This historic and touching document follows President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, grandson of proud Irish immigrants, on a visit to his ancient family homeland, seeking the O'Kennedy ancestral home. Landing at Dublin Airport on June 26, 1963, over a four day span, he visited both small hamlet and large city, entertaining all with warm words, and an honest smile.
To understand a man, especially one this complex, you must look at his past. Mere words shed only some light on the O'Kennedy clan's thousand-year-old history and interspersed with footage of the JFK visit, we're treated to an insightful look at Ireland's colorful past. To give you a true sense of whence they came, we've carefully interwoven footage of accurate reenactments and rare archival film footage. It's a colorful past, indeed.
The kinship President Kennedy felt for Ireland and her people was evident. Following his gaze across rolling green hills and smiling, rose-cheeked faces, we see a boy returning to a familiar place. But, it's his words, especially those spoken during the Farewell Address at Shannon Airport, that reveal JFK's true emotions. In retrospect, his promise "I'll be back," is bittersweet, for on November 22 that year, JFK was assassinated. |
