ROBERT KENNEDY Jnr. will be among the invited guests at the forthcoming Kennedy Summer School in New Ross.
The initiative, which will be held from September 6 to 8, will act as a precursor to the JFK50 Celebrations in 2013 when the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland will be commemorated with a nationwide series of events.
The official programme was presented recently to Dr. Tim P. Shriver, nephew of President John F. Kennedy, by Seán Connick of the John F. Kennedy Trust.
The event is being organised in conjunction with the Trust and is aimed at highlighting the political, historical and cultural links between Ireland and America. The school has received support from Failte Ireland and Wexford Local Development.
Among the prominent participants confirmed for the Kennedy Summer School will be broadcaster, John Bowman, former Irish Times Editor, Geraldine Kennedy, author, John Waters, former politician, Mary O’Rourke, blogger, Áine Kerr, Amnesty International’s Colm O’Gorman, columnist, Fergus Finlay, Wexford businessman Liam Griffin, and former rugby international Keith Wood. The American speakers will include Tad Devine who was senior strategist to the John Kerry and Al Gore Presidential Campaigns, Sean McGraw, assistant Professor of Politics at Notre Dame University, and Dr. Howard Keeley, Director of Georgia Southern University’s Centre for Irish Studies.
A key aspect to the Summer School will be the Wexford Voices initiative in St. Michael’s Theatre which will feature contributions from a well known panel of speakers on the theme of Ireland, Irish America and the Kennedy legacy. That will be followed by a musical performance.
‘The Kennedy Civil Rights Legacy – Lessons for Ireland’ will feature topical discussions on civil rights developments since JFK’s presidency. On Saturday, September 8, there will be a special tribute night to Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Among the other highlights will be ‘What If Kennedy Had Lived?’ – an award-winning one-man play which will be performed by American writer and actor Dennis McAndrews.
Full details of all events taking place during the festival will be published in the New Ross Echo over the coming weeks.
For more information log onto www.wexfordecho.ie or www.kennedysummerschool.ie.
