hat tip-The Obama Diary:
The First Daughters are out of school…so, they’re traveling with the parents….yeah…
President Obama, the First Lady and their daughters Sasha and Malia are greeted by Joan Christie, the Queen’s official representative in Northern Ireland, upon their arrival at Belfast International Airport
President Obama and his wife Michelle, pictured with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
It never gets old…watching the First Family come out of Air Force One.
Belfast airport
The First Lady, Malia and Sasha:
Shortly after their arrival in Dublin from Belfast they will visit Trinity College at lunchtime where they will view the Book of Kells.
Snippets of Pres. Obama’s speech:
“Hello, Belfast. Hello, Northern Ireland. Well, now you know why it’s so difficult to speak after Michelle. She’s better than me.”
“I want to thank two men I’ve hosted at the White House on many a St Patrick’s Day for their warm welcome – First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.”
“I spend the whole year trying to unite Washington around something, and they come visit on St Patrick’s Day and do it in a single afternoon,” Mr Obama says.
Mr Obama said he only found out a few years ago that his great-great-great-grandfather was born in Ireland. “When I was first running for office in Chicago, I didn’t know this. I wish I had,” he said.
“But in Chicago, it worked out okay – they’d look at my last name and say, ‘oh, look, there’s an O’Bama from the homeland running on the South Side – but what kind of name is Barack?”
The president says that while in Moneygall, County Offaly, he met his eighth cousin, Henry, known affectionately as Henry the Eighth.
“America’s story, in part, began right outside the doors of this gleaming hall. 325 years ago, a ship set sail from the River Lagan for the Chesapeake Bay, filled with men and women who dreamed of building a new life in a new land.”
“They, followed by hundreds of thousands more, helped us write those early chapters. They helped us win our independence. They helped us draft our constitution.”
“Our histories are bound by blood and belief; by culture and commerce. And our futures are equally, inextricably bound together as well. That’s why I’ve come to Belfast today – to talk about the future we can build together.”
“Many of the qualities that we Americans hold dear we imported from this land, perseverance and faith, an unbending belief that we make our own destiny, and an unshakable dream that if we work hard and live responsibly, something better lies just around the bend.”
“You are the first generation in this land to inherit more than just hardened attitudes, but a just and hard-earned peace.”
“Belfast is a different city. Once-abandoned factories are rebuilt. Former industrial sites are reborn. Visitors come from all over to see an exhibit at the MAC, a play at the Lyric, or a concert here at Waterfront Hall,”
“Families crowd into pubs in the Cathedral Quarter to hear “trad”. Students lounge at cafés, asking each other, “What’s the craic?” (That made me chuckle :lol: )
“It has been 15 years since the Good Friday Agreement; since clenched fists gave way to outstretched hands; since the people of this island voted in overwhelming numbers to see past the scars of violence and mistrust, and choose to wage peace,”
“But as all of you know well, for all the strides you’ve made, there’s still much work to do. There are still people who haven’t reaped the rewards of peace; who aren’t convinced that the effort is worth it,”
There are still wounds that haven’t healed, and communities where tension and mistrust hangs in the air. There are walls that still stand; there are still many miles to go.”
“But that doesn’t mean our efforts to forge a real and lasting peace must come dropping slow. This work is as urgent now as it has ever been,”
Mr Obama says there are people living in conflict areas of the world who are looking to the Irish peace process for hope and inspiration. “You are their blueprint to follow. You are their proof of what’s possible. Hope is contagious, they are watching to see what you do next.”
Michelle Obama and daughters visit Glendalough and Dalkey
US first lady and her children have pub lunch with Bono
First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia and Sasha were having lunch with Bono in Dalkey, Co Dublin this afternoon.
They arrived in Dalkey at 1.20pm to dine at Finnegans pub after visiting Glendalough
The pub was closed since early morning but it was thought that about 60 local people were inside before the first family arrived.
Bono and his wife Ali Hewson arrived just before 1pm, accompanied by two children.
A large crowd gathered outside and whooped as the fleet of black armoured cars arrived.
