ONE LIMERICK town is preparing to reflect on its historic connections with one of the United States of America’s most enduring political dynasties.
As the 61st anniversary of the assassination of the late US president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, draws close, Bruff is set to host a series of events celebrating the Fitzgerald Kennedy family’s ties to the town.
JFK hails from Limerick stock, with the assassinated president’s ancestors coming from nearby Lough Gur and Bruff.
As US President, JFK visited Limerick only a few months before his death in 1963.
His mother, Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy, was born in Massachusetts on July 22, 1890. She passed away at the age of 105 in 1995. Three of her grandparents emigrated to the States from the Bruff area.
In recent years, she has been honoured annually on Shannonside through the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Autumn School – a celebration of the life and Irish ancestry of Rose and her family.
This year, the school has planned a number of events in the Bruff and Lough Gur areas from October 25 to 27 – just a few short days before the upcoming US presidential election.
The events will include a panel led by Dr Kathryn Hayes of the University of Limerick discussing the role of women in journalism today.
Saturday October 26 will see Lough Gur Visitor Centre host an arts exhibition curated by local artist John Carew, featuring the work of 16 local creators. Visitors can expect multidisciplinary creativity from photography to the written word.
On Sunday, the City of Limerick Marching Band will lead out a parade featuring a number of vintage cars – including the one JFK himself rode in on his visit to Ireland in 1963.
The director of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Autumn School, Declan Hehir, said that the event is not just about celebrating the ancestral links to the Kennedy family, but exploring and celebrating “the history and culture of Bruff and County Limerick down the years, and exploring themes that chime with the remarkable Rose Fitzgerald herself”.
Full details of the weekend’s events can be found on https://rosefitzgeraldkennedyschool.ie/.
