The quality of the video is woeful but I’m not sure how long the original will stay on the RTE site, so I thought I better record it – see the much better version here
OMG Chips you’re the BEST!!! Thanks for this!! I really like those three men they seem like great indidviduals especially cousin Henry!! It would be quite interesting if the President do return for his change 😆 . I really want to say thank you to the peolpe of Ireland for the warmnest they showed to our President and First Lady; that includes you too Chips 😉 . I hope to visit Ireland one day seems like a beautiful country with beautiful people!!!!
I’m looking forward to Henry and other Moneygall family and friends coming to America to visit the President and his family. I’ll bet that trip takes place soon. Hope so. I’m so happy for his Irish family connections. Christmas would be nice.
Loved it. So positive. And yes Henry the 8th looks like his Cuz..tall, lean and such a killer smile.
Thank you Moneygall for being such wonderful hosts to our President and first Lady.
Did y’all see Jedward’s part of the interview. Ok, why am I so intrigued by Jedward now! They are annoying but totally adorable.
The funniest thing was the host was thinking the same thing we all were when he saw the picture of Jedward meeting POTUS. Basically “Oh my God! What are they saying to him?!” LOL
I checked out other programming at the RTE station and viewed the 5-27 Late Late Show featuring guests, Enda Kenny, Gabriel Byrne talking about the Obama visit. Byrne, who participated in the Dublin Concert spoke about the scene backstage when the Obamas greeted the performers. Doing his Jedward impersonation he exclaimed that one of the Jedwards immediately broke the ice when Obama appeared with “So who’s the most famous person you ever met! Who’s the most famous person you ever met!” I don’t really know if they got an answer as they seemed to be rattling on. They spoke a mile a minute and were a riot. Michele was fascinated with Jedwards hair so they actually described the styling techniques pantomiming the entire affair to much laughter. He spoke about a photo of Michelle gardening in some outfit they liked and looking good or some such…. So it must have been quite the scene backstage.
This is the warmest video I’ve seen a while. I hope our Prez and Mrs. Obama will invite Henry the 8th to the White House very soon. Henry seems so unpretentious and I really enjoy being around people who don’t take themselves too serious.
PRICELESS! Chips! You are a gem for giving us this….gem :-D.
What great “lads” — I just loved this chat. Such good humor, details and perspective by all three. Henry is quite the bachelor; I’m sure he’ll be beating off the ladies who will want to land a relative of the President of the United States. They deserve every good thing that comes their way for giving such a warm welcome to POTUS and FLOTUS. If this was such vivid memory for us who are simply observers, I know it must have made a deep impact on PBO and MO.
Aww… these guys are the BEST. I love that they’re still on a high from PBO’s visit; because I am too by way of Chipsticks and TOD. I so hope and fervently wish that PBO, MO and the whole family vacation in Moneygall sometime in the future. What a delight that would be. 🙂
this was too cute!!! Anyone who says animals aren’t smart are truly stupid. Those two would make anybody smile 😀
ps- Glad to see that the name Henry the Eight stuck.
Love, love, love the people of Moneygall. And what a nice treat, just earlier in the day I was just wondering and thinking about the Moneugall and if Chipsticks had any new news about the town, and wala, here it is. Smilling. seriously!
Can’t wipe the smile off my face. What lovely gentlemen. I am grateful to the good people of Moneygall and hope this experience has a lasting impact. Ireland has definitely enchanted me….my sister and I hope to make a trip there a reality.
I LOVE THOSE IRISH ACCENTS…SUCH AWESOME MEMORIES FOR THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY. THEY ARE ALL SO THRILLED TO HAVE SPENT SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME WITH OUR FIRST COUPLE. A GREAT EXAMPLE FOR AMERICA TO FOLLOW INDEED!
Well I did absolutely nothing around the house today – just flitted from site to site on the internet – so I’d better go to sleep, with plans for more responsible behaviour tomorrow! 😉
Chipsticks and other Family members, ‘Good night, sleep tight, rest well, and may your dreams be fun ones.’
Remember to give thanks again for PBO’s safe return, while asking for both physical and inner strength, compassion and wisdom for him to face tomorrow’s challenges.
Toodle doo, toodle rah….. toodle…
There’s no one as Irish as Barack Obama.
Most coverage in the US is so jaded and cynical. So refreshing to see honest good feelings in an interview. So happy they are still smiling about the visit POTUS & FLOTUS mad to Moneygall. 🙂
I’m Henery the Eighth, I am,
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She’d been married seven times before.
And every one was an Henery
She wouldn’t have a Willie or a Sam
I’m her eighth old man named Henery
Henery the Eighth, I am!
I just had to find this song. It would be a good one for Henry to sing since he has been officially owns the title. I love my Henry, he is such a handsome lad. Such an impact the O’Bama visit had on them. I am so happy for them and I am happy and thank you, Chips, for letting us enjoy that visit. I simply adored it and can only imagine how they feel. I hope Henry lives a charmed life.
That little boy is so cute. I wish I had some of that energy.
Maureen Dowd is so vile. She apparently claimed in one of the Irish channels that Tourism Ireland bought Henry Healy a suit for the President’s Moneygall visit. He created a stir that poor Henry the 8th had to issue a denial on twitter.
Chipsticks and family, I am just getting around to this one. But you know something Chipsticks, this one gives my heart smiles, laughs, and soooooooooo much love. What a joy you have put in our hearts for tonight. To see so much love on the faces of these gentlemen is fantastic. Oh, I would love to see love like this in our country for him in many more places. But we saw this very special day in Moneygall, thanks to you Chipsticks. Do you know how so very special you are to us? I will cherish each moment that God gives me to be here on this beautiful gift that you gave us to enjoy daily. What a pure blessing. May many sweet blessings come to you, Chipsticks. Get some rest because we need you so much. Thank you for ALL that you give us each day. I count it a joy to be here with all of you. I give thanks with a humble heart. Goodnight.
Will never get tired of watching clips of this trip, especially the Moneygall/Dublin leg of it. Hope they make a DVD of it (a lil something else for their gift shop).
Hi there – I am one of the Moneygall 3 on this video (the guy on the right) – so glad you all enjoyed the interview – we did too and yes we are still smiling after the visit of POTUS and FLOTUS 🙂 It was truly inspirational – just what we needed 🙂 Thanks for all the kind comments
Stephen
Stephen Neill – welcome! Your country and your little town of Moneygall did yourselves proud in the wonderfully warm and gracious welcome you gave to President and Mrs Obama. We all watched with delight and anticipation as Moneygall prepared for the visit, and the day didn’t let anyone down. It was clear that the visit meant as much (maybe more) to President and Mrs Obama as it did to the people of Moneygall. Thank you all, and best of luck to your lovely community! It has been a joy to watch you all on the world stage.
