JFK in Ireland: Four Days That Changed a President

 

The idolized, handsome, and glamorous John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the great-grandson of Irish immigrants and the first and only Irish-Catholic president of the United States. He relished his Irish heritage and in June 1963 made a memorable four-day trip to his homeland, which he called the best four days of his life. Tragically, five months later he was assassinated. This fully illustrated book reveals the huge effect JFK's visit had on Ireland, a country that at the time was largely agrarian and extremely poor. It includes never-seen-before photos of the president and private documents that reveal how the Irish rejoiced in having a president visit their shore. This book evaluates whether the well-loved president, whose Camelot years some believe would have heralded a golden age, actually inspired Ireland to reinvent itself and instilled pride in the Irish people, or whether the myth of JFK just left behind an idyllic dream of what could have been. This is a fascinating, unique, and insightful read from one of Ireland's most popular personalities.