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Michelle Obama Ireland Trip: G8 Summit Offers First Lady, Daughters Chance To Explore European Roots

Why Michelle Obama's Calling Ireland Home
Reuters
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* First lady and daughters see records of president's family

* Ancestor was 18th century provost of Trinity College

* Attend traditional Irish Riverdance show

By Sam Cage

DUBLIN, June 17 (Reuters) - With the U.S. president locked in high-level meetings at a secluded hotel in Northern Ireland, first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters took the chance to investigate their Irish roots.

After arriving in Belfast with her husband on Monday, Obama crossed the border to Dublin to speak to university experts on the president's ancestors, attend a show of traditional Riverdance step dancing and visit the nearby Wicklow mountains.

"It's good to be home," the first lady told a cheering audience of schoolchildren before the Riverdance performance. "You are surrounded by such a beautiful country."

Over the course of centuries, millions of Irish have emigrated to the United States in search of a better life and there are huge communities in cities such Chicago, where Barack Obama started his political career.

His great-great-great grandfather Falmouth Kearney emigrated from Moneygall, a tiny town in central Ireland which the Obamas visited in 2011, to New York City in 1850. Some schoolchildren from Moneygall attended the Riverdance performance.

"It was a magical visit but the only problem was it was far too short," the president said of his 2011 trip, in a speech in Belfast before heading to a G8 meeting near Enniskillen. "We've been eager to return to the Emerald Isle ever since, and this time we've brought our daughters."

The first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha - casually dressed in jeans and jackets against the rainy Irish weather, in contrast to their mother's sharp suit - were given a tour of the vaulted, book-lined library at Trinity College.

Having seen the Book of Kells, an ancient illuminated manuscript book created by Celtic monks in about 800 AD that is one of Ireland's top tourist draws, they examined specially prepared records of the family's Irish ancestors.

These showed that John Kearney, who was provost of Ireland's most prestigious university in the 18th century, was an ancestor of the president.

The first lady has enjoyed a steady positive approval rating over the past four years, even at times when her husband sank in the polls.

"I think it would be a good opportunity to introduce someone who accompanied me here today - as I let him travel with me now and again," she joked in Belfast, before her husband's speech. (Editing by Alison Williams)

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Before You Go

Obama's Memorable Moments Abroad
Visiting The Queen(01 of10)
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Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth has exchanged pleasantries with 12 U.S. presidents. Her meeting with the Obamas, however, was exceptionally special. Perhaps that had something to do with the suprise hug she received from First Lady Michelle Obama.Caption: This May 24, 2011 file photo shows President Barack Obama, second left, and first lady Michelle Obama, with Queen Elizabeth II, left, and Prince Philip, right, prior to a dinner hosted by the queen at Buckingham Palace in London. (AP Photo/Larry Downing, Pool) (credit:AP)
In Myanmar(02 of10)
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Obama was the first sitting U.S. president to travel to Myanmar. During his trip, the president met fellow Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and praised her for her "unbreakable courage and determination."Caption: US President Barack Obama kisses Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at Suki's residence in Yangon on November 19, 2012. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
In Ghana(03 of10)
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According to Obama, one of his most memorable trips was his visit of the Cape Coast Castle, a slave outpost in Ghana where hundreds of thousands of Africans were shipped as human cargo to the United States, South America and the Caribbean. "You almost feel as if the walls can speak. You try to project yourself into these incredibly harrowing moments," he later told CNN's Anderson Cooper. Caption: US President Barack Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia tour Cape Coast Castle, a former slavery outpost, in Cape Coast, Ghana, on July 11, 2009. The visit marks Obama's first to subsaharan Africa as president. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
In Oslo(04 of10)
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Barely a year after his election to the White House, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. POTUS personally went to pick up his prize in Oslo. Caption: Nobel Peace Prize laureate, US President Barack Obama poses on the podium with his diploma and gold medal during the Nobel ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo on December 10, 2009. (OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
The Vatican(05 of10)
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In 2009, Obama met with Pope Benedict XVI for the first time at the Vatican and, in a brief exchange of banter, told him: "Your Holiness, I'm sure you're used to having your picture taken. I'm getting used to it."Caption: US President Barack Obama (R) bows alongside First Lady Michelle Obama as they say goodbye to Pope Benedict XVI after an audience at the Vatican, on July 10, 2009. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
In India(06 of10)
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Obama showed off his dance skills at a high school in Mumbai. The Indians were so charmed by the president's efforts that they dubbed his moves “the Obama Indian Tango.”Caption: US President Barack Obama (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama (R) dance during a cultural event at The Holy Name High School in Mumbai on November 7, 2010. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
In Afghanistan(07 of10)
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In May 2012, Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he addressed military forces at Bagram Air Base and signed a strategic troop withdrawal partnership with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.Caption: US President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with troops after addressing them at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan December 3, 2010 during a surprise visit for the holidays. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
In Saudi Arabia(08 of10)
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On his first visit to Saudi Arabia, Obama not only received a lavish welcome, but the president was also awarded with the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit.Caption: Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud presents US President Barack Obama (L) with the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit during a bilateral meeting at the king's ranch in al-Janadriya in the outskirts of Riyadh June 3, 2009. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
In Egypt(09 of10)
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After winning the White House race in 2009, Obama fulfilled his campaign promise to visit a Muslim country in his first 100 days in office. Obama traveled to Egypt, where he addressed university students and hailed a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims."Caption: In this June 4, 2009 file photo, U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File) (credit:AP)
In Mexico(10 of10)
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Perhaps nothing can expound on Washington and Moscow's different stance on Syria more than this photo of Obama meeting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a G20 conference in Mexico.Caption: US President Barack Obama (R) meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (L) in Los Cabos, Mexico, on June 18, 2012, during the G20 leaders Summit. (ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty Images)
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