It was a day I will never forget – meeting them both was such an incredible thrill – Henry & I were in the crowds in Washington on Inauguration Day and that was a very special day but the 23rd May 2011 will be hard to match 🙂
Welcome, welcome, welcome Stephen Neill. The Irish people made us proud, happy and so grateful for the warmth you showed to our President and First Lady. You all came out in full force to show the world what wonderful leaders we in America have and how inspirational they are to billions of people around the world. I am gald Moneygall and Ireland got such a worldwide media coverage and I hope you all continue to reap the good feelings and benefits of President Obama and Mrs. Obama’s visit.
ps: thanks for your wonderful research into the President’s ancestors and their background. It made for brilliant and enlightening reading.
Thanks for some wonderful memories. The people of Moneygall and Ireland should be extremely proud of the welcome you guys put on for POTUS and FLOTUS. You showed the world how warm and friendly the Irish people can be and I’m hopeful you all will see a boom in tourism. It’s been 6 years since I visited Dublin and I’m thinking if I take any trip next year it will be to Ireland.
Please come back and give us updates on how the community is doing.
By the way, I ordered a shirt from the Hayes t-shirt shop and received the warmest e-mail telling me that it was delayed because he received so many orders he had to get help. It was such a nice e-mail that I shared and I think I may have got him a few more orders.
Tourism is booming – tour buses are all diverting to Moneygall – Yes Billy Hayes (T-shirt shop) is a great guy – he is sooooo busy – delighted for him 🙂
I have also ordered a T-shirt. In fact two of them. I have Irish blood on my Mother’s side and was so proud of Ireland and how they reacted to our POTUS and FLOTUS!
Hello, Stephen! I’m so happy you had the chance to meet our most incredible President and First Lady. They are very kind and warm and sincere people and I hope you felt that, too. I’m sure they were grateful for all the work you’ve done on their family history. We were up at all hours watching it here in the States and it looked like great fun for everyone involved. I hope for the best for Moneygall and the people who shared in this celebration. Cheers!
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Stephen welcome to TOD!! Moneygall and the entire trip to Ireland was many of us (me especially) favourite foreign place the Obamas have ever visited and trust me we have been following every single one since Obama became President! I would like to thank you and everyone else in Moneygall for the warm welcome in which you all showed our beloved POTUS and FLOTUS!!!!! Hey you can tell Henry the 8th about this site, I am sure he will love it!!
I am good!!! Yes we enjoyed seeing our President and First Lady in Moneygall!! It was the most thrilling experience ever!!! The people of Moneygall are so kind and full of life!!! I hope to visit one day. I can’t even believe it….I am talking to the 8th cousin of President Barack Obama OMG!!!!!!!!!! Stay blessed and sweet as you are Henry and I am sure great things in life will follow you after all you are Barack Obama’s family 🙂 !!!!!!!! Love to all the people of Moneygall and once again THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of our hearts!!!!
So lovely to hear from you Stephen, really appreciate you visiting and commenting – you and Moneygall have a lot of fans on this blog! Congratulations to you and everyone for all the hard work in making the visit happen, it looked to me like it’s one POTUS and FLOTUS will never forget! Magical memories. Thanks again Stephen. PS Have you started working on the return visit yet? 😉
Yay!!!!! Chipsticks I’m sooo glad this website is getting more and more recognition. Great, informative and joyful websites like this should be known worldwide. 🙂
Hey Henry, so glad you have this website on your facebook page. I’m glad Moneygall got to be the center of attention b/c the Irish people showed our POTUS and FLOTUS such warmth that you all deserve great things in your lives. You were wonderful to watch Henry. So friendly, warm, funny, smart and insightful. Hope the ladies in Ireland recognize what a catch you are. 😉
It’s wonderful to have you join us. Seeing how lovely the people of Ireland are, makes me want to skip the trip to my ancestral home in Wales, and spend the time in Ireland. You are wonderful!
Stephen, thank you and thank you to all of Moneygall. We here at TOD followed your excitement from beginning to end and beyond. We are so PROUD of your reception of our POTUS and FLOTUS. And Chipsticks, thanks so very much for posting this video!!!!! I was able to see and hear the excitement and I just smiled and laughed right along with the studio audience. This video is a KEEPER!
Oh how delightful to see you here, Stephen! You have no idea just how excited the TOD family was about the President’s trip to his ancestral home. We were looking forward to it for weeks! When it finally happened, we were overjoyed and overwhelmed with appreciation for tremendous outpouring of love and admiration from, not just Moneygall, but all of Ireland.
You all just seem like the loveliest people. I wish each and every one of you the very best. I pray, someday, I get to visit your little corner of paradise.
Hello Stephen — thanks for the warm welcome you gave to our President and First Lady. We all traveled to Moneygall vicariously through Chipsticks posts of pics and videos, including the one in which you appear above. I am so happy to hear that there has been an afterglow of sorts and that the community is still benefiting from the Obamas’ visit.
Oh Stephen Niall, what an honor to have you among us. Watching your city prepare and host our POTUS and FLOTUS was pure joy for us. We hope your lovely city will continue to benefit from their visit. Know how much we have enjoyed your lovely city. Visit us again anytime.!
Stephen, nice to see you here! When you discuss POTUS’ and FLOTUS’ momentous visit to your corner of the world, please convey our appreciation here at TOD for the love Moneygall, and Irelend, showered upon our President. It was a wonderfull feeling to observe the mutual warmth and love displayed, and to reaffirm that when the media carry on about PBO being ‘aloof’ they don’t know of which they speak.
If the world was as friendly as Ireland, What a wonderful world it would be.
Thank you kindly Stephen for taking time to visit here and share they joyful moments with Our First Family. We were glued to this blog the moment The President and Michelle step foot on your land, and some of us stayed up all night, we were just as thrilled, but most of all we are so grateful for all the love your showered our Great Leader.
Wow, you guys fantastic comments, Moneygall will never be the same again! Its like the entire village won the lottery…. We really appreciate all the support we have got from everyone and your all invited to Ollie’s Bar for a Guinness!! 🙂
Hello Cousin Henry XIII!!! Thrilled to see you here, thank you so much for visiting! And thank you too for being such a wonderful host during the President and First Lady’s visit – you’re an absolute gentleman, you did Moneygall proud. Is life back to anywhere near normal?!
Thanks Chipsticks! I got informed yesterday by a friend of all the fantastic coverage and nice comments about Moneygall here and I had to look, and delighted I did! Moneygall I think will never be fully back to normal and we don’t want to go back to normal either, as we are enjoying the visitors and tourists coming. Myself I’m back to work and trying to get back to reality!!
HI Henry, we were chuffed to have Stephen Neill drop by yesterday, so now you’ve made it a beautiful double – we just need Ollie to visit and we’ll have the perfect hat-trick! Thrilled to hear that Moneygall is getting a great tourism bounce from the visit, I think what struck people who watched it all was the warmth of the reception you all gave the President and First Lady, and the fun you had! May Moneygall benefit for many years to come, you and all the people of the village richly deserve it. Be proud of yourself!
