Obama To Visit Ireland?

Ireland is becoming a bit of a hot spot with heads of state as it emerges US President Barack Obama may also be paying Ireland a visit.

Shortly after today's announcement that the Queen could be flying in next year, it seems Air Force One could be stopping by too as the US President is invited to Ireland to deliver an inaugural human rights lecture in honour of one of his political heros.

Details were announced yesterday of an initiative in County Cork honouring 19th Centaury human rights campaigner Frederick Douglass, of President Obama is known to be a fan.

Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dara Murphy, and Bloody Sunday author, Don Mullan, are leading the initiative, which will see University College Cork host an annual Frederick Douglass lecture.

They also plan to unveil a statue of Douglass, crafted by sculptor Andrew Edwards, on the university's grounds.

Mr Murphy said they are now almost ready to issue an official invitation to the White House and are confident Obama will accept the offer to deliver the first lecture, and unveil the statue.

"The idea has already been pitched to the US embassy and heavily endorsed in Washington, and that the reaction State-side has been very positive."

In the run up to Obama's inauguration, it emerged from research by the genealogy website ancestry.co.uk that Mr Obama's great, great, great grandfather Falmouth Kearney was born in Ireland, although it is not yet known where - with several areas claiming his ancestral roots.

Mr Obama's father was from Kenya, while his mother grew up in Kansas.

(DW/BMcC)