Well, it took a couple of months and lots of sleuthing, but we finally found out where Barack Obama's Irish roots are from in the old country: Moneygall.
It was a combination of U.S. census records and tombstones that led me to zero in on Moneygall in then-Kings County, now County Offaly. I conducted the research in my capacity as Chief Family Historian for Ancestry.com, and enlisted the help of Irish expert Kyle Betit of ProGenealogists.com once I had a location. Then it was a matter of finding out exactly where the records we needed to solve the mystery resided today. That's where Canon Neill came in, as the records turned out to be in the possession of one of his parishioners.
At any rate, am heading off to London for the Who Do You Think You Are LIVE! conference (that should be fun, eh?!), so don't have time to share many details now, but I'll leave you with this vital (though admittedly hard to read) clue from the research!
Comments (2)
As I am from Moneygall I find this very interesting. I have had contact from Kearneys 2 years ago and sent them Typed extracts of the same records independent of Stephen Neil. We have family papers witnessed by Joseph Kearney. My uncles had a small field in Moneygall which was known as Kearney’s Garden. Houses are now built on this field.
Posted by William Healy | May 3, 2007 5:47 PM
Posted on May 3, 2007 17:47
Hi William,
Thanks so much for sharing! Did you ever imagine that a possible U.S. president might have roots in your uncles' garden? Small world, eh? We're so much more interconnected than most of us realize.
Thanks again,
Megan
Posted by Megan | May 3, 2007 5:52 PM
Posted on May 3, 2007 17:52