WOW, is this really true? Is this happening? Am I dreaming? Because if I am please don’t wake me up. I have never thought this day will come. Henry the 8th is visiting the TOD family. God u are too good to me. As you can tell Henry Healy I have no words to tell you how happy I am for the LOVE and WELCOME you gave to our President , your cousin. Thank you, THANK YOU and THANKS TO MONEYGALL.
Thank you Mr. Healy for the invitation and for your beautiful reception of our President and First Lady. We wish the good people of Moneygall continued success and happiness:)
Oh – from your lips to God’s ears, Henry VIII! Thanks for visiting us here, and for the wonderful reception for President and Mrs. Obama. Your town really exhibited the loveliest and heartwarming images of Ireland to the world. We were captivated as soon as we saw all the preparations, and watched excitedly for the visit. You all didn’t disappoint. And you were especially poised on the day – that must have been nerve-wrecking! Well done to Moneygall.
Cousin Henry VIII…..Helloooooo from San Francisco!!!! I join everyone here in deep appreciation for the absolutely wonderful welcome you gave our beloved President and First Lady. I myself have had a hug from President Obama so I know what a thrill it is!! And Mrs. Obama is truly a warm and lovely First Lady, isn’t she? Even much more beautiful in person. Your village and its people really left a deep impression on us and we will always be grateful for the warmth and hospitality you shared with them. We could see by their faces that they enjoyed every moment of it. It’s one of my favorite memories out of all his travels.
SO very happy to hear that there is an influx of tourism. Hope you all benefit in some way over the long run. Maybe someday we can organize a TOD tour of Moneygall. BEST to you and I hope someday you can visit the White House!!
Hello Meta, The First Lady & President are very warm and so down to earth it was easy greet them and extand a warm Irish welcome to them. I do agree TOD need to come to Moneygall!!
Henry, I’m not sure Moneygall could cope with a TOD invasion, there are some very rowdy folk hanging around on this blog. You’d certainly need Secret Service back again, if only to save you from being placed in someone’s suitcase and being taken back to America. As for Ollie’s bar, I fear they would bring that back to America too, brick by brick. 😆
Hey Henry. I am so jealous you got to meet the First Couple. We had one big watch party for Obama’s trip to Moneygall. It was so touching to see the welcome he got. Thank you for being such great hosts to our president. Glad he’s back though because we really missed him.
Nice to make your acquaintance over these internets 😛 !
We love you all for welcoming our favorite president to your village in such a warm fashion. So glad you all are enjoying a boost and hope that it lasts for a long while. Hopefully if you come to the states, the favor can be returned.
Hello from Los Angeles, cousin Henry! You’re part of our family now and we love you! Ha! You cannot imagine how thrilling it was to see Ireland embrace our president and first lady and show them so much love. Sadly, our press in America either ignores our president or treats him with great disrespect, so seeing the joy and excitement and love from the Irish has inspired all of us over here. Now we know we’re not crazy for loving him and his family so much! Anyway, please come for a visit when your cousin wins re-election. We’ll all raise a pint in your honor! Oh, and I’ve been to your wonderful country many years ago and I always tell anyone who asks that they’ve never seen the color green until they visit your emerald isle.
Wow, what an honor to meet you here. We all love our wonderful First Family. We love all those who cherish them too.
I grew up in a small town of 500. So I can imagine the wonderful chaos all this can bring to the town. I love the fact that there was one person who did not want to be bothered to get “fixed” up for the visit. There is always one individual who won’t change.
We love you all and only hope for the best in the future.
I really enjoyed the conversation from and to Moneygall . I would like to send my greetings to Stephen and Henry and thanks for the warm welcome for our First Couple.
Welcome. I’m sure Moneygall will never be the same, but hopefully it’s all for the best. Thanks for the warm welcome you gave our POTUS and FLOTUS. Although, I’m sure it’s wasn’t difficult since you are family. I hope it’s a relationship that endures on both sides. Good luck to you all and please come back and visit us.
Hello Henry, want to add my thanks to the people of Moneygall for their graciousness, thoroughly enjoyed watching every minute of the President’s and First Lady’s visit , all the best to you.
Oh Chips thanks for the heads-up on the visit here by Stephen & Henry! Helllloooo Henry and Stephen, what an honor to see your comments here~ Welcome 🙂 I so enjoyed watching the videos of preparations for the First Couple’s visit by the folks in Moneygall.. it was all so touching. Thank you for all that you did to welcome them, your kindness and respect was something I think we all felt as if we were right there with them. You have my undying gratitude.. I think all of us here felt so connected to your little town and will never forget the love you showered POTUS and FLOTUS with~ my best wishes to you both and to all of Moneygall… and I hope you’ll come back to The Obama Diary often and comment.
Henry, the honor is ours~ Is feidir linn- back to you sir.. and not only do I hope to enjoy further visits to Moneygall by President and First Lady Obama.. but hopefully we’ll see you visiting at POTUS’s second Inaguaration ! Cheers to you and have a pint (or two) for all of us at Ollie’s 😉
Ditto to what everyone’s said here…we all couldn’t get enough of the historic visit of PBO to your town! We’re so thrilled you thought to stop by here, Cousin Henry! (Isn’t Chipsticks and her site the best??) I say we here on the site charter a plane and take you up on your invite to Ollie’s! 🙂
I just want to add my hello to Stephen and Henry and thank you and the city of Moneygall for all the kindness and respect you shown for our POTUS and FLOTUS. I wish great success for you and your country.
What a delight for you to visit us here as well as Stephen! I must tell you that the historic visit of the President and First Lady to Moneygall was one of the most heart-warming events I’ve ever seen. We’re so happy for you and everyone in your wonderful town. We send all of you our love and best wishes. Please continue to come to this site and spend time with us. And tell Ollie to be prepared…you never know when a group of us will show up at the Pub!
It’s Henry VIII! So so good to see you here! You are such a doll. I’m as proud of you as I am our President. You both share similar qualities like good-naturedness, warmth, and humility. I’m so happy for the positive influence POTUS has had on your life and the lives of the people of Moneygall.
I hope you become part of the TOD family. It’s a wonderful little community of ardent supporters of your cousin, and you would just fit right in. 🙂
Seriously? How comes I always miss the good stuff?……. Welcome Henry! Let me echo all the other wonderful comments by thanking you for your graciousness to our fantastic POTUS and FLOTUS! Thank you so much for being so kind and welcoming, as Hachiko stated, we were as proud of you as we were of out lovely First Couple. May god bless you and the wonderful people of Moneygall 🙂
Hey there Henry from Atlanta, GA! Thank you so much for welcoming our wonderful POTUS and FLOTUS. I know that the reception touched them as much as it touched all of us here in the States. I had bloodshot eyes staying up all day and night catching the live coverage on the internet and through this site. It brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. My next international trip shall be Ireland!!! I’m already getting my travel brochures ready and I’ve told my husband that’s where we’re going (he’ll have no say). I wish you, Stephen, Ollie and Moneygall the very best!!
