Obama's Visit the Latest in a Line of Presidential Trips to Ireland
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U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet the crowd at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, Monday, May 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
When President Obama visited Dublin and Moneygall, Ireland Monday, he became one of several recent presidents to make stops in the Emerald Isle. Here's a look at past presidential visits to Ireland.
--In June of 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited Dublin, Wexford, Cork, Galway and Limerick. While there, he addressed Parliament and visited his ancestral home. His welcome was described as "rousing."
--President Richard Nixon visited Limerick, Timahoe and Dublin for a state visit in October of 1970. Around a thousand demonstrators protested Nixon's policy in the Vietnam war. While there were friendly crowds, there were a couple of egg-throwing incidents along Nixon's motorcade route.
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--In June of 1984, President Ronald Reagan visited several cities and towns, met with heads of state, addressed Parliament and visited his ancestral home. The visit kicked off a 10-day European tour in which Reagan attended the World War II D-Day commemoration in Normandy and culminated with an economic summit in London.
--President Bill Clinton has made the most visits to Ireland of any president, traveling to the island nation in December of 1995, September of 1998 and December of 2000. He is also the most well traveled having visited Dublin, Adare, Limerick, Ballybunion, and Dundalk. He delivered several public addresses during the first two visits, met with various leaders and played golf during the 1998 visit.
--President George W. Bush visited the Emerald Isle twice, first attending a U.S. - E.U. Summit meeting in June of 2004. That meeting was scheduled partly to address strained relations with European countries in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2006, Bush met with U.S. Marines who were enroute to Iraq.