For a genealogist who is so diligent about discovering the lives of others, I am spectacularly bad at recording my own. If it weren’t for Facebook and Twitter, I’d hardly remember what I did last week, but this past week is definitely worth remembering so I’ve decided to post some photos and a brief video to my blog to help retain the memory.

Back in early 2007, I traced Barack Obama’s roots to a small town in Ireland by the name of Moneygall. On May 23, 2011, he visited there to meet his distant cousins and pay tribute to his Irish heritage. I also traveled to Ireland and had the opportunity to meet the President and First Lady, as well as the first couple of Ireland, Taoisearch Enda Kenny and his wife, Fionnuala. These photos and video capture some of those moments.

 

  1. Henry Healy, Barack Obama’s 8th cousin (now affectionately known as Henry VIII in Ireland), handing me a pair of “golden tickets” for access to Moneygall during the President’s visit. We were in Ollie Hayes’s pub at the time. And BTW, Henry and his family are all sweethearts! I nominate Henry for some sort of cultural ambassador position.
  2. A pair of “golden tickets” for access to Moneygall during the visit of the President and First Lady. One was for me and the other for my sister, Stacy Neuberger.
  3. A pair of VIP passes for the President’s Dublin address, provided by the White House. Again, one for Stacy and one for me.
  4. Meeting the President in Dublin. Because of what transpired in the video, I introduced myself by simply saying, “I’m the genealogist.”
  5. A Presidential hug!
  6. My sister remarkably managed to snag these shots in spite of the frenetic energy of the crowd. The President at one point said, “Let’s do this right,” and motioned over the White House photographer to take a few shots. He said they’d send me one, so fingers crossed!
  7. Some of the media was behind us and one of my Irish friends alerted me to the fact that BBC had included my hug in their coverage that evening, so I’ve borrowed this still to provide more of a perspective of the crowd. This still doesn’t do it justice, though, as the crowd was estimated at anywhere from 25,000 to 100,000. It’s hard to say, but the sea of people went down the road as far as the eye could see. BTW, the woman dressed in white next to me and the President is my sister gamely capturing some of these other photos.
  8. I also got to meet Michelle Obama who warmly greeted me (and Stacy) with a kiss and graciously posed for a couple of photos, telling Stacy to take her time.
  9. Taoisearch Enda Kenny was next, but we weren’t fortunate enough to get a photo. When I explained that I was Irish American and honored to have made the discovery, he reached out and placed his hand on my face, a gesture that was both unexpected and endearing. His wife, Fionnuala Kenny, seen in this photo, generously thanked me for what I had “done for Ireland.”

As to the video, it’s brief — just a few seconds — but it’s how the President spotted me in the crowd. You don’t often hear genealogists being thanked in a Presidential address! My sister initially shouted me out (President Obama had been bandying back and forth a bit with the audience) and others nearby (whom we had been chit-chatting with earlier) pointed me out when he paused and said, “Right here?”

This visit to Ireland was an experience I’d like to remember for a long time! As genealogists, we make many valuable contributions, but to see such a positive ripple effect spill out of my research was a rare and special opportunity, and one I am beyond grateful for. I only hope that every one of you reading these words has the chance to experience a similar “wow!” moment as a result of your own sleuthing!