THIS week marks the 60th anniversary of Zambia’s longest serving president making a visit to Limerick that drew massive crowds and is still held in the memories of many to this day.
On Thursday November 16, 1964, Dr Kenneth Kaunda made his way from Shannon to Limerick. Just two weeks prior, he was elected as President of Zambia.
It wasn’t the first Shannonside visit for the Zambian politician. In May 1963, he spent a three-day visit with firm friend Rev Fr Robertt Thompson of the Crescent College. Fr Thompson, a Mallow man, himself had previously spent 11 years in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia).
Dr Kaunda was, as a result, no stranger to Limerick. However his visit would see him presented with the prestigious Freedom of the City, the highest honour the city can bestow.
It was noted at the time that the ceremony held an air of sadness, as the last person to have been awarded the honour was the late US President John F Kennedy, just one year earlier.
Crowds gathered on the Ennis Road towards the city to catch a glimpse of the Zambian head of state as he arrived from Shannon, with crowds erupting in cheers when he finally wound his way through the city.
The Zambian national anthem was played as he arrived at the School of Music on Mulgrave Street.
President Kaunda was named the 43rd Freeman of Limerick, in the presence of his old friend Fr Thompson. It was reported at the time that the Zambian president spoke Irish during his acceptance speech.
From Limerick, he travelled to Bunratty Castle, where he was the guest of Education Minister Patrick John Hillery (who would later himself go on to become Ireland’s sixth president) at a medieval banquet.
Dr Kaunda was the longest running President of Zambia, holding office for 27 years. A former teacher, he was known for his dedication to his country’s education system and helped open the University of Zambia in 1966.
In 1972, he changed the country to a one-party state, which it would remain until he was deposed in 1991 and a multiparty government was reinstated.
He passed away in 2021 at the age of 97. At the time of his death, he was noted in obituaries as being “one of the most humane and idealistic African leaders in the post-independence age”.
