Obama is keeping his Offaly heritage close at hand

Former US President Barack Obama is keeping his Offaly heritage close at hand, it appears.

PHOTO: Barack and Michelle Obama pictured in Ollie Hayes's pub in 2011.

Famously, the then US President and his wife Michelle visited the village of Moneygall in May 2011.

The visit arose after it emerged that Obama's ancestry, on his mother's side, could be traced back to Falmouth Kearney, who hailed from Moneygall and is Obama's great-great-great grandfather.

This week, Dublin-based artist Mark Baker revealed that his commissioned drawing of Falmouth Kearney, which had been presented to the President on St Patrick's Day in 2015, now hangs on the wall of Obama's private office.

Writing on Twitter on Tuesday, Baker said: “In 2015 I was commissioned to draw Barack Obama's great great great Grandfather Falmouth Kearney Flag of Ireland from Moneygall Co. Offaly. It was presented to the President on St Patrick's Day in the White House Flag of United States. I always wondered where the picture ended up when he finished his term.

"The gifts of US Presidents are located in the National Archives or are transferred to a Presidential Library when they retire. Presidents and other government officials have the option to purchase the gifts they received in office for their market value if they choose.

"Yesterday visiting Barack Obama Plaza in Moneygall I met Henry Healy (Obama's Irish relative!) who sent me a picture of Obama's current office wall.

"Delighted to know now that my picture was one of the presidential gifts that Obama selected to purchase and take with him after he left the White House.”