Evening star., 1961-03-05
BY HUGH MULLIGAN

Cne lnlClalS y Ia.
The word apparently never
got to Ireland. If it did, ii
was grandly ignored. Here
in New Ross, where his great
grandfather dug potatoes be-
fore the great famine forced
him to emigrate, President
Kennedy is known familiarly
as Cousin Jack, the Yankee
President"
Patriots in sympathy with
government efforts to revive
the Gaelic language take
familiarity a step further and
refer to him as Cousin Sean.'
Either way, John Fitzgerald
Kennedy, three generations
away from the auld sod, has
become the biggest thing to
hit New Ross since the Nor
mans established a beachhead
back in the 18th century.
If it hadn't been for the
Yankee President, the mayor
would still have his bowler
hat, Saloon Keeper Gus
OKennedy would still be the
most famous local Kennedy
because Of his football Prov
eSS, and no one would bother
taking the narrow, twisting
road to Dunganstown to see
the crumbling shanty that
Patrick Kennedy occupied be-
fore setting out for America
somewhere around 1850.
A Great Do
There's a great do over
him all right" admitted Pub
Keeper Paddy WEIGH. who is
anxiously waiting for the
postman to deliver a huge
color blow-up of the President
for display over his big ma
hogany bar. "It's coming
from America and will set me
back q couple Of guineaS. But.
after all, it's not every town
in ireland can boast Of the
likes of Cousin Jack"
Similarly, the little souvenir
shop on the main street has
ordered a batch Of Kennedy
pictures to go with the shil-
lelaghs imported from Ger
many and the metal harpS
and shamrocks from Japan.
"For the tourists mainly"
explained the grey = haired
proprietress, although we do
get some local calls"
The town where the Ken
nedys come from, as New
Ross is now referred to by
guides on the tourist buses,
is one of the prettiest in
Ireland. Located just below
the confluence of the Mare
and Barrow Rivers, in sight
Of the lovely Black Stairs
mountains. it is a walled city,
pleasant and ancient, with
steep, winding streets and a
handsome town hall that
proudly preserves under glass
the maces Of Edward III and
Charles II and the original
charter granted by James II.
New Ross has 5000 people.
81 pubs Zone for every "a
thirsty inhabitantS), two fer
tilizer factories. a small steel
plant, three churches and
three boards.
One of the boards is mag
nificently attached to Andy
Minihan, chairman Of the
Urban Council, the local
equivalent of mayor.
On the night Cousin Jack
was inaugurated. Mayor
Minihan lost his bowler hat
in the line of duty.
The Bowler Hat
"At the big banquet just
after the torchlight parade.
a Yank reporter stepped on
it," his honor recounted, red
beard auaking with indigna-
ton. Sure it was nothing
compared with what hap
pened to the Widow Ryan.
You heard about that, did
you? She gave one of those
souvenir hunters permission
to take a stone from the old
Kennedy place and was per-
ished to see him clouting
away with a sledgehammer.
Go there and you'll see the
big crack over the door,"
The crack was there all
right, though the house it
self took a bit of finding.
DunganStown Is a wide spot
in a narrow road, a few miles
below New Ross, where the
river Barrow cuts a tidal
path through a lush green
plain, dotted with sheep, on
its winding way to sea.
Mrs. James Ryan. a Ken
nedy before her marriage and
a cousin of the President,
lives on the old Kennedy
farm with her 23-year-old
daughter Johanna. A pleas
ant, patient woman with a
warm, musical voice, Mrs.
Ryan still manages to be
gracious to the increasing
number of visitors who flock
to the Kennedy homestead.
inviting them in for a cup
Of strong, black tea and a
look at her collection Of fam
lily pictures.
Among them are a cam
paign picture Of the Presi-
dent, sent to her by a sister
in America, and a snapshot
Of the family taken by John
F. Kennedy when he visited
the place in the summer Of
1947.
Scrawled on the back in
pencil are the words: This
picture taken by the Presi-