No committement on Offaly visit by Obama

A "warm welcome" awaits US President Barrack Obama if he accepts the invitation by Taoiseach Brian Cowen to visit the home sod. The Taoiseach made his invite while meeting Mr Obama in the White House on St Patrick's Day, however there was no confirmation by the President of any plans to make the trip over, despite high hopes held locally in Moneygall that an annoucement would be made. He thanked the President for hosting the Irish contingent and said both himself and his wife Mary were delighted to be in the White House again. In his speech, he reminded Mr Obama that other US presidents with Irish ties had travelled to Ireland to visit the birthplaces of their ancestors. "May I say how much we hope to see you, the First Lady and your family, in Ireland soon. I am sure you will have heard of the great welcome accorded to your predecessors. Ireland will never forget the historic visit by President Kennedy to his home place in 1963. If you visit us, I can assure you of an equally warm welcome, especially in Co Offaly, where I have some influence. I know that you trace your own ancestry back to the place where I have lived all my life. It is amazing how many O'Hara's, O'Sullivans and O'Neills are frantically searching to see if they are in any way linked to the O'bamas," Mr Cowen said to President Obama. However, President Obama remained vague in his response about his intentions to visit Ireland and never mentioned it in his speech. "I actually discovered my Irish lineage when I was running for president, and my first thought was, 'Why didn't anyone discover this when I was running for office in Chicago?'... I would've got here sooner," he said to laughter. He mentioned that his "great-great-great-great-great-grandfather" was a bootmaker - a reference to Fulmouth Kearney who left Moneygall for America. Following a question from RTÉ's Charlie Bird, he said he "would love" to come to Ireland. But there was no mention of when. Mr Cowen also presented President Obama with the traditional bowl of shamrock. "The bonds between Ireland and America run deep in our shared history," said Mr Cowen. "St Patrick's Day is celebrated in every State and corner of America. It is so pleasing to us that this day has come to be appreciated and enjoyed by all Americans." On the morning of St Patrick's Day, Mr and Mrs Cowen had breakfast with the American Vice-President Joe Biden at his residence in Washington DC. They later attended the Speaker's Lunch on Capitol Hill with President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The celebrations in Washington concluded with a White House evening reception in honour of the Taoiseach and Mary Cowen.