Obama raises a pint as he charms Ireland

President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were treated like rock stars during a triumphant visit to Ireland on Monday that lasted less than 24 hours but will live long in the memory.

Mr Obama sank a pint of Guinness in the local pub in his ancestral home of Moneygall, posed with a hurling stick given to him as a gift by the Taoiseach, and addressed a crowd of around 40,000 people in Dublin's College Green.

"My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas," he told them to a huge roar of approval, "and I've come home to find the apostrophe that went missing somewhere along the way."

The president and his wife were clearly moved by the rapturous welcome they received in Dublin and in the tiny village of Moneygall, Co Offaly, where they spent an unexpectedly long time meeting and greeting the locals despite the typical Irish summer weather which saw a mixture of heavy rain showers and sunshine.

Mr Obama and his entourage flew into Dublin Airport on Air Force One on Monday morning, and were immediately taken to Aras an Uachtarain to be welcomed by President McAleese and her husband Martin.

There, he signed the visitors' book, which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth had signed just a few days earlier.

Like the Queen, he then planted an Irish oak tree in the garden of the Aras.

From there he made the short journey across the Phoenix Park to the State House in Farmleigh, where he was met by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The two men discussed a range of issues including immigration reform, the economy, and the peace process.

Afterwards, Enda Kenny thanked the President for coming to visit, and Mr Obama said the Irish were "an extraordinary people", whose relationship with the United States was more than simply strategic or foreign policy, but one which included a "blood link" for millions of Americans.

Mr Kenny presented two gifts to Mr Obama.

The first was for his two children - a first edition copy of a children's book of myths and legends from Hawaii, the president's birthplace, written by Irish writer Padraig Colum in 1937.

He then presented the President with a hurling stick, which Mr Obama held and swung enthusiastically.

Talking to the cameramen outside, he joked that if Congress doesn't behave itself, then he could give them "a little paddle" with the hurley.

This was a relaxed president, clearly enjoying himself, not the professorial figure we are made believe he is from much of the media.

And his day was about to become even more memorable.

He flew by helicopter to the small village of Moneygall in Offally, with a population of 300, but from where his great, great, great grandfather, shoemaker Fulmouth Kearney, emigrated to New York in 1850 in the wake of the Famine.

The town had been completed decorated for the visit, and the Star Spangled Banner flew side by side with the Tricolour all along the only street in the town.

After alighting from his helicopter, Mr Obama was greeted by his closest living relative, Henry Healy, his cousin eight times removed, whom the President immediately nicknamed "Henry the Eighth".

The two men exchanged a warm hug, and then the President and First Lady, delighted the crowds by making their way over to the barriers to say hello.

They spent an incredibly long time shaking hands, signing autographs, posing for photographs and kissing babies.

Even the Secret Service and White House press pool remarked that it was unusual to see Mr Obama spend so long at a rope line meeting the public - he was clearly enjoying his homecoming.

The president called into the house which now stands on the site of his old homestead, made a brief visit to An Siopa Beag to buy small gifts, and then dropped into Ollie Hayes' bar for a much anticipated afternoon pint.

Inside the bar he met several more of his cousins, and posed for photographs, before calling a pint.

The banter at the bar will be the stuff of lore for generations.

"You tell me when it's properly settled," he said to Ollie Hayes, "I don't want to mess this up."

"I have been told it makes a difference who the person behind the bar is, and that people are very particular who pulls their pint. Can people vouch for this guy?"

The place erupted in laughter and cheers.

He revealed it was not his first pint of Guinness - he had sampled one in Shannon Airport during a stopover on his way to Afghanistan once.

"It tastes so much better here than it did in the States," he said, "I realized that you guys are keeping all the best stuff here."

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for - Mr Obama raised the pint glass to his mouth and took a hearty gulp.

"Delicious," was the verdict.

First Lady Michelle enjoyed her own glass of Guinness, somewhat smaller than the pint her husband was enjoying.

"Slainte" said Mr Obama.

Then he reached into his pocket and produced a fifty euro note, and slammed it down on the counter.

"I just want you to know that the president always pays his bar tab," he said, and the whole bar erupted in cheers.

At this point the media were asked to leave, but Ollie Hayes has since revealed that Mrs Obama tried her hand at pulling the perfect pint.

She went behind the bar, and was unimpressed with her first effort.

She asked to do it again, the second one, pulled perfectly, was given to the local parish priest.

Once back outside, the President returned to the rope line to meet and greet even more people in his "native" town.

He departed on the helicopter with memories that will last one suspects, not just for the townspeople, but also for him, for a lifetime.

Meanwhile in Dublin, thousands of people had been queuing for hours to attend a free concert on College Green in the heart of the city which Mr Obama was due to address in the evening.

By mid-afternoon, Gardai told people to stay away because the area was filled to capacity, estimated to be around 40,000.

A celebration concert featured music from Imelda May, The Coronas, Jedward and Westlife, with appearances from sports stars Padraig Harrington, Robbie Keane, and Brian O'Driscoll, and movie stars Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Day Lewis and Gabriel Byrne.

But the main attraction was the President and First Lady, and the place went wild as they took to the stage after arriving from Moneygall.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny gave them a rousing introduction, which included a passionate appeal to the millions of Irish Americans who were Irish by "birth, marriage or desire" to follow their President and be welcomed home to Ireland.

The introduction was impressive - probably the highlight of his term in office to date and one that will boost his already growing stature as Taoiseach.

Mr Obama's speech that followed, was as expected, a joyful tribute to the bonds that tied Ireland and the US together.

He said Ireland was a "little country that inspired the biggest things" and its "best days were still ahead."

The crowd cheered regularly throughout the 20 minute speech.

In one of the most moving parts of the speech he said that Ireland had a massive influence on the USA.

"Never has a nation so small inspired so much in another," he said.

"Irish signatures are on our founding documents. Irish blood was spilled on our battlefields. Irish sweat built our great cities. Our spirit is eternally refreshed by Irish story and Irish song; our public life by the humour and heart and dedication of servants with names like Kennedy and Reagan, O'Neill and Moynihan.

"So you could say there's always been a little green behind the red, white and blue."

At the end of his speech, he resurrected his old campaign slogan and translated it into the Irish language.

As the crowd cheered, he roared, "Is feidir linn! Yes we can!"

It was a moment the thousands of people there will never forget.

Once again, after the speech finished, the President took time to meet some of the people at the front of the audience.

In one extraordinary moment, and much to the anxiety of his Secret Service protection, he accepted a cellphone from a teenager standing by the barrier and spoke for a short time with the girl's mother at the other end of the line.

It was a moment which summed up how relaxed the President was.

With volcanic ash making its way towards Ireland from Iceland's latest eruption, a decision was made that the President would not stay the night in Dublin, but fly to London early in order to avoid any possibility that Air Force One would be grounded.

But unusually, the early departure, did not cause any disappointment.

Rather, such was the richness of the connection made by the Obamas during their brief stopover, the Irish were happy they were leaving on a high, with a good impression made on both sides.