Hello Henry the 8th!!! What a wonderful ‘lad’ you are!! I am not surprised you are related to our wonderful President! It was very nice to meet you and your family (via Chipsticks, of course). It was so wonderful to visit Moneygall and to watch the wonderful people of Moneygall host our GREAT President and First Lady. I had a warm glow throughout my body throughout the visit. May I also thank heartily my wonderful wonderful DOTE – Chipsticks – for this fantastic site which is like a breath of fresh air. From the time I found you, I feel and look ten years younger….. TRUTH!! (defy anyone to say different). All the best, guys! Hugggs!
I’m late. I missed the wonderful visit by Henry and Stephen l. If you come back, I just want to thank you for the exciting time you gave all of us in the US. We watched closely as you prepared for our POTUS and FLOTUS. On that happy day we were so worried that the weather might prevent his visit to Moneygall and thrilled when they were able to come to your fail village. The wellcome was fantastic and I hope everyone got to shake his hand. You were so charming and gracious. We stayed up all night celebrating the event. Good wishes to all of you and may your lives be blessed with visitors. I see they are building a Mall near you and it will mean jobs. Thank you Henry and Stephen for visiting TOD. Our Chipsticks is precious and keeps us up to date. This is a fun place to be.Is féidir linn!!!
Oh My Goodness! First a greeting from Stephen and then one from HENRY himself! I’m so excited reading this stream and actually reading replies from both Stephen and Henry! I’m just blown away! Chipsticks you are NUMBER ONE! We have been so over-joyed by our Moneygall experience that you will have to find another connection with them THIS YEAR! Seriously, thank you Chipsticks for you worked very hard to put us smack-dab in the middle of it in progress. It’s right up there with the WHCD.
Actually, your eyebrows are somewhat like our President’s, and something about the outline of your nose from a side view. His mother was pleased that he had inherited her black, thick eyebrows. Yours seem similar.
Mostly, I agree with Michelle Obama that we are all part of the human family, and if we recognized that it would be harder for us to kill or take things away from others we see as not part of our “family.”
I loved seeing Moneygall, and if I come to Ireland again, I would love to see the village that produced the President I value so highly.
Oh my gosh! Hello from Maine and welcome Cousin Henry VIII and Stephen Neill. Chipsticks made us all feel like we were right there with you and your wonderful town through all the preparations and the building excitement leading up to our President’s visit. The spirit, warmth and exuberance of your town melted all our hearts and added such a joy to our days. It really took some time to come down from the whole experience. It was easily my favorite presidential trip and it was the people of your town that made it that way.
Please send a warm hello to all your townsfolk from Maine and from all of us here in the US (and Canada and the Caribbean). You, and they, truly won our hearts.
OMG, first Stephen and now The Henry, as in Cousin Henry the 8th? You guys in Moneygall are the bestest ( if that is a word). Thank you for all the wonderful welcome you gave our President and Flotus. It was fun to watch all the preparations and then the actual visit. what a viewing party that was for us here on TOD! We wish Moneygall all the best. And as stated above, thank you for visiting our beloved site and hope you visit again.
With all the earlie3r posters,I say THANK YOU – for the warm and genuine love you and all of Moneygall showed President and Mrs Obama. We have watched our President make several trips outside of the US,but I doubt there is one that could match his visit to your village – in terms of the buuild-up,the anticipation and eventually the genuineness of the welcome. That visit wasn’t just about people turning up to see a foreign leader…this was a real embrace of a long-lost son come home!
While I wish you all nothing but the best in the years to come,I can’t start to imagine what the President felt and has carried away from that home-cmong.
Welcome to TOD – cousin Henry and Stephen.
Well said Uche. I join you and the rest of the TOD family in appreciation of the warm reception the people of Ireland, and especially Monegall, gave our POTUS and FLOTUS on their visit. We felt it here in States and many of us still bask in the glow of that day.
Now allow me to digress for a quick moment to make one observation…
Henry is quite the cutie-pie! I can’t be the only person who has noticed the striking family resemblence between him and his rather awesome cousin. If you haven’t yet, pause the video at 9:28 and (be still my heart) check out those gloriously beautiful ears! A trait that runs in my family too — clearly, a sign of distinctive character and intelligence if ever there was one!
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
OMG Chips you’re the BEST!!! Thanks for this!! I really like those three men they seem like great indidviduals especially cousin Henry!! It would be quite interesting if the President do return for his change 😆 . I really want to say thank you to the peolpe of Ireland for the warmnest they showed to our President and First Lady; that includes you too Chips 😉 . I hope to visit Ireland one day seems like a beautiful country with beautiful people!!!!
How sweet is that? I wish I could blast to Moneygall for a pint sometime soon. Great energy from these people!!
Beautiful! Loved it! What warm and wonderful people!
I’m looking forward to Henry and other Moneygall family and friends coming to America to visit the President and his family. I’ll bet that trip takes place soon. Hope so. I’m so happy for his Irish family connections. Christmas would be nice.
Loved it. So positive. And yes Henry the 8th looks like his Cuz..tall, lean and such a killer smile.
Thank you Moneygall for being such wonderful hosts to our President and first Lady.
Aaww, Chips! This follow-up is … is… is … I’m speechless. We. are. so. spoiled. at this site! {{CHIPSTICKS}} Thanks!
P. S.
I sent you an email earlier.
Oh this is SO SWEET! I’m thinking a stop in Moneygall is a must… maybe have a pint to celebrate the re-election of the President!
Did y’all see Jedward’s part of the interview. Ok, why am I so intrigued by Jedward now! They are annoying but totally adorable.
The funniest thing was the host was thinking the same thing we all were when he saw the picture of Jedward meeting POTUS. Basically “Oh my God! What are they saying to him?!” LOL
I checked out other programming at the RTE station and viewed the 5-27 Late Late Show featuring guests, Enda Kenny, Gabriel Byrne talking about the Obama visit. Byrne, who participated in the Dublin Concert spoke about the scene backstage when the Obamas greeted the performers. Doing his Jedward impersonation he exclaimed that one of the Jedwards immediately broke the ice when Obama appeared with “So who’s the most famous person you ever met! Who’s the most famous person you ever met!” I don’t really know if they got an answer as they seemed to be rattling on. They spoke a mile a minute and were a riot. Michele was fascinated with Jedwards hair so they actually described the styling techniques pantomiming the entire affair to much laughter. He spoke about a photo of Michelle gardening in some outfit they liked and looking good or some such…. So it must have been quite the scene backstage.
Thanks for the info ribletsonthepan. I’m going to check it out. 🙂
You are welcome! I too want to heartily thank Ms Chips for the amazing european trip coverage in sight, sound and word. Well well done!
The man with the glasses said the First Lady gave him a kiss and a hug and he didn’t wash his face for days.
Awwwww, they were so cute! Thanks for the update Chips.
