Jean Kennedy Smith was at Shannon Airport last week as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of President John F Kennedy’s visit, writes Dan Danaher

“YOU are famous again,” said former county manager Willie Moloney to another former county manager, Joe Boland, in the departure lounge at Shannon Airport on Friday.

Mayor of Clare, Councillor Joe Arkins quickly interjected, “it isn’t you are famous again, you are still famous”.
Mr Boland was back in Shannon Airport to meet Jean Kennedy Smith almost 50 years after he was part of the official party that welcomed US President John F Kennedy before his departure from Ireland for the last time on June 29, 1963.

The 91-year-old is the only surviving member of the group included in the painting commissioned by Clare County Council to commemorate the President’s visit. The artwork by artist Patrick Hennessy, RHA, which takes centre stage in the departure lounge, was officially unveiled by External Affairs Minister Frank Aiken about two years later.

The Ballylongford native served as county manager from 1960 to 1983 and has remained in Station Road, Ennis since then.

Mr Boland recalled President Kennedy vowed to return to Ireland in the spring time but didn’t get the opportunity as he was assassinated.

“Very few people I met in my life had the same charisma as President Kennedy. Short of marrying my wife, Catherine, and the birth of our children, meeting President Kennedy was the greatest moment in my life and I am honoured to be here today, all those years later, to meet his sister.

“There was an unparalleled air of excitement not alone in Clare but throughout the country,” he said.

The first time Joe flew in an aircraft was in 1946 from Dublin to Shannon. At that time, the terminal building was in the old wooden huts, which were built during the war years.

“I have been in Shannon many times since and I am confident the airport has a very prosperous future,” he said.

Mr Moloney, who attended the civic reception, said Joe still has a razor-sharp mind, while county manager, Tom Coughlan recalled he made a huge contribution to the development of the county during his term, which coincided with JFK’s visit.

“He still has a keen interest in local government and is very much up to speed with the workings of Clare County Council,” he said.

President Kennedy flew by helicopter from Limerick to Shannon and the Department of External Affairs asked a small group, including Joe Boland, to greet him on his departure from the helicopter. They included council chairman, Senator Sean Brady, the Church of Ireland and Catholic bishops and Shannon Development chairman, Brendan O’Regan. President Kennedy was escorted to the podium on the stage, where Senator Brady made his speech and presented him with an old Irish silver claret jug, which was sourced in Dublin by Maurers’ Jewellers.

President Kennedy gave his speech and concluded with the famous words of the song he had heard from President de Valera’s wife, Sinéad Bean de Valera, the previous night in Áras an Uachtaráin.

President Kennedy sent a letter to the council thanking them for their welcome and the silver claret jug and this hangs over the chair of the county council.

Emotional visit for Kennedy Smith

THE 50th anniversary celebrations of President John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland came full circle in Shannon Airport last Friday, as his sister, Jean Kennedy Smith, marked the last time her brother spoke and set foot on Irish soil.

The 85-year-old former Irish ambassador was in Shannon for her flight back to the US, following the two-week celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the President’s state visit to Ireland.

Her flight was on the eve of the actual 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s own departure from Shannon, following a civic reception at the airport.

Ms Kennedy Smith signed a hand-printed copy of her brother’s famous speech at Shannon, which will be framed and sit in perpetuity in the airport beside the famous JFK portrait.

It includes President Kennedy’s famous speech, which he quoted from an old Gerald Griffin poem given to him by Sinéad Bean de Valera in Áras an Uachtaráin the night before he left Shannon.

Head of operations, Niall Maloney explained the unique piece of art, To See Old Shannon’s Face Again, by print artist Des McMahon and his team in the Limerick School of Art and Design was the airport’s acknowledgement of the support the Kennedy family has given over the years.

A copy of this is going to the Kennedy Museum in Dallas at Ms Kennedy Smith’s request.

She recalled President Kennedy loved his time in Ireland and said it was the “best time of his life” and she believed him, having watched films of his visit three times in-a-row.

Reflecting on the past two weeks, she said, “It was a wonderful time because all of my little nephews and nieces came. They are not little anymore. Most of them haven’t been to Ireland before.  They were thrilled at the whole reception.

“They were speaking non-stop, as some people may have heard, and they were really, really happy to be here. That was fun to have them.

“My niece, Caroline, and her children; she hadn’t come in a long time so she was having a great time, everyone was very happy here.”

She said her two-week visit was emotional in a nice way. “He is very much loved in very many different places because he was so young and a very vibrant person and people remember him that way.

“It has been a sad but happy time and I think being followed by the younger generation is wonderful. A lot of them are interested in politics. I’m afraid you will have an awful lot of small Kennedys running around here for the next 100 years,” she said.

“My mother, whom I haven’t had much of a chance to talk about as the male members of the family, she knew a lot of history of Ireland. She had a father who was called ‘Honey Fitz’ and he was responsible for the boys having this tremendous love for Ireland. He used to take them around Boston and explain all of the history. He was very proud of being Irish,” she said.

Departing the airport, Ms Kennedy Smith promised she would return soon, as she has a lot of friends here since she was ambassador.

Recognising the Clare connection

SHANNON Airport head of operations, Niall Maloney and Ennis-based chartered accountant Austin Slattery have been credited with ensuring Jean Kennedy Smith attended a civic reception marking the 50th anniversary of President John F Kennedy’s last time on Irish soil.

The airport has a long relationship with the Kennedy family for many years. Shannon Airport has welcomed John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy, as well as other US presidents.

Ms Kennedy Smith previously visited the airport in an official capacity as Irish ambassador from 1993 to ’98. Following her hectic two-week tour of Ireland, airport officials were delighted Shannon Airport was chosen as her point of departure back to the United States.

Mr Maloney stated the reason so many political families throughout the US are very supportive of Shannon is the welcome they receive at the airport.

“Whether you are the airline, the handling agent or the staff at the airport, we do give a céad míle fáilte to these people. The key thing with Shannon is ease of access.

“It is a relaxed type of an airport. We give people space and time to make it an enjoyable experience. Airports worldwide are now a stressful environment. We do our best to destress them. Shannon is located on the west coast of Ireland. You have tourism attractions from Waterford to Donegal and what better place is there but to land in Shannon to make use of these places?

“Many celebrities use Shannon Airport for transiting flights that people wouldn’t be aware of. Shannon has a unique role to play within aviation history in Ireland over the last 50 years. With the new Shannon Airport Authority, we are hoping to see a new brighter airport for the next 50 years,” he said.

Mr Slattery recalled he first met Ms Kennedy Smith at a function 15 years ago and they became firm friends.

They met regularly and Mr Slattery and his wife accompanied Ms Kennedy Smith and her family during their trip to Wexford for the Kennedy celebrations and their trip to Achill Island. Mr Slattery recalled the Wexford celebrations were very exciting and there was great goodwill shown to the Kennedy family.

“The outpouring of goodwill was just incredible. The Kennedys are very proud of their Wexford roots. Patrick Grennan has the homestead and the new John F Kennedy interpretative centre in Dunganstown, which is well worth a visit. It is the farm from where Jean’s great-great-grandfather left for America in 1950.

“She was delighted and honoured to be part of the celebrations in Shannon. She is thrilled the next generations have come. There were about 37 or 38 of them ranging from 50 down to 12 months old. They all buy into it.

“John F Kennedy was a very special man and he touched so many people. It was very nice to have the Clare connection recognised during this visit and Jean was very proud to be part of this connection. She loves County Clare and comes to the county to visit me on a regular basis,” he said.