Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, visited Bruff yesterday to take part in a number of ceremonies celebrating her ancestral links with the town.
JFK’s great-grandfather, and Caroline’s great-great-grandfather, Thomas Fitzgerald left Bruff for Boston in 1852.
His son John Fitzgerald, known as “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, went on to become Mayor of Boston and served a number of terms.
His daughter Rose was JFK’s mother and Caroline’s grandmother.
When Thomas Fitzgerald left for Boston he took his family bible with him, which was later used by JFK when taking his oath of office as the 35th President of the United States.
Ms Kennedy visited the town along with her husband Edwin Schlossberg and their three children – Rose, Tatiana and Jack.
She viewed the church records of the Fitzgerald family and attended a special ceremony at the old courthouse.
The old courthouse has been restored as a visitor and heritage centre, which will be named after Thomas Fitzgerald.
The family travelled to Bruff at the invitation of the Bruff Heritage Group, which carried out the restoration and preserved many of the town’s old historic records.
Paul Dennehy of the group said it was an honour to be hosting Ms Kennedy’s visit, which acknowledges the family’s strong links between Bruff and the Fitzgerald and Kennedy families.
Members of the Kennedy family also travelled to New Ross in Co Wexford to take part in this weekend’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s Irish visit.
