Obama visit ‘longer than 5 hours’

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s visit to Ireland next month will last longer than five hours, a Government spokesman has said.

Mr Obama will visit Europe from May 23 to 28, with stops in Ireland, Britain, France and Poland.

A recent report suggested the White House’s initial plans for Ireland consisted of little more than a whistle-stop visit lasting approximately five hours.

But the Government spokesman said yesterday that the visit would be more significant than that.

“It will be longer than five hours, I can guarantee you,” the spokesman said.

The Government now had a “fair idea” of the president’s schedule but would wait for the formal announcement of the visit before releasing the detail, he added.

Earlier this week an advance party of over 30 US officials and security toured the Co Offaly village of Moneygall in preparation for Mr Obama’s visit.

Mr Obama’s distant relative, Fulmuth Kearney, left Moneygall in 1850 for New York, before eventually settling in Ohio.

Mr Obama quipped about his ancestry when confirming during Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s visit Washington on St Patrick’s Day that he would visit Ireland.

“It is true my great-great-great-grandfather really was from Ireland. It’s true. Moneygall, to be precise. I can’t believe I have to keep pointing this out.”