Obama downs pint of Guinness as he celebrates Irish ties

Barack Obama samples a pint of Guinness on his visit to Moneygall, the small Irish village where...
Barack Obama samples a pint of Guinness on his visit to Moneygall, the small Irish village where his great-great-great grandfather once lived and worked. Photo by AP
Beaming before an exultant sea of people, President Barack Obama has revelled in his distant Irish ancestry, offering spirited thanks from tens of millions of Americans who trace connections to Ireland.

Far away from divisive Washington politics, Obama stood with his wife, Michelle, and said: "We feel very much at home."

In a speech devoted as much to personal pride than overt politics, Obama told roughly 30,000 people gathered in central Dublin that he had come to reaffirm "the bonds of affection" between the United States and Ireland. "There's always been a little green behind the red, white and blue," he said to cheers.

Obama's buoyant trip to Ireland, however, was to be even shorter than planned. Concerns over a dense, shifting ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano were prompting him to fly to London later on Monday instead of spending the night in Dublin.

On a busy day of stops, Obama got splashes of rain and sunshine as he soaked in the kind of atmosphere more familiar from his first days as president.

Obama's speech came after he had downed a pint of Guinness in tiny Moneygall, the small Irish village where his great-great-great grandfather once lived and worked as a shoemaker. It was an improbable and memorable pilgrimage for America's first black president into his Irish past, and Obama soaked it in.

"My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas," he said. The president sought to endear himself to the locals by speaking some phrases in Gaelic, including his campaign slogan of "Yes we can."

The president struck a more serious tone in marking the adversity of Ireland's history and current economic times, celebrating a country that shares a resilient success with America. He held up Ireland as a model for the world by describing its move from violent divisions to what he called a lasting peace on the island.

"Our greatest triumphs in America and Ireland alike are still to come," the president said. "And Ireland, if anyone ever says otherwise, if anybody ever tells you that your problems are too big, your challenges are too great, that we can't do something, that we shouldn't even try, think about all that we've done together."

Obama is on a six-day, four-country trip in Europe that will involve working with allies on knotty problems of war, peace and economic growth. Monday, though, was about a colorful journey into a part of the president's ancestry he hasn't fully explored, and that many Americans might not even know about.

Obama sought to change that as he endeared himself to the Irish populace, and in turn perhaps to millions of Irish-American voters in the United States.

Ireland hurriedly organised an open-air show to precede Obama's speech. Irish stars from the music, film, TV and sports worlds took turns exciting those who had waited at least three hours to get in; many more were turned away because the scene was getting packed at College Green, a broad boulevard flanked by Dublin Castle and Trinity College. President Bill Clinton once spoke at the same spot.

Some in the youthful crowd waved American flags as they awaited an appearance by the U.S. president with a touch of Irish in him.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny introduced the Obamas to a crowd that made clear its desire that he step aside for their distinguished guest as quickly as possible. "Obama!" they chanted as Kenny, undeterred, continued to proclaim the inspiration of Obama's life story.

"The 44th president is different, because he doesn't just speak about the American dream. He is the American dream!" Kenny said before surrendering the podium to thunderous cheers.

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