Obama visit chance to highlight 'affinity' between US and Ireland

A senior Obama administration official today said that US President Barack Obama’s state visit to Ireland will be a chance to celebrate the "enormous affinity" between the two countries.

The Irish leg of Mr Obama’s trip will see him visit his family roots in the tiny village of Moneygall, from which an ancestor of his mother left for New York in the 19th century, and give a speech in Dublin.