O’Bama’s Irish Roots?

One Church In Ireland Thinks It Has Uncovered A Tie To U.S. Politics — Through Barack Obama

(CBS)  It’s more than just a fable floating on the Irish mist — but it’s less than a proven fact.

The belief that’s gripped the faithful in Moneygall is that they’ve uncovered the newest link in an old tradition: an Irish tie to American politics. And that this is the ancestral home of a presidential hopeful they hardly know — named Barack Obama, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth.

“I’ve been calling him Abracadabra because I didn’t know how to pronounce his name, or who he was,” one churchgoer said.

From antique ledgers found in a parishioner’s basement, Rector Stephen Neill thinks he's traced Obama's Irish roots to a great, great, great, great grandfather named Joseph Kearney, a shoemaker whose shop once stood on a field now conveniently vacant.

“We’ve got records going back to 1799,” Neill says. “It may well be that this may become a major tourist attraction depending on the results of the presidential election next year. So watch this space.”

The Irish like to say: “We live in our past.” It’s a sense of pride in roots that go deep. Moneygall’s now got something else to consider — wondering if in its history, there may be a new opportunity.

Farmer John Healy certainly began thinking that. He's already figured out that if Obama's related to the Kearney's, then he's part of the candidate's family too — a few times removed.

"I don't know how many greats would be in it, but ... a good few greats in it because it goes back to 1760,” Healy says.

The point is, it could be history in the making here.

So Moneygall now claims a personal stake in America's presidential politics.

“We always like to have Irish roots in the White House,” a woman in a pub told Roth.

And if the connection appears unlikely, Neill says — there's a lesson in that.

Well, he doesn't look Irish.

"It’s not the first thing you think is it, when you see him, and that's another thing that's taken people aback, makes you realize how related we all are,” Neill says.

In fact, Obama’s name would fit in well in Ireland, along with all of the O’Donnell’s and O’Haras.

[kansas1946]

I guess this is pretty much a non-issue, except to the Irish of course. It is a fun piece, and maybe a welcome respite to all of the hateful rhetoric that goes along with politics. Besides, a bit of the "blarney" never hurt anyone in politics, so hats off to "Barack O'Bama" :o)

[shingles1]

"Bet you'll NEVER see a Mitt Romney or Rudy puff piece like this on CBS.
Posted by Infidel_US"

Hmmm, I always thought that Dim Mitt Romney was a puff piece.

[mikealford3]

I agree with you. Mr. Obama has not done this. My statment implied it was his doing and I apologize for that. All the hubub is the public and the media and not Mr. Obama.

From what I have seen and heard, he seems like a good man.

[teechalady]

My last name is Corke. My dad added an e in the 1930's in response to an actor of that time by the name of Steele (with an e). It stuck and the remainder of the family uses the e to this day.

On more than one occasion, people who have only seen my name, remarked that they expected to see an Irish girl. I always quip, "I'm black Irish!"

This story about Barak Obama having Irish roots is one of the first times I have seen white people trying to have affiliation with black people's roots. I hope I live long enough to see this topic universally regarded as ridiculous! There is but one "race" and that is HUMAN!

[teechalady]

My last name is Corke. My dad added an e in the 1930's in response to an actor of that time by the name of Steele (with an e). It stuck and the remainder of the family uses the e to this day.

On more than one occasion, people who have only seen my name, remarked that they expected to see an Irish girl. I always quip, "I'm black Irish!"

This story about Barak Obama having Irish roots is one of the first times I have seen white people trying to have affiliation with black people's roots. I hope I live long enough to see this topic universally regarded as ridiculous! There is but one "race" and that is HUMAN!

[realpatriot1]

mikealford3,

Your statements aren't ugly, just silly. Mr. Obama isn't addressing any audiences differently or being white one day and something else the next. Obama isn't even talking about this stuff,CBS is.

He is who he is. Most people in this country have "mixed" backgrounds. Many white Americans have black roots and don't even know it because the mixing that went on wasn't also talked about. Case in point,Strom Thurmond. Going back to Thomas Jefferson there was Sally Hemming.

Being Irish doesn't make him less African or vice versa. Perhaps having a President with his background would bring older Americans to a realization that younger Americans have generally already come to, that we're all multicultural. That's a good thing. It's 2007...get over it!

[abeatty22]

I don't think his race changes with who he is addressing, I think we change his race with who he is addressing.

