President Barack Obama's Roots

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Barack Obama thanking genealogist
Megan Smolenyak for researching his roots

By Megan

January 8, 2019 - The News-Gazette - "Travel/Ireland | Presidential connections abound" by Vivienne Mackie
December 19, 2014 - The Huffington Post - "Photo of Barack Obama's Irish Immigrant 3rd Great-Grandfather, Fulmoth Kearney, Discovered" by Megan Smolenyak

Photo Credit: Merlyn White

December 18, 2014 - The Huffington Post - "Fulmoth Kearney, President Obama's Irish Immigrant Ancestor, Gets a Tombstone" by Megan Smolenyak
August 27, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Families of the Presidential and VP Candidates in the 1940 Census" by Megan Smolenyak
March 7, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "St. Patrick's Day In the White House Will Be a Family Reunion" by Megan Smolenyak
May 30, 2011 - The Huffington Post - "Irish American Barack Obama Heartily Welcomed Home" by Megan Smolenyak
May 9, 2011 - The Huffington Post - "Tracing Barack Obama's Roots to Moneygall" by Megan Smolenyak
April 1, 2011 - Huffington Post - "Moneygall, Ireland Welcomes President Obama Home" by Megan Smolenyak
March 22, 2011 - Huffington Post - "Sneak Peek: Obama to Visit His Irish Ancestral Hometown of Moneygall" by Megan Smolenyak
March 1, 2011 - Huffington Post - "There's No One as Irish as Barack Obama 2012" by Megan Smolenyak
August 25, 2010 - Huffington Post - "Roots Travel in Ireland" by Megan Smolenyak
August 22, 2010 - Posterous - "Visit to Moneygall, Home of Pres. Obama's Irish Kearney Ancestors (Aug 2010)" by Megan Smolenyak
August 2010 - "The Obama Trail, Moneygall, County Offaly" With Corey Taratuta of www.IrishFireside.com
Read this article in PDF format.

Articles

August 8, 2023 - Irish Star - "Americans tickled by tribute to Obama's Irish roots at Offaly gas station" by Laura Grainger
July 12, 2022 - Washingtonian - "“There’s No One as Irish as Barack Obama” TikTok, Explained" By Grace Deng
May 23, 2022 - Irish Central - "On This Day: US President Barack Obama arrives in Ireland for a visit" by Sheila Langan
February 23, 2021 - IrishCentral - "Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama launch new podcast"
February 2, 2015 - Irish News - "Friends and countrymen, lend me your (jug) ears ..." by Claire McCormack
February 1, 2015 - NewsTalk - "Look familiar? Photo of Barack Obama's Irish relatives uncovered" by Jack Quann
December 20, 2014 - Irish Central - "Historic photograph of Obama’s Irish ancestor is discovered" by Sheila Langan [See photo above: December 18, 2014]
June 26, 2013 - Modern Ghana - "Obamas to confront ancestry on Senegal slave island" by Agence France Presse
June 12, 2013 - Independent.ie - "Obama girls booked in for eye-opening visit to the first family's 'homeland'" by Bette Brown
March 13, 2013 - The Kerryman - "A letter from America gets a reply - 29 years on!" by Dónal Nolan
Read this article in PDF format
February 18, 2013 - Irish Central - "Megan Smolenyak, greatest Irish genealogist on top of her game" by The Gathering Ireland 2013
February/March 2013 - Irish America - "Calling Up the Ancestors: Genealogist Megan Smolenyak" by Sheila Langan
Read this article in Irish America's online Digital Edition [Pages 52-54]
January 30, 2013 - The Gathering Ireland - "Master of discoveries: an interview with Megan Smolenyak"
January 10, 2013 - Chicago Tribune - "Obama to use family Bible during swearing-in" by Katherine Skiba
November 7, 2012 - Offaly Independent - "Obama re-elected as President of the United States of America"
August 2, 2012 - Offaly Independent - "Don't worry Obama is from Offaly, insists genealogist"
January 1, 2012 - Chicago Tribune - "We're all (likely) related to stars" by Katherine Skiba
Read this article in PDF format
June 20, 2011 - Blog Talk Radio - "Obama Genealogies, Megan Smolenyak - Your Ancestors Stories" by Jane E. Wilcox
June 1, 2011 - Haddonfield Sun - "Digging Up Famous Roots" by Robert Linnehan
May 23, 2011 - ABC News - "President O'Bama's Irish Eyes -- and Ears? -- Smile in Ancestral Hometown" by Stephanie Smith, Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller
May 23, 2011 - The Irish Times - "Locals savour every minute of American dream" by Barry Roche
May 23, 2011 - Irish Independent - "Villagers prepare welcome fit for a king"
May 23, 2011 - Le Monde - "A Moneygall, Obama renoue avec ses origines irlandaises" by Corine Lesnes
May 22, 2011 - USA Today - "Obama's ancestral village rolls out the green carpet" by Richard Wolf
May 22, 2011 - CNN.com - "Obama's Irish roots" by Shawna Shepherd and Brianna Keilar
May 9, 2011 - The Midland Record - "Obama, Moneygall & The Golden Tickets"
May 7, 2011 - Irish Independent - "Yes, we Cannes -- film on president's Irish roots to be shown at festival" - by Ken Sweeney
April 11, 2011 - Irish Radio Network USA - "Famed US Genealogist Megan Smolenyak" - President Obama is expected to arrive in Ireland on May 23 to visit Moneygall, where his 3rd great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, hailed from. His family roots were discovered by Megan who also traced the real Annie Moore! by Adrian Flannelly
March 24, 2011 - Offaly Libraries - "President Barack Obama: The Moneygall Connection"
March 17, 2009 - Washington Examiner - "Obama, Biden both feeling their Irish heritage today: Long lost brothers?" by Kiki Ryan and Jeff Dufour
January 20, 2009 - New York Times - "A Portrait of Change: Nation's Many Faces in Extended First Family" by Jodi Kantor
December 2008/January 2009 - Irish America - "A New Dawn in American Politics"
Read this article in PDF format
November/December 2008 - Ancestry Magazine - "The Quest for Obama's Irish Roots"
October 5, 2008 - Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Presidential candidate Obama has Irish kin in southern Ohio" by Margaret Bernstein (includes PDF download of Obama's Family Tree)
October 1, 2008 - Newsweek - "O'Bama? Why Irish Eyes are Smiling" by Carl Sullivan
September 2008 - Irish Times - "Four Green Fields" (about 2008 U.S. elections)
August 29, 2008 - AFP - Google News - "Obama, Biden descended from Irish cobblers: researcher"
October 30, 2007 - New York Daily News - "Barack Obama camp elects not to use Brad Pitt"
May 13, 2007 - The Washington Post - "Tiny Irish Village Is Latest Place to Claim Obama as Its Own" by Mary Jordan
May 3, 2007 - Irish Times - "Moneygall is Offaly pleased with Obama connection" by Mark Rodden
May 2, 2007 - 24-7 Family History Circle - "Barack Obama’s Irish Family Roots Confirmed in Offaly County" by Juliana Szucs
March 13, 2007 - New York Daily News - "Even a wee bit o' Irish in Barack" by Helen Kennedy
March 12, 2007 - 24-7 Family History Circle - "Ancestry.com Uncovers Irish Roots Of Barack “O’Bama”" by Juliana Szucs