This is the warmest video I’ve seen a while. I hope our Prez and Mrs. Obama will invite Henry the 8th to the White House very soon. Henry seems so unpretentious and I really enjoy being around people who don’t take themselves too serious.
PRICELESS! Chips! You are a gem for giving us this….gem :-D.
What great “lads” — I just loved this chat. Such good humor, details and perspective by all three. Henry is quite the bachelor; I’m sure he’ll be beating off the ladies who will want to land a relative of the President of the United States. They deserve every good thing that comes their way for giving such a warm welcome to POTUS and FLOTUS. If this was such vivid memory for us who are simply observers, I know it must have made a deep impact on PBO and MO.
Just beautiful.
Aww… these guys are the BEST. I love that they’re still on a high from PBO’s visit; because I am too by way of Chipsticks and TOD. I so hope and fervently wish that PBO, MO and the whole family vacation in Moneygall sometime in the future. What a delight that would be. 🙂
good stuff.
Pricelless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Bucket List now includes a visit to Ireland and Moneygall
I know we don’t need anything else to make us smile here at TOD family, but take a peek at this anyway. Go all the way to the end.
I don’t understand why a youtube video automatically shows up at this site when you post the address.
Hahahaha I saw this on the Regis and Kelly show…. and I laughed my head off. Thanks for this VC. 🙂
So cute!
I saw it before too and each time it made me chuckle. 🙂
Awwwww this is too tweet 🙂
Aww that is so presh.
this was too cute!!! Anyone who says animals aren’t smart are truly stupid. Those two would make anybody smile 😀
ps- Glad to see that the name Henry the Eight stuck.
sooo cute!!
That is so cool – great interview. They are all still smiling from ear to ear!
Love, love, love the people of Moneygall. And what a nice treat, just earlier in the day I was just wondering and thinking about the Moneugall and if Chipsticks had any new news about the town, and wala, here it is. Smilling. seriously!
My favorite line from Henry the 8th?
’twas a MAN hug!!!
Can’t wipe the smile off my face. What lovely gentlemen. I am grateful to the good people of Moneygall and hope this experience has a lasting impact. Ireland has definitely enchanted me….my sister and I hope to make a trip there a reality.
Love the Moneygall clip. I wish this village the absolute best. And my next trip to Dublin I plan to go to Moneygall.
I LOVE THOSE IRISH ACCENTS…SUCH AWESOME MEMORIES FOR THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY. THEY ARE ALL SO THRILLED TO HAVE SPENT SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME WITH OUR FIRST COUPLE. A GREAT EXAMPLE FOR AMERICA TO FOLLOW INDEED!
Well I did absolutely nothing around the house today – just flitted from site to site on the internet – so I’d better go to sleep, with plans for more responsible behaviour tomorrow! 😉
Chipsticks and other Family members, ‘Good night, sleep tight, rest well, and may your dreams be fun ones.’
Remember to give thanks again for PBO’s safe return, while asking for both physical and inner strength, compassion and wisdom for him to face tomorrow’s challenges.
Toodle doo, toodle rah….. toodle…
There’s no one as Irish as Barack Obama.
Rest well friend.
Most coverage in the US is so jaded and cynical. So refreshing to see honest good feelings in an interview. So happy they are still smiling about the visit POTUS & FLOTUS mad to Moneygall. 🙂
Oops… *made* to Moneygall.
I love these people so much. Thank you for this awesome find CS.
That was great! The people are so kind I just want to hug all of them.
This was just as sweet as it could be! Thank you Chipsticks. You are amazing.
I’m Henery the Eighth, I am,
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She’d been married seven times before.
And every one was an Henery
She wouldn’t have a Willie or a Sam
I’m her eighth old man named Henery
Henery the Eighth, I am!
I just had to find this song. It would be a good one for Henry to sing since he has been officially owns the title. I love my Henry, he is such a handsome lad. Such an impact the O’Bama visit had on them. I am so happy for them and I am happy and thank you, Chips, for letting us enjoy that visit. I simply adored it and can only imagine how they feel. I hope Henry lives a charmed life.
That little boy is so cute. I wish I had some of that energy.
Oh what a wonderful time it was. I can’t wait to get my “Is féidir linn.” t-shirt!
Maureen Dowd is so vile. She apparently claimed in one of the Irish channels that Tourism Ireland bought Henry Healy a suit for the President’s Moneygall visit. He created a stir that poor Henry the 8th had to issue a denial on twitter.
meant to say, she created a big stir..
Wow. That woman is the epitome of MEAN.
She is a horror.
Chipsticks and family, I am just getting around to this one. But you know something Chipsticks, this one gives my heart smiles, laughs, and soooooooooo much love. What a joy you have put in our hearts for tonight. To see so much love on the faces of these gentlemen is fantastic. Oh, I would love to see love like this in our country for him in many more places. But we saw this very special day in Moneygall, thanks to you Chipsticks. Do you know how so very special you are to us? I will cherish each moment that God gives me to be here on this beautiful gift that you gave us to enjoy daily. What a pure blessing. May many sweet blessings come to you, Chipsticks. Get some rest because we need you so much. Thank you for ALL that you give us each day. I count it a joy to be here with all of you. I give thanks with a humble heart. Goodnight.
Dear HZ,
You’ve been missed…
All your friends here were worried because we hadn’t heard from you…
Glad you’re ok…
HZ – glad to see you back in action. It’s always great to hear your wise words.
that is simply brilliant 😀
thank you
That was great. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Just lovely. Thank you for sharing that with us, Chip.
Will never get tired of watching clips of this trip, especially the Moneygall/Dublin leg of it. Hope they make a DVD of it (a lil something else for their gift shop).
Okay I watched the Moneygall clip twice now. I will never get tired of hearing about this trip. Such a wonderful moment.
Hi there – I am one of the Moneygall 3 on this video (the guy on the right) – so glad you all enjoyed the interview – we did too and yes we are still smiling after the visit of POTUS and FLOTUS 🙂 It was truly inspirational – just what we needed 🙂 Thanks for all the kind comments
Stephen
Stephen Neill – welcome! Your country and your little town of Moneygall did yourselves proud in the wonderfully warm and gracious welcome you gave to President and Mrs Obama. We all watched with delight and anticipation as Moneygall prepared for the visit, and the day didn’t let anyone down. It was clear that the visit meant as much (maybe more) to President and Mrs Obama as it did to the people of Moneygall. Thank you all, and best of luck to your lovely community! It has been a joy to watch you all on the world stage.
It was a day I will never forget – meeting them both was such an incredible thrill – Henry & I were in the crowds in Washington on Inauguration Day and that was a very special day but the 23rd May 2011 will be hard to match 🙂
Welcome, welcome, welcome Stephen Neill. The Irish people made us proud, happy and so grateful for the warmth you showed to our President and First Lady. You all came out in full force to show the world what wonderful leaders we in America have and how inspirational they are to billions of people around the world. I am gald Moneygall and Ireland got such a worldwide media coverage and I hope you all continue to reap the good feelings and benefits of President Obama and Mrs. Obama’s visit.
ps: thanks for your wonderful research into the President’s ancestors and their background. It made for brilliant and enlightening reading.
