Presidents Welcome O'Hara Induction

The President of Ireland and a former US President have celebrated the entry of legendary Irish movie star, Maureen O’Hara into the ‘Irish America Hall of Fame’ on Friday.

The Irish American Hall of Fame is operated under the auspices of the Irish American Heritage Center, a non-profit organization centered in the Irish American Heritage Centre in the northwest side of Chicago.

However, Maureen O’Hara was formally inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame by Founder of Irish America magazine, Patricia Harty at the new Dunbrody visitor’s centre, New Ross, County Wexford.

In a letter of support President Mary McAleese celebrated Maureen’s lifetime achievements saying: “During her long and distinguished acting career Maureen’s great talent has brought joy and great pleasure to many thousands of people all over the world. However, despite her worldwide success and popularity, Maureen has never lost her strong connection with Ireland and has always made us very proud to claim her as ‘one of our own’.”

Former US President Bill Clinton also paid tribute to Maureen by saying: “After a career as Hollywood’s ‘unofficial ambassador’ from the Emerald Isle, you’ve earned the respect and admiration of colleagues and fans alike.

"As a longtime admirer of your work and a fellow Irish-American, I thank you for all that you’ve done to nurture our world’s appreciation for the Irish culture.”

The Irish America Hall of Fame is centrepiece of a new visitor centre, which has been developed in collaboration with publishers Niall O’Dowd and Patricia Harty of Irish America Magazine. The exhibition celebrates the lives, works and achievements of noted Irish individuals such as, President John F Kennedy and the Kennedys, Henry Ford, Donald Keough and President Clinton and now Maureen O’Hara.

Speaking at Friday's ceremony, Publisher Patricia Harty of Irish America Magazine said, “We in Irish America are delighted to have a permanent home for our Hall of Fame in Dunbrody’s magnificent new Irish Emigration History Centre in New Ross, Co. Wexford.

"And we are particularly pleased to be welcoming Maureen O’Hara as our latest inductee into our Hall of Fame. As a star of 60 films, O’Hara lit up the silver screen and engaged the hearts of viewers the world over, but she never forgot her roots, and always proudly declared, ‘Yes, I am most definitely an Irishwoman.’ “

The Dunbrody visitor centre is a brand new €2.6 million building, €1.88m of which was provided under the National Development Plan, administered by Failte Ireland on behalf of the Department of Tourism.

(DW)