No ceremony to mark JFK anniversary

There will be no civic reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the visit of US President John F Kennedy to the city.

Outgoing Mayor of Galway, Cllr Terry O’Flaherty said she is terribly disappointed that despite months of working on it, it was not going to happen this weekend.

Mayor O’Flaherty said, with the assistance of Galway City Council staff, she had made a number of phone calls and sent a number of emails and letters in the hope that a member of the Kennedy family would attend a Civic Reception in the city this weekend, to coincide with national celebrations in Dublin last night and in New Ross this coming weekend.

However, the anniversary of his short visit – one hour – to Galway isn’t until next Saturday, June 29, and there is still hope that the city will mark the event in some way.

Cllr O’Flaherty sounded really disappointed as she spoke about her own efforts to mark the anniversary.

“We contacted the United States Embassy, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Touism Ireland and the Dunbrody Trust, who are organising the New Ross celebrations this weekend.

“There are 31 members of the extended Kennedy family in Ireland this weekend and we were hoping that one of them might make it to the city this weekend and if that had been confirmed, we would have held a Civic Reception.

“I am very disappointed that it hasn’t happened but there is still time for us to mark it in some way on June 29, maybe a laying of a wreath on Kennedy Park in Eyre Square, which was named after him.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.