A few weeks before our visit to Ireland, President Obama visited Moneygall, Ireland to reconnect with his Irish roots. As it turned out, Moneygall was only a few miles from Portumna, so naturally we had to visit and have a pint (or two) in Ollie Hayes' pub, the pub President and Mrs. Obama stopped in when they went to Moneygall. My husband Drew collects political memorabilia, so he gave me some posters and buttons to give the owners of the pub. The pub was quite charming, freshly cleaned and painted (as was the whole town, thanks to a donation of paint from Ireland's largest paint distributor). There was a tour bus parked outside, but the tourists were mostly Irish folk. We were regaled with stories of the event by two brothers who had been drinking in that pub for the past 50 years (so they said). We met the owner, Ollie Hayes, his lovely wife, and Henry Healy, who is President Obama's eighth cousin. The locals have dubbed him "Henry the Eighth." We presented them with the Obama poster from a campaign event held in Austin, and also handed out buttons to all the patrons in the pub. The town of Moneygall may not have been on the tour maps before, but it sure is now!
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