Barack Obama arrives in Moneygall

US President Barack Obama has stepped foot in his ancestral home in Co Offaly.

The president and the First Lady have arrived Moneygall, where up to 3,000 people lined the streets to welcome him home.

Mr Obama’s great-great-great-great-grandfather was a shoemaker in the rural village and his son, Falmouth Kearney, left for New York in 1850.

The couple’s short visit – expected to be less than an hour – includes a trip down Main Street to the Kearney ancestral home, where he will be greeted by John Donovan, the owner of the house, and his family.

They will also visit Ollie Hayes’ pub to meet extended family members including representatives of the Healy, Donovan and Benn families.