It is an honor to meet you Stephen 🙂 Keep posting anytime.
Thank you kindly – I will indeed 🙂
Hey Stephen,
Thanks for some wonderful memories. The people of Moneygall and Ireland should be extremely proud of the welcome you guys put on for POTUS and FLOTUS. You showed the world how warm and friendly the Irish people can be and I’m hopeful you all will see a boom in tourism. It’s been 6 years since I visited Dublin and I’m thinking if I take any trip next year it will be to Ireland.
Please come back and give us updates on how the community is doing.
By the way, I ordered a shirt from the Hayes t-shirt shop and received the warmest e-mail telling me that it was delayed because he received so many orders he had to get help. It was such a nice e-mail that I shared and I think I may have got him a few more orders.
Tourism is booming – tour buses are all diverting to Moneygall – Yes Billy Hayes (T-shirt shop) is a great guy – he is sooooo busy – delighted for him 🙂
I have also ordered a T-shirt. In fact two of them. I have Irish blood on my Mother’s side and was so proud of Ireland and how they reacted to our POTUS and FLOTUS!
Hello, Stephen! I’m so happy you had the chance to meet our most incredible President and First Lady. They are very kind and warm and sincere people and I hope you felt that, too. I’m sure they were grateful for all the work you’ve done on their family history. We were up at all hours watching it here in the States and it looked like great fun for everyone involved. I hope for the best for Moneygall and the people who shared in this celebration. Cheers!
There were utterly charming 🙂 Thanks for the good wishes 🙂
That video was delightful. I hope you all in Moneygall bask in the afterglow of POTUS and FLOTUS for a long time to come. Peace 🙂
They left a community changed forever for the better 🙂
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Stephen welcome to TOD!! Moneygall and the entire trip to Ireland was many of us (me especially) favourite foreign place the Obamas have ever visited and trust me we have been following every single one since Obama became President! I would like to thank you and everyone else in Moneygall for the warm welcome in which you all showed our beloved POTUS and FLOTUS!!!!! Hey you can tell Henry the 8th about this site, I am sure he will love it!!
Henry has it up on his facebook page – thats where I found you guys 🙂
Great!!!! Hey Henry!!!!!
Hey!! How you? Great to see you guys enjoyed the President & First Lady’s Visit to Moneygall!!
I am good!!! Yes we enjoyed seeing our President and First Lady in Moneygall!! It was the most thrilling experience ever!!! The people of Moneygall are so kind and full of life!!! I hope to visit one day. I can’t even believe it….I am talking to the 8th cousin of President Barack Obama OMG!!!!!!!!!! Stay blessed and sweet as you are Henry and I am sure great things in life will follow you after all you are Barack Obama’s family 🙂 !!!!!!!! Love to all the people of Moneygall and once again THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of our hearts!!!!
So lovely to hear from you Stephen, really appreciate you visiting and commenting – you and Moneygall have a lot of fans on this blog! Congratulations to you and everyone for all the hard work in making the visit happen, it looked to me like it’s one POTUS and FLOTUS will never forget! Magical memories. Thanks again Stephen. PS Have you started working on the return visit yet? 😉
The Committee is on the case 😉
Excellent!! 😆
Yay!!!!! Chipsticks I’m sooo glad this website is getting more and more recognition. Great, informative and joyful websites like this should be known worldwide. 🙂
Hey Henry, so glad you have this website on your facebook page. I’m glad Moneygall got to be the center of attention b/c the Irish people showed our POTUS and FLOTUS such warmth that you all deserve great things in your lives. You were wonderful to watch Henry. So friendly, warm, funny, smart and insightful. Hope the ladies in Ireland recognize what a catch you are. 😉
OOooooo, TERRIFIC. We all just might have to join them. I could do with a pint at Ollie’s!!
It’s wonderful to have you join us. Seeing how lovely the people of Ireland are, makes me want to skip the trip to my ancestral home in Wales, and spend the time in Ireland. You are wonderful!
Stephen,
So many of us fell in love with your town and its people because of this visit. I hope to visit some day!
Please do 🙂
Stephen, thank you and thank you to all of Moneygall. We here at TOD followed your excitement from beginning to end and beyond. We are so PROUD of your reception of our POTUS and FLOTUS. And Chipsticks, thanks so very much for posting this video!!!!! I was able to see and hear the excitement and I just smiled and laughed right along with the studio audience. This video is a KEEPER!
Oh how delightful to see you here, Stephen! You have no idea just how excited the TOD family was about the President’s trip to his ancestral home. We were looking forward to it for weeks! When it finally happened, we were overjoyed and overwhelmed with appreciation for tremendous outpouring of love and admiration from, not just Moneygall, but all of Ireland.
You all just seem like the loveliest people. I wish each and every one of you the very best. I pray, someday, I get to visit your little corner of paradise.
God bless you!
Hello Stephen — thanks for the warm welcome you gave to our President and First Lady. We all traveled to Moneygall vicariously through Chipsticks posts of pics and videos, including the one in which you appear above. I am so happy to hear that there has been an afterglow of sorts and that the community is still benefiting from the Obamas’ visit.
It’s a small, small world…..and… Is Feider Linn!
Oh Stephen Niall, what an honor to have you among us. Watching your city prepare and host our POTUS and FLOTUS was pure joy for us. We hope your lovely city will continue to benefit from their visit. Know how much we have enjoyed your lovely city. Visit us again anytime.!
Stephen, nice to see you here! When you discuss POTUS’ and FLOTUS’ momentous visit to your corner of the world, please convey our appreciation here at TOD for the love Moneygall, and Irelend, showered upon our President. It was a wonderfull feeling to observe the mutual warmth and love displayed, and to reaffirm that when the media carry on about PBO being ‘aloof’ they don’t know of which they speak.
If the world was as friendly as Ireland, What a wonderful world it would be.
Thank you kindly Stephen for taking time to visit here and share they joyful moments with Our First Family. We were glued to this blog the moment The President and Michelle step foot on your land, and some of us stayed up all night, we were just as thrilled, but most of all we are so grateful for all the love your showered our Great Leader.
Thank you
Wow, you guys fantastic comments, Moneygall will never be the same again! Its like the entire village won the lottery…. We really appreciate all the support we have got from everyone and your all invited to Ollie’s Bar for a Guinness!! 🙂
Hello Cousin Henry XIII!!! Thrilled to see you here, thank you so much for visiting! And thank you too for being such a wonderful host during the President and First Lady’s visit – you’re an absolute gentleman, you did Moneygall proud. Is life back to anywhere near normal?!
