Obama in Ireland – live coverage

Barack Obama kicks off a six-day European trip today in Ireland. The US president will meet Mary McAleese, his Irish counterpart, before travelling to his ancestral home of Moneygall. Follow live updates here 10.03am: “But what’s being said on Twitter?” I hear you cry: . 9.54am: Last week Andrew Marr , this week Jedward . Did Obama wrong someone in a previous life? Still he’s reportedly meeting Brian O’Driscoll as well , so every cloud. Speaking of clouds, Obama’s helicopter is just coming in to land at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the President of Ireland, under a big load of them. 9.47am: Our Ireland correspondent, Henry McDonald, will be tracking the US president’s movements today. Henry writes that the Irish government has wisely “advised members of the public who want to see President Obama in the flesh not to bring any weapons to Dublin’s College Green this evening”. Umbrellas (presumably and especially ones from Cold War Bulgaria) flags, banners, sharp objects and bags or backpacks are all banned from a secured area between Dame Street and the gates of Trinity College from 2pm on today. The advice to carry “no weapons” appears this morning in a government advertisement published in today’s Irish papers. Meanwhile among those celebrities who will make appearances on various platforms around the President are sports stars like Brian O’Driscoll, fresh from Leinster’s Heineken Cup triumph in Cardiff at the weekend; actors including Gabriel Byrne and Daniel Day Lewis and a host of pop and traditional music stars including the infamous X-Factor twosome Jedward. Meantime welcome to the Irish weather Mr President! Irish state weather organisation Met Eireann reports it will be wet, windy and stormy today. 9.42am: He’s out! Holding hands with Michelle as they walk down the steps. Michelle’s hair is being blown about all over the place. The president is in a dark blue suit, with blue tie and what appears to be a pink shirt. Michelle is in a light dress with dark suit jacket. They meet Ireland’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore at the bottom of the steps, before trotting across the tarmac to a waiting helicopter. They will shortly be heading for central Dublin to meet Mary McAleese and Enda Kenny. 9.37am: Obama’s plane is stationary on the Dublin tarmac, the steps being wheeled towards the open door. It’s raining and blowing a gale – which should add to the authenticity of the president’s visit. Just waiting for the man himself to disembark now. 9.32am: Air Force One is down. Obama is in Ireland. Let the fun begin… 9.30am: Ireland’s burgeoning reputation for booking big-name acts continues to grow. Last week the country welcomed the Queen , who wowed supporters with her ability to wear green, make small talk and resist the lure of Guinness. This week the country has arguably gone one better, attracting US President Barack Obama, who will meet President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Obama will arrive in Dublin for his 24-hour trip, which will include a 45 minute visit to Moneygall, County Offaly, said to be home to some of his ancestors. The village has been decked out with US flags ahead of Obama’s arrival – make him feel at home, etc – and he will reportedly meet some of his distant relatives during his stay. First Lady Michelle Obama has made the trip too, and tonight the pair will return to Dublin, where Obama will deliver his set-piece speech in front of a crowd of 25,000 people in College Green. Tomorrow, Obama’s six-day European jaunt continues with visits to England, France and Poland, but today all the talk is of his presence in the Emerald Isle. Will he support Ireland’s drive to improve the terms of the IMF/European Central Bank multi-billion euro bail out? Will he get on with his long lost relatives? Will he drink a pint of Guinness? Find answers to those questions/some of those questions here. Barack Obama Ireland United States Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 23, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.