John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy was born 29 May 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts, near Boston, a year after the Easter Rising and a month after the U.S. entered World War I.
In 1960, Kennedy was elected president of the United States. He was not the first Irish American to win the nation’s highest office, but he was the first Catholic. Three years later, JFK made a triumphant return to Ireland, land of his ancestors. Five months after, he was assassinated in the U.S.
The end of May brings the official opening of numerous centennial celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of JFK’s birth. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, and the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., have partnered for a series of events and initiatives, including the “JFK 100: Milestones & Mementos” exhibition.
Here are some other links to JFK-related content, starting with my own work on the blog:
- Between Duganstown and Dallas: Some witnessed JFK’s Irish homecoming but died before the tragedy of his assassination.
- Remembering JFK 1: St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church.
- Remembering JFK 2: Eternal flame(s)
- Remembering JFK 3: Caps over walls
- JFK’s next to last resting place
Here are other external links of interest:
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site, Boston (boyhood home)
The Kennedy Homestead, Wexford, Ireland (ancestral home)
John F. Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. (centennial celebration)
Official White House biography
University of Virginia Miller Center (essays, etc.)
RTÉ Archives and The Irish Times (coverage of the 1963 Ireland visit)
JFK’s triumphant return to County Wexford, Ireland, land of his ancestors.