Ireland & America

The bond between Ireland and America runs deeper than heritage trails. It began before the United States existed. When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, three of its signers had been born in Ireland. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, half the foreign-born delegates were Irish-born. And James Hoban, an architect from County Kilkenny, designed the White House. That thread runs through the presidency. Andrew Jackson's parents left County Antrim for the Carolinas two years before he was born. John F. Kennedy's family came from Wexford and Limerick. Barack Obama traced his mother's line to Moneygall in County Offaly. Around half of all presidents have claimed Irish roots.