Slainte! Ireland raises a glass to Obama

Huge crowds gathered to see President Barack Obama speak in Dublin as the most powerful man on earth was treated to music from Irish stars Jedward and Westlife, all in the presence of Ireland’s rock royalty U2.

After being hailed “the image of the American dream” by adrenalin-filled Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the US President declared that he had returned home to find the apostrophe from the “O’Bama” name that had been lost over generations.

Obama then touched on the economic instability of global economies of which Ireland is one of the major victims, a topic that will, along with foreign affairs issues, dominate his discussions with the European leaders he dines with on his own rock’n’roll European tour.

Earlier in the day, with his wife Michelle at his side, Mr Obama visited the village of Moneygall in County Offaly on Monday, the place where his great, great, great grandfather Falmouth Kearney was born in 1832. It makes Mr Obama 1/32 Irish, distant yet incredibly useful lineage ahead of the 2012 presidential election with 40 per cent of the US electorate claiming to have Irish roots.

At one of the village’s two pubs Mr Obama sampled a Guinness, declaring it far better than the US version of the famous drink. He then offered to pay for his pint.

President Obama has held talks with Irish President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Enda Kenny. But his visit to the Emerald Isle had to be cut short because of the threat to airlines from a volcanic ash cloud drifting towards the UK from Iceland.

On Tuesday Mr Obama will visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace. He will hold talks with David Cameron about the NATO mission in Libya expected to be one of the main discussion points. Mr Obama will address parliament at Westminster Hall, a privilege normally reserved for British monarchs.

The White House has highlighted the trip as an opportunity to reaffirm the “special relationship”.

National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said: “There is no closer ally for the US in the world than the UK. We are in absolute alignment with the British on a range of core international security interests and, of course, our deeply shared set of values that have tied us together for many decades.”