William Clay Ford Jr salutes his great-grandfather as he travels back to his roots

When Ford was described by UCC President Professor Patrick G. O’Shea as “a Cork company with an American subsidiary”, it was a remark that perfectly captured the light-hearted mood during the visit of William Clay Ford Jr.

Blue skies and warm sunshine greeted the Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company wherever he went — never more so than on his trip to Ballinascarthy, the West Cork townland where Henry Ford’s father had been born.

William, his wife, Lisa, and their sons, William and Nicholas, posed proudly in the famous silver Model T on the roadside that marks the connection to the company founder.