The JFK 50 effect – looking forward with the help of the younger Kennedy generations

In many ways the JFK 50 events in New Ross, Co Wexford may have seemed to be about looking back, but in many other ways, they are really about looking forward.

Events that happened 50 years ago are very difficult for those of us who were not yet born to relate to.

Before and after the event I observed people wondering what all the fuss was about. There was the trip to the US and ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery before fire taken from the Eternal Flame there was transferred and brought back to Ireland.

I had wondered myself, to be honest, about the international media interest in it. If it’s international rather than parochial, it’s got to be right, right? (The Arlington event got US media coverage of course and New Ross had Sky and BBC anyway in town, I hear).

On Saturday, 22 June 2013 I got the opportunity to tag along with youth radio station Beat 102 103’s Head of News & Sport Gail Conway to the three main events in New Ross:

• The opening of the Kennedy Homestead
• The re-dedication (renaming) of the John F. Kennedy Arboretum to John F. Kennedy Memorial Park.
• The Homecoming event on the quayside in New Ross

I’d also attended the Kennedy Ball the previous evening at the Brandon House Hotel. Basically that was a good 15 hours of Kennedy watching and listening to a journalist with a youth angle focus interviewing young Kennedys and the young people of the area.

What the Kennedys taught me

The number one thing I’ve learnt is that the Kennedys are not afraid to put the younger generations forward for speaking opportunities. They work as a group effort and share out speaking opportunities amongst young members of the family as well as the well versed personalities such as Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Caroline Kennedy.

Before any of the Irish events took place, of course there was the lighting of the torch from the Eternal Flame by Kennedy’s graveside in Arlington National Cemetery 32-year-old Joe Kennedy made one of the main speeches during the ceremony.

While working on the official programme for the day I had learnt that Jack Schlossberg would be introduced by his mother Caroline Kennedy at the Emigrant Flame lighting. Indeed this opportunity has been described as being symbolic and passing the political torch to the next generation.

However, there’s more than one Kennedy in waiting and both official and unofficial speaking opportunities were distributed between old and young, male and female.

While Jack was on the agenda for the Emigrant Flame ceremony, at the re-dedication ceremony cousins Max and Chris Kennedy delivered a speech jointly.

These two acknowledged that while they were still students they hoped to honour their uncles and their aunts and grandparents “by working together to confront the challenges facing young people in both the United States and here in Ireland.”

The trip to Ireland, following in the paths of their forefathers was important in strengthening the link between this third generation of Kennedys and previous generations.

Meeting the people he met, said 19-year-old Max, helped him understand why his great uncle had such an affection for this island.

He also delivered a fitting analogy around seeds and growth – considering he and Chris went on to plant a tree at the park with Taoiseach Enda Kennedy T.D. Caroline Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy Turner (main photo above).

“So much came out of those four hectic days in 1963 just as so much has emerged from the fragile and small seeds and saplings planted here [at John F. Kennedy Arboretum] almost 50 years ago.”

The background to this is that they were only told at short notice and they cobbled together a speech after a few pints – and did well.

Encouraging the young

After the official speeches Douglas Kennedy approached Beat 102 103 reporter Gail Conway and asked who she was reporting for – as it was a youth station he brought over 13-year-old Riley and younger sister Rowen to be interviewed.

Rowen and Riley Kennedy speak to Beat 102 103 reporter Gail Conway

Both girls did very well being interviewed for radio, they spoke clearly and with confidence. They gave soundbites rather than monosyllabic yes and no answers.

It’s a pity the Kennedys didn’t arrive back in from Kennedy Park in time to hear Paul Crowdle, Cathaoirleach of New Ross Town Council deliver his speech in which he said:

“Today is also about strengthening the link between newer generations of Irish people and Kennedys and keeping that flame of hope and inspiration that John F. Kennedy had, alive in our own hearts and passing it on to future generations.”

Importance of closeknit ties

At the Homecoming event a pack of Kennedy children were seated in front of me. They were well behaved but acting as any kid might at a seated stage event, moving seats occasionally and having fun.

A baby Kennedy, just barely walking and seated behind me, kept on running for the stage and wasn’t shy about coming over to me. Seated to my right were some of the Irish relations – Jim Grennan who grew up on the Homestead – and his children.

It was lovely to hear his young daughter say to him “I’m going over to play with my cousins” and sit in with the kids in front of me as she moved from her seat behind Michael Flatley across to the bank of seats where some small girls and a little boy were. Distant cousins that would have known each other for a matter of days, they were closeknit. These are the types of links that are important.

Who knows what the future may hold

Why? Well we don’t know what the future will bring, whether there will be another Kennedy president from that bunch who will help keep the line of communication open between this small island and that large superpower. Because what’s what they’ve done – there has been international media coverage on this event which hopefully will have positive lifechanging effects, even bringing opportunity and jobs to the youth of the area.

It’s not all about the money of course and we don’t want our American cousins thinking we purely want them to give us handouts through foreign direct investment and tourism.

It’s about seeing our own place in a positive way. If they like it, it’s okay for us to like it. And maybe if we clean up the place for visitors once every 50 years, we’ll start looking after it a bit more ourselves.

Reaching between the past and the future

There is no doubt about it that Kennedy’s trip really genuinely touched people’s memories back in ’63. Like boys and girls now in their 50s and 60s. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing some of these people over the phone and in person. Their eyes and voices change when they remember the visit and his presence.

At the various events in New Ross people young and old reached out to have their photos taken with the Kennedy clan and in particular the two young and approachable Kennedys, Max and Chris.

Having the younger generations as part of a commemorative event opens it up to the youth of today – they have their own Kennedys they can identify with and who knows where the future will bring Max, Chris, Jack, Riley and Rowan.

If their visit has touched the hearts and minds of young people in the New Ross area, who knows how their visit here will affect them and their focus in the future.

It’s okay to be proud of where you come from

What it has done for us, as Cathaoirleach Paul Crowdle said is given us a sense of civic pride. This is through the investment into the town, giving is a new boardwalk by the river. Then there has been the local effort, as someone commented at The Kennedy Ball, if you stood still in New Ross over the past few weeks you were in danger of being painted over.

As Crowdle said:

“This investment has instilled a greater sense of civic pride and is a great example to the youth of the town and area that there is opportunity.

We need to instil values such as confidence in our younger generations – to have the self-belief to identify opportunity and the courage to work hard and persevere towards achieving goals.

Confidence, courage and self-belief can ripple outwards, touching many hearts and minds. We need to instil this in younger generations so that they can be brave, seize opportunity and believe it is possible to change the world around you – just as John F. Kennedy did.”

I don’t think this is the last we will be seeing of the young Kennedys. All we need now is to do a bit of work on this side to maintain the pride they have helped reinstate in ourselves.

Disclaimer: I’m from New Ross. A New Ross person is not called a New Rosser. A Ross person is called a Rossonian. While one side of the father’s family probably arrived over with Cromwell (the surname Bailey derives from bailiff), the Larkins only arrived in 1906, a generation after John F. Kennedy’s great grandfather left New Ross. I returned to live in New Ross in 2008 and will defend it to the hilt.