Thanks Chipsticks! I got informed yesterday by a friend of all the fantastic coverage and nice comments about Moneygall here and I had to look, and delighted I did! Moneygall I think will never be fully back to normal and we don’t want to go back to normal either, as we are enjoying the visitors and tourists coming. Myself I’m back to work and trying to get back to reality!!
HI Henry, we were chuffed to have Stephen Neill drop by yesterday, so now you’ve made it a beautiful double – we just need Ollie to visit and we’ll have the perfect hat-trick! Thrilled to hear that Moneygall is getting a great tourism bounce from the visit, I think what struck people who watched it all was the warmth of the reception you all gave the President and First Lady, and the fun you had! May Moneygall benefit for many years to come, you and all the people of the village richly deserve it. Be proud of yourself!
WOW, is this really true? Is this happening? Am I dreaming? Because if I am please don’t wake me up. I have never thought this day will come. Henry the 8th is visiting the TOD family. God u are too good to me. As you can tell Henry Healy I have no words to tell you how happy I am for the LOVE and WELCOME you gave to our President , your cousin. Thank you, THANK YOU and THANKS TO MONEYGALL.
Me4obama, I assure you the same welcome should you visit Moneygall!! ( Although I cant guarntee 3000 people on the streets cheering) 🙂
Thank you Mr. Healy for the invitation and for your beautiful reception of our President and First Lady. We wish the good people of Moneygall continued success and happiness:)
Thank you hopefruit2, lets just make sure that we can give them the same reception when he returns as the re-elected POTUS!!
Oh – from your lips to God’s ears, Henry VIII! Thanks for visiting us here, and for the wonderful reception for President and Mrs. Obama. Your town really exhibited the loveliest and heartwarming images of Ireland to the world. We were captivated as soon as we saw all the preparations, and watched excitedly for the visit. You all didn’t disappoint. And you were especially poised on the day – that must have been nerve-wrecking! Well done to Moneygall.
Cousin Henry VIII…..Helloooooo from San Francisco!!!! I join everyone here in deep appreciation for the absolutely wonderful welcome you gave our beloved President and First Lady. I myself have had a hug from President Obama so I know what a thrill it is!! And Mrs. Obama is truly a warm and lovely First Lady, isn’t she? Even much more beautiful in person. Your village and its people really left a deep impression on us and we will always be grateful for the warmth and hospitality you shared with them. We could see by their faces that they enjoyed every moment of it. It’s one of my favorite memories out of all his travels.
SO very happy to hear that there is an influx of tourism. Hope you all benefit in some way over the long run. Maybe someday we can organize a TOD tour of Moneygall. BEST to you and I hope someday you can visit the White House!!
Hello Meta, The First Lady & President are very warm and so down to earth it was easy greet them and extand a warm Irish welcome to them. I do agree TOD need to come to Moneygall!!
Henry, I’m not sure Moneygall could cope with a TOD invasion, there are some very rowdy folk hanging around on this blog. You’d certainly need Secret Service back again, if only to save you from being placed in someone’s suitcase and being taken back to America. As for Ollie’s bar, I fear they would bring that back to America too, brick by brick. 😆
We like a challenge!!
OK, then. Moneygall or bust!!
Hey Henry. I am so jealous you got to meet the First Couple. We had one big watch party for Obama’s trip to Moneygall. It was so touching to see the welcome he got. Thank you for being such great hosts to our president. Glad he’s back though because we really missed him.
You guys are very fortunate to have President Obama you sure we cant have him back??
That would cause WWIII 🙂 🙂
Hey Henry!
Nice to make your acquaintance over these internets 😛 !
We love you all for welcoming our favorite president to your village in such a warm fashion. So glad you all are enjoying a boost and hope that it lasts for a long while. Hopefully if you come to the states, the favor can be returned.
All the best!
Nice to chat with you PoliticalJunkessa! Hopefully it will last forever as we are enjoying the entire buzz of it all!! Is féidir linn
Love the folks from Moneygall. It was a pleasure to see you interact with the President and FLOTUS. Thanks for all of the joy you brought to us.
Claire,
It was a joy for all us in Moneygall also. We will never forget 🙂
Hello from Los Angeles, cousin Henry! You’re part of our family now and we love you! Ha! You cannot imagine how thrilling it was to see Ireland embrace our president and first lady and show them so much love. Sadly, our press in America either ignores our president or treats him with great disrespect, so seeing the joy and excitement and love from the Irish has inspired all of us over here. Now we know we’re not crazy for loving him and his family so much! Anyway, please come for a visit when your cousin wins re-election. We’ll all raise a pint in your honor! Oh, and I’ve been to your wonderful country many years ago and I always tell anyone who asks that they’ve never seen the color green until they visit your emerald isle.
Wow, what an honor to meet you here. We all love our wonderful First Family. We love all those who cherish them too.
I grew up in a small town of 500. So I can imagine the wonderful chaos all this can bring to the town. I love the fact that there was one person who did not want to be bothered to get “fixed” up for the visit. There is always one individual who won’t change.
We love you all and only hope for the best in the future.
It was fantastic, thanks for you good wishes.
I really enjoyed the conversation from and to Moneygall . I would like to send my greetings to Stephen and Henry and thanks for the warm welcome for our First Couple.
Thanks Sonjia, thanks for your kind words!! Is féidir linn
Wow what a pleasant surprise – Stephen and Henry! Thanks to the people of Moneygall for your warm welcome of the 1st Couple.
Titti,
Thanks for your comment
Hello Henry,
Welcome. I’m sure Moneygall will never be the same, but hopefully it’s all for the best. Thanks for the warm welcome you gave our POTUS and FLOTUS. Although, I’m sure it’s wasn’t difficult since you are family. I hope it’s a relationship that endures on both sides. Good luck to you all and please come back and visit us.
AnitaW,
Yes it was very easy, as they are a fantastic couple
Hello Henry, want to add my thanks to the people of Moneygall for their graciousness, thoroughly enjoyed watching every minute of the President’s and First Lady’s visit , all the best to you.
Kittypat,
It was an honour for Moneygall and delighted you enjoyed watching it!
Oh Chips thanks for the heads-up on the visit here by Stephen & Henry! Helllloooo Henry and Stephen, what an honor to see your comments here~ Welcome 🙂 I so enjoyed watching the videos of preparations for the First Couple’s visit by the folks in Moneygall.. it was all so touching. Thank you for all that you did to welcome them, your kindness and respect was something I think we all felt as if we were right there with them. You have my undying gratitude.. I think all of us here felt so connected to your little town and will never forget the love you showered POTUS and FLOTUS with~ my best wishes to you both and to all of Moneygall… and I hope you’ll come back to The Obama Diary often and comment.
