JFK in Ireland

In his first book, award-winning radio and TV presenter Ryan Tubridy tells the fascinating story of the iconic president John F Kennedy's visit to Ireland.

The idolized, handsome and glamorous John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the great-grandson of Irish immigrants and the first and only Irish-Catholic American elected as President of the United States. He relished his Irish heritage and in June 1963 made a memorable four-day trip to his homeland, which he called the best 'four days of his life'. Tragically, five months later he was assassinated.

In this fully illustrated book, Tubridy reveals the huge effect JFK's visit had on Ireland - a country that at the time was largely agrarian and extremely poor. He includes never-seen-before photos of the president and private documents that reveal how the Irish rejoiced in having a president visit their shore. Tubridy evaluates whether the well-loved president, whose 'Camelot' years some believe would have heralded a golden age, actually inspired Ireland to reinvent itself and instilled pride in the Irish people, or whether the myth of JFK just left behind an idyllic dream of what could have been.

This book is a fascinating, unique and insightful read from one of Ireland's most popular personalities.

Reviews

‘In the manner of Woodward and Bernstein … [Tubridy] displays a surreptitious gift for giving the foreground a fictive gloss in pursuit of the truth. Still pursuing the truth, his authorial master stroke is a simple one. He balances the subjective prose-eye with the more distanced eye of the camera.’ The Scotsman

About the author

Ryan Tubridy is an award winning television and radio presenter for RTE in Ireland.

Currently, Tubridy presents 'The Tubridy Show' on RTE Radio 1 and is host of the 'Late Late Show', the world's longest running chat show. Since taking over in 2009 he has interviewed a number of international and acclaimed personalities from the Osbournes to Bertie Ahern and Jermaine Jackson.

In the summer of 2009 Tubridy was named 'Dubliner of the Year' by The Dubliner.