama European tour which will take also in Britain, the Summit of the G8 in France and Poland.

With security extremely tight for the visit, 300 residents of the Moneygall were audited security and had then to queue for tickets to be allowed to see the President in the village in the heart of the Ireland rural.

As rain fell, then the Sun was shining, residents crowded in behind the barricades, waving Irish flags and Stars and Stripes that they were waiting for the arrival of the President.

When the President's motorcade led to the city, the Sung came out of the car to wild cheers and cries of "welcome home, you are very welcome."

As the men of the secret service kept tight, the Sung were introduced to a special resident - Henry Healy, 26 years old who is cousin eighth President.

Michelle Obama hugged him warmly and her husband guided the young man's long, as they approached the crowd of waiting and a sea of strained hands.

Later, they visited the simple House where grand-back-back-grand-father of the Obama Falmouth Kearney, son of Shoemaker, had lived before leaving for a new life to the United States at the age of 19 in 1850.

Then they led to one of two pubs in the town to sample the national drink of the Ireland, Guinness, with the President and his wife with a slurp of the famous stout to the delight of residents.

The President declared the first time he had tasted Guinness in Ireland was when he had stolen once at Shannon Airport in the West of the Ireland on the road to the Afghanistan.

"Then I realized it tastes so much better here that this is the case in the States," he told a group of people that met in the pub, laughing.

Visit of the Obama in Ireland, coming hot on the heels of a historic visit by Queen Elizabeth II last week, is seen as a jolt of confidence for a nation through a "hard road" of a deep economic hole.

Earlier, after landing at Dublin on board Air Force One as the wind and the rain whipped through Dublin Airport, Obama said: "It is comforting to be here" - joke that arrangements had been made for the Sun to come out as it came into land.

After the meeting President of Ireland Mary McAleese and Prime Minister Enda Kenny, Obama welcomed the visit of the Queen and said player of the Ireland of the North sent a "ripple of hope" peace everywhere in the world.

"I just wanted to express to the Irish people...". How inspired, we were by the progress made in Ireland of the North", said Obama.

"He speaks of the possibility of peace and people in the struggles of long-time being able to remake their relations."

"To see her Majesty the Queen of England come here... sends a signal, not only in England, not just here in Ireland, but around the world.".

The President was also due to deliver a speech to thousands of Dubliners in an event of outdoor high security of the stages of the Bank of Ireland, against a backdrop of the famous Trinity College.

A crowd of 20,000 expected a large street party with acts, including the stars of the Westlife, the Sawdoctors and the Eurovision Irish Jedward interpreters.

Obama said earlier to Kenny that welcomed the progress that Ireland was after an economic crisis which necessitated a bailout of the Monetary Fund International and the European Union.

"It is a difficult road, but it is an Irish people are more than the task to achieve," he said.

"We are rooting for the success of the Ireland and we will do all that we can help them on the road to recovery.".

The visit of the President him has also in a State visit to Britain, the G8 Summit in the French resort of Deauville and Poland, with a heavy emphasis on the Afghanistan the NATO operation on the Libya and the debate on the next leader of the IMF.

Obama visits family roots in Ireland

DUBLIN - President Barack Obama said solidarity between the United States and the Ireland who have difficulties on the economic plan with a symbolic gulp of beer and a rousing speech, telling a huge crowd of Dublin Monday: "your best days are still to come."

From four-nation European tour with a celebration of his Irish roots, Obama arrived in Ireland as a man called a "cousin lost for a long time."

Crowds packed the streets for a moving speech in Dublin and a visit to the tiny village of Moneygall, where an ancestor of the Obama lived before moving to the United States.

Presented by the Irish Minister Enda Kenny as "it happened in the American dream home", Obama told the crowd in central Dublin: "my name is Barack Obama, of the Sung Moneygall."

For the Ireland, the arrival of the Obama and the visit of Queen Elizabeth of Britain last week, are a welcome distraction of the world's attention to its financial difficulties and the international rescue plan that followed.

Obama is also due to visit Britain, the France and the Poland on a trip of the week including the agenda includes discussions on issues such as the Afghanistan and Pakistan after the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the world economy and the uprisings of 'spring from Arabic '.

AUSTERITY

Economic depression of the Ireland led to a debt crisis and the drastic Government, reduced spending. Apart from the minds of the Irish, the visit examined the value to provide some lift images powerful back for the Obama 2012 re-election campaign.

It reduces the expression of the signature of his 2008 presidential campaign, "yes we can," but he said in Gaelic.

"This small country that inspires the greatest things - your best days are still to come," said Obama.

"And the Ireland, if anyone ever said otherwise... don't forget that whatever difficulties winter can bring, in the spring is always just around the corner, and if they keep arguing with you, just answer with a simple creed"is feidir linn. ""Yes we can. ?

The pub its Dublin, revelers cheered and some chanted "USA!" USA! "as the President emerged on stage for his speech.

"I believe that this will give the country a big lift, the kind of lift that we desperately need," said Jennifer Kearney, a mother of two children who brought her two daughters aged 13 and 15 in the Centre of the city of Dublin for the event.

In Moneygall, Obama hoisted a glass of Guinness stout in the pub in Ollie Hayes as fiddle played music, and his wife Michelle fired pints in the bar.

Thousands of wet people lined a street of the village, decorated with American flags and roared with delight as the motorcade rolled.

The sleepy village of 300 was the birthplace of grand-back-back-grand-father of the Obama, Falmouth Kearney, a shoemaker who left in 1850 to start a new life to the United States.

This is Obama, the son of a Kenyan father and mother Irish-American, one of the 37 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry.

LONG LOST COUSIN

"I'm here to see the Obama...". "Our cousin lost long ago," said resident Rob Lewis, 28 Moneygall.

In the Interior of the pub, which was lined with photos framed of Obama, the President met Henry Healy, a distant cousin of 24 years. He joked with the bartender to ensure the Guinness had set correctly before he and Michelle took sips.

"I don't want to spoil this," he said before the bar with a "Slainte" - Irish for "cheers" - and a long gulp salvation.

"You look a little like my grandfather", he said at one of the men inside.

Back out on the street, three babies were handed a barricade of security for the pictures taken with Obama and women hugged and kissed under the watchful eye of his security detail.

Moneygall is capitalizing on its famous connection, sale of all, of the Obama to Obama of lighters fridge magnets plastic.

T-shirts with slogans such as "what is the craic, Barack?" ("How things?") ("What?") and "Is feidir linn" are top-sellers.

Irish radio offers frequent broadcasts of the popular song "there was zero as Irish as Barack Obama," playing on a family name sounds almost typically Irish.

"We are a small nation of 4 million people, it's a nice gesture come." Given that we had the Queen so it was a memorable week. "It is a lift for the Ireland device," said Susannah Moore in Dublin.

Obama was forced to leave for London for the next stop of his trip on Monday night instead of Tuesday because of a new cloud of volcanic ash of the Iceland.