Sherijr,
An honour to be here and read all the fantastic comments, thank you for your kind words!! Is féidir linn
Henry, the honor is ours~ Is feidir linn- back to you sir.. and not only do I hope to enjoy further visits to Moneygall by President and First Lady Obama.. but hopefully we’ll see you visiting at POTUS’s second Inaguaration ! Cheers to you and have a pint (or two) for all of us at Ollie’s 😉
Ditto to what everyone’s said here…we all couldn’t get enough of the historic visit of PBO to your town! We’re so thrilled you thought to stop by here, Cousin Henry! (Isn’t Chipsticks and her site the best??) I say we here on the site charter a plane and take you up on your invite to Ollie’s! 🙂
Its a fantastic Site!! You guys are so genuine and it is a pleasure!!
I just want to add my hello to Stephen and Henry and thank you and the city of Moneygall for all the kindness and respect you shown for our POTUS and FLOTUS. I wish great success for you and your country.
Cousin Henry!
What a delight for you to visit us here as well as Stephen! I must tell you that the historic visit of the President and First Lady to Moneygall was one of the most heart-warming events I’ve ever seen. We’re so happy for you and everyone in your wonderful town. We send all of you our love and best wishes. Please continue to come to this site and spend time with us. And tell Ollie to be prepared…you never know when a group of us will show up at the Pub!
It’s Henry VIII! So so good to see you here! You are such a doll. I’m as proud of you as I am our President. You both share similar qualities like good-naturedness, warmth, and humility. I’m so happy for the positive influence POTUS has had on your life and the lives of the people of Moneygall.
I hope you become part of the TOD family. It’s a wonderful little community of ardent supporters of your cousin, and you would just fit right in. 🙂
Much blessings to you, Henry!
Hachikō meets Henry, love it!!!! 😆
Seriously? How comes I always miss the good stuff?……. Welcome Henry! Let me echo all the other wonderful comments by thanking you for your graciousness to our fantastic POTUS and FLOTUS! Thank you so much for being so kind and welcoming, as Hachiko stated, we were as proud of you as we were of out lovely First Couple. May god bless you and the wonderful people of Moneygall 🙂
“Seriously? How comes I always miss the good stuff?”
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Hi Chipsticks,
It’s great to see Henry is visiting this site. Just wonderful.
I actually sent him a facebook message a couple days after the President’s visit and he replied to my message today.
I think he’s catching up on all that mail from around the world.
I really hope he visits this site on a regular basis. How cool!
Hey there Henry from Atlanta, GA! Thank you so much for welcoming our wonderful POTUS and FLOTUS. I know that the reception touched them as much as it touched all of us here in the States. I had bloodshot eyes staying up all day and night catching the live coverage on the internet and through this site. It brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. My next international trip shall be Ireland!!! I’m already getting my travel brochures ready and I’ve told my husband that’s where we’re going (he’ll have no say). I wish you, Stephen, Ollie and Moneygall the very best!!
Hello Henry the 8th!!! What a wonderful ‘lad’ you are!! I am not surprised you are related to our wonderful President! It was very nice to meet you and your family (via Chipsticks, of course). It was so wonderful to visit Moneygall and to watch the wonderful people of Moneygall host our GREAT President and First Lady. I had a warm glow throughout my body throughout the visit. May I also thank heartily my wonderful wonderful DOTE – Chipsticks – for this fantastic site which is like a breath of fresh air. From the time I found you, I feel and look ten years younger….. TRUTH!! (defy anyone to say different). All the best, guys! Hugggs!
I’m late. I missed the wonderful visit by Henry and Stephen l. If you come back, I just want to thank you for the exciting time you gave all of us in the US. We watched closely as you prepared for our POTUS and FLOTUS. On that happy day we were so worried that the weather might prevent his visit to Moneygall and thrilled when they were able to come to your fail village. The wellcome was fantastic and I hope everyone got to shake his hand. You were so charming and gracious. We stayed up all night celebrating the event. Good wishes to all of you and may your lives be blessed with visitors. I see they are building a Mall near you and it will mean jobs. Thank you Henry and Stephen for visiting TOD. Our Chipsticks is precious and keeps us up to date. This is a fun place to be.Is féidir linn!!!
Oh My Goodness! First a greeting from Stephen and then one from HENRY himself! I’m so excited reading this stream and actually reading replies from both Stephen and Henry! I’m just blown away! Chipsticks you are NUMBER ONE! We have been so over-joyed by our Moneygall experience that you will have to find another connection with them THIS YEAR! Seriously, thank you Chipsticks for you worked very hard to put us smack-dab in the middle of it in progress. It’s right up there with the WHCD.
Actually, your eyebrows are somewhat like our President’s, and something about the outline of your nose from a side view. His mother was pleased that he had inherited her black, thick eyebrows. Yours seem similar.
Mostly, I agree with Michelle Obama that we are all part of the human family, and if we recognized that it would be harder for us to kill or take things away from others we see as not part of our “family.”
I loved seeing Moneygall, and if I come to Ireland again, I would love to see the village that produced the President I value so highly.
Oh my gosh! Hello from Maine and welcome Cousin Henry VIII and Stephen Neill. Chipsticks made us all feel like we were right there with you and your wonderful town through all the preparations and the building excitement leading up to our President’s visit. The spirit, warmth and exuberance of your town melted all our hearts and added such a joy to our days. It really took some time to come down from the whole experience. It was easily my favorite presidential trip and it was the people of your town that made it that way.
Please send a warm hello to all your townsfolk from Maine and from all of us here in the US (and Canada and the Caribbean). You, and they, truly won our hearts.
OMG, first Stephen and now The Henry, as in Cousin Henry the 8th? You guys in Moneygall are the bestest ( if that is a word). Thank you for all the wonderful welcome you gave our President and Flotus. It was fun to watch all the preparations and then the actual visit. what a viewing party that was for us here on TOD! We wish Moneygall all the best. And as stated above, thank you for visiting our beloved site and hope you visit again.
Oh my!….Henry and Stephen on TOD?!
With all the earlie3r posters,I say THANK YOU – for the warm and genuine love you and all of Moneygall showed President and Mrs Obama. We have watched our President make several trips outside of the US,but I doubt there is one that could match his visit to your village – in terms of the buuild-up,the anticipation and eventually the genuineness of the welcome. That visit wasn’t just about people turning up to see a foreign leader…this was a real embrace of a long-lost son come home!
While I wish you all nothing but the best in the years to come,I can’t start to imagine what the President felt and has carried away from that home-cmong.
Welcome to TOD – cousin Henry and Stephen.
Well said Uche. I join you and the rest of the TOD family in appreciation of the warm reception the people of Ireland, and especially Monegall, gave our POTUS and FLOTUS on their visit. We felt it here in States and many of us still bask in the glow of that day.
Now allow me to digress for a quick moment to make one observation…
Henry is quite the cutie-pie! I can’t be the only person who has noticed the striking family resemblence between him and his rather awesome cousin. If you haven’t yet, pause the video at 9:28 and (be still my heart) check out those gloriously beautiful ears! A trait that runs in my family too — clearly, a sign of distinctive character and intelligence if ever there was one!
Peace, love and laughter, everybody! 😉