The lucky few got a quick glimpse of Mrs Obama as she left the car and took a few steps into the pub. She was wearing sunglasses but didn’t turn to wave, much to the disappointment of four girls from the local Loreto Primary School who were waiting to present her and her daughters with little posies.
The lunch menu includes smoked bacon and cabbage, cottage pie and chicken and ham stuffed with mozzarella.
The Paddy Power bookmakers’ shop changed its sign to O’Bama Power in anticipation of the visit and a large poster of US president Barack Obama adorned the window of the health food store.
All outdoor bins were covered and there was already a strong Garda presence in the village.
Finnegans’ pub flew an American flag but its doors were closed before the arrival of the US First Family.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/michelle-obama-and-daughters-visit-glendalough-and-dalkey-1.1433057
more pics from the Ireland trip
Irish boy struck dumb by First Lady Michelle Obama
A young boy was rendered speechless when he met First Lady Michelle Obama in Dublin on Monday.
The boy, named only as Billy, was dumbstruck with shyness when he met her backstage at the Gaiety Theatre.
He was among scores of youngsters invited to the theatre for a special performance of Riverdance.
Earlier, Mrs Obama and her daughters Malia and Sasha had visited Trinity College in the Irish capital.
Rebecca Morgan, aged 11 and a pupil in Moneygall National School in County Offaly – US President Barack Obama’s ancestral homeland – revealed her classmate’s embarrassment.
“She is so beautiful and very tall,” she said.
“She looks even prettier in real life than on TV.
“A boy in my class was really embarrassed when she touched Billy’s hand because he thinks she is so beautiful. He was so shy.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22922449
Rikyrah,
Did you see the photo of Malia crossing her eyes at the all the cameras flashing as she sat down? LOL!
No…gonna have to look for it
I have it but just haven’t had time to post. Let me go and get it.
.
Published on Jun 17, 2013
Michelle Obama at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin (Part 1)
http://youtu.be/T-0FRu22OLk
Michelle Obama at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin (Part 2)
http://youtu.be/MJx82sBtg1Q
Published on Jun 17, 2013
Fionnuala Kenny, wife of Irish PM Enda Kenny, introduces Michelle Obama at the Gaiety Theater, Dublin, June 17, 2013
“A woman of real substance …. a great dancer too”
http://youtu.be/G-2-d_5st7w
President Obama arrives in Northern Ireland for G8 Summit
http://youtu.be/urDSXSoJBaU
https://twitter.com/David_Cameron/status/346604048755068928/photo/1
Published on Jun 17, 2013
First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Malia and Sasha, visited Trinity College in Dublin and were shown the Book of Kells, an intricate ninth-century gospel manuscript made by Irish monks. (June 17)
http://youtu.be/vxYM915vG68
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/346668650981359616/photo/1
Henry Healy @henryhealy
The Moneygall Children have just met Michelle Obama with their teachers
11:07 AM – 17 Jun 2013 from Dublin City, Dublin
https://twitter.com/usembassydublin/status/346649763699113984/photo/1
https://twitter.com/USAinUK/status/346629368174489601/photo/1
Henry Healy @henryhealy
I presented Malia & Sasha with a Cert of Irish Heritage earlier! Great reaction from Sasha “I can prove I’m more Irish than my friends now”
8:56 AM – 17 Jun 2013 from Dublin City, Dublin
U.S. Embassy London ✔ @USAinUK
What an inspiring morning in #Belfast & wonderful reception for President Obama #ObamainNI @markknoller @USAinNI pic.twitter.com/s4MuySMzjE
10:07 AM – 17 Jun 2013
Thought I’d share photo from tweet. . .
https://twitter.com/usainuk/status/346677689152856064
It always warms my heart to see our First Family so lovingly embraced by the rest of the world.
Me too, Rikyrah. Thanks for the post. The US media waited for them to go to land in Ireland, and then pulled out their low poll numbers for PBO. SHAMEFUL. Of course it’s manufactured, just like the scandals they helped push.