We are not hung up on the genetic make-up of white canidates, how much obsession can we have with his race, do we really need to go this far to prove he is not black for Americans to be comfortable with electing a socially black president?

Do we really need to obsess about making him colorless or raceless or multi racial in order for us to be comfortable with the concept of him running. I don't see anyone going back into the lineage of any white presidential canidate trying to prove he has African roots, or Latin roots, or any other assenine venture.

This is ridiculous, we all like to pretend we are past race, that we are colorblind.

Our color blind mentality has left us blind to the clear risidule need for race seperation for our brains to make sense of the world.

Lets get back to discussing politics and who cares what his blood or color are made of.

[mikealford3]

neoconRcrazy,

Certainly I did not come over on the Mayflower. I am not that old. As far as my statement being a low blow, perhaps it was, perhaps not. I just find some bit of humor in the fact that Mr. Obama seems to be part of every race. I don't mean anything ugly toward Mr. Obama. One day he is white because of his mother, the next he is black because of his father, seems his race changes depending on what group he is addressing.

[infidel_us]

O%u2019Bama!?!?!?!?!? ROFL!!!!!! Can CBS think of nothing more substantive to write about regarding this guy??? No wonder they are LAST in the ratings.

Bet you'll NEVER see a Mitt Romney or Rudy puff piece like this on CBS.

[sweetnsexy91]

Oh, please! This is the highest level of petty-ness I have seen thus far. Nit-picking on every tiny thing they think they can come up with because they have NOTHING that could truly be-little this man! I don't care what kind of roots he has, it could be tree-roots for all I know. He is the best candidate, by far, honest, hardworking, an "I will fight for the people" kind of guy. A Leader!
Try something else. This new "info" or the last bit of "news" in attempt to perpertrate a character-assination isnt cutting it!

[realpatriot1]

boorad33033,

If these votes in the Illinois Legislature never get mentioned inquiring minds want to know..where did yu hear about them?FoxNews maybe.

To say that Universal Healthcare has never worked anywhere is just plain not true or even close to being true. The reason that universal healthcare has not been enacted in this country is because the insurance company and pharmacutical lobbies have bought off enough politicians to kill it. They just killed the reimportation of domestically produced drugs on the premise that we can't guarantee their safety. We need to keep trying to pass universal healthcare until we beat those slimy *** and the politicians who love them.

As far as Iraq is concerned, why must Democrats have a detailed plan for leaving but the Republicans have never been expected to have a detailed plan for staying?

[whatithink-2009]

RandalDS,

Even the Native Americans came from someplace else.

[extremophil]

Uh huh, and my Grandpa was an African Prince, and my Auntie was a Chinese fruitpicker, and my cousin was a Brazilian Duke, and....

[neoconrcrazy]

"All of the Above".
Posted by mikealford3

that was a low blow.

i guess you arrived on the Mayflower?

[yesult]

It seems it's more important to Americans what runs through your veins then what is in your head.
Pitiful.

[neoconrcrazy]

my irish grandmother lived to 96 - was an immigrant - and, a poor one when she arrived. she sympathized with all those struggling to build a new life and was a vocal supporter of the black civil rights movement.

she would say: "the black people are fighting just as we are here - to get ahead - they're as irish as I am - in fact, they're smoked irishmen"!

So, Obama, go to Ireland, USA, and you'll find alot of sympathic supporters!

It's both interesting and odd that for a moment in time (literally a moment) the American media machine's attention has been drawn to our little area of this great island on the edge of the world. It seems that the Irish-American vote must at least be worth traveling over to get coverage of our church and community. It was a very unexpected discovery anyway!

[boorad33033]

It is amazing to me how this guy was the only one in the Illinois state legislature that voted against banning porn on public school computers in his state, he was also the only one that voted against a provision that would have made it illegal for sexual offenders to live within 1000 feet of a school, but for some reason this never gets mentioned. He is also for universal healthcare, which when tried everytime before has failed on a large scale, but yet we're gonna try it again??? Also I know he was against the war, what is his exit plans, I hear all the Dems talk about leaving but I have yet to hear a detailed plan on how to leave. Pure American right, pure politician that is probably one of the least qualified folks in the race, a freshman senator, don't get me wrong, looking at the pitiful display of canidates both sides have, I am scared that yet again this election I will be voting on who I think would do the least damage to the country while in office

[randalds]

Makes one realize that we all came here from somewhere else. At least those not 100% Native Amrican that is.

[harp1963]

Well, I guess I know who I'm voting for now.....my Irish cousin Barack.