February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The station felt it would be appropriate to pay tribute to a man they describe as one of Ireland’s sons.
Genealogists have traced Barack Obama’s complicated family tree in part to a small village in County Offaly, Moneygall.
The FM station wanted to celebrate this fact by having an “Obama week.”
In the week leading up to the inauguration, the station will be marking Obama’s ascent to the presidency on its website, in its station name, music play lists, jingles and sports reports. All will be tailored to honoring the man who is now Moneygall’s most famous son.
Chief news reporter from the station, Sinead O’Donnell, will be traveling to the U.S. especially for the inauguration and will be accompanied by one of Obama’s distant cousins from Moneygall, Henry Healy.
The station will additionally be linking up live with radio stations in Hawaii and Chicago on the big day.
Famous Irish baking company, Pat the Baker, will also be celebrating the arrival of the new president by baking a new brack loaf; but it will be called a “Barack” loaf instead.
Iradio program manager, Alan Swan, said the Obama bus was attracting a lot of attention.
“We just thought we should do something to celebrate Barack Obama’s Irish roots. Henry Healy, who I think is Obama’s cousin eight times removed, was invited over for the occasion by the Irish (American) Democrats, so it should be a great day,” Swan told the Cavan Echo newspaper.