The main street of Moneygall is grey and deserted. There’s no coffee shop, no restaurant, and nobody in Bergin’s, the grocery store, apart from Pat Bergin himself. Yet there’s a palpable sense of something about to happen.
Closer inspection unearths a lone American tourist, buffeted by the wind on Main Street, taking a photograph of a placard about President Barack Obama. A few metres away, the distinctive smell of fresh paint wafts from behind the closed doors of Ollie Hayes’s pub.
In Bergin’s is the biggest clue of all. “They have double-lining, great stitching and they’re sturdy,” says the shop-owner, proudly stroking a miniature American flag. “For €3.99, you won’t get better value.” Behind him, an A4 sheet, taped to a shelf, declares “American Car Flags For Sale”.
The merchandise looks incongruous, set alongside razors, paintbrushes and mass cards. But with Obama’s visit to Moneygall, his ancestral home just weeks away, this small box of American paraphernalia is only the beginning.
“I got the flags in yesterday, but I’ve plans for a lot more,” says Bergin. “We’re looking at mugs, T-shirts, pins. The whole town is buzzing with the excitement. Not a day passes that you don’t see a few tourists passing through, taking photographs. There’s painting planned for all the houses. The whole town will be spick and span.”
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Bergin gazes out the window thoughtfully. “Moneygall might never be the same again,” he says.
Three years ago, a motorway bypass amputated Moneygall from the rest of Ireland. Now the villagers are hoping that the most powerful man on the planet will rescue it from midlands anonymity.
Despite being faced with competition from other state visits, the people of Moneygall believe they’ve drawn the ace from the pack. The excitement has already spread to the surrounding area. On Thursday morning in Moneygall, Michael Egan and Aidan O’Sullivan Jr, from the neighbouring town of Roscrea, admitted making a stop-off to soak up the atmosphere.
“Normally I whizz through it and don’t even blink,” says Egan, grinning. “There’s even an old local saying: ‘The crows close their eyes passing over Moneygall’. They’ll be opening their eyes now though. I think it’s marvellous.”
His grin suddenly turns crafty. “And of course, when everyone comes to see Moneygall, they might all pop into Roscrea, too. We’re a heritage town, you know. Lots of nice abbeys for the tourists.”
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They’re not the only ones pinning their hopes on famous outsiders. With Prince Albert II of Monaco due to visit Mayo this week, Queen Elizabeth II coming in May, and Pope Benedict XVI a possible visitor to Croke Park next year, there will be more opportunities around the country for publicity.
So, after three years of negative international press, will these visits give the floundering economy and depressed population the boost they so desperately need?
Michael Ring, the junior minister for tourism, certainly thinks so. “These are unique opportunities to promote Ireland on a world stage, just when we need it most,” he said. “The eyes of the world will be upon us, and we need to make sure they like what they see.”
Naturally, Ring is particularly delighted about Albert’s visit to Mayo. The prince will mark the 50th anniversary of the visit to Ireland of his late parents, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, the former actress Grace Kelly. Albert will retrace his parents’ footsteps to a dilapidated, roofless cottage in Newport, beside Leg of Mutton lake, where his great grandfather, John Bernard Kelly, lived before emigrating to America.
“The whole town is very excited about it,” Ring said. “It’s a great occasion.” But Albert is only a warm-up act for the main events, the Queen, followed by Obama.
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The American president took everyone by surprise on St Patrick’s Day when he accepted Enda Kenny’s invitation to visit Ireland. Even the taoiseach had been given no warning. From a political perspective, the decision was predictable, according to Niall O’Dowd, editor of the American-based Irish Voice.
“Obama has just kicked off his campaign for re-election to the presidency next year, and that will have played a big part in the decision,” O’Dowd said. “In presidential elections, the result always comes down to just a couple of states, and Pennsylvania and Ohio are two of the biggest among them. They both have a huge Irish-American vote.”
Last week O’Dowd’s paper revealed the White House had scheduled just five hours for Obama’s Irish visit, a plan that now seems to have receded in the face of negative publicity.
But in Moneygall, the length of the president’s visit, or the reasons for it, do not matter a bit. “If he’s only coming for five hours, then we’re even luckier that some of that time will be spent here,” beams Stephen Neill, the Church of Ireland rector who found the records proving that Obama’s great-great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, hailed from Moneygall.
The 300-strong population of the village has held a meeting to discuss how best to deal with the event. Every house between the speed limits on either side of Moneygall will be painted. On Thursday, there will be a “colour consultation”, to ensure the shades of paint are “harmonised”.
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“Falmouth Kearney’s house has already been powerhosed, and we’re looking into hanging baskets for everyone, but I think the [American] secret service will have a problem with that,” said Neill regretfully.
One of the primary aims of Moneygall residents is to ensure that Obama’s visit will have an enduring benefit. “We don’t want to make the same mistakes as Ballyporeen [the Tipperary village that hosted Ronald Reagan in 1984],” says Neill. “That’s faded for them, but we want to keep the memory alive. We’re developing a tourist trail, with plaques at various points of interest, such as the house where Falmouth was born. We’ll have a leaflet explaining all about it.”
While Moneygall residents are plotting how to become a tourism hotspot, it faces some stiff competition. In the same week that Obama arrives, the Queen will become the first British monarch to visit Ireland in 100 years.
“It’s going to be quite an extraordinary visit,” said the journalist Mary Kenny, who has written a book on the relationship between Ireland and the monarchy. “Next year, the Queen will have sat on the throne for 60 years. In that time, Ireland is one of the few countries in the world she hasn’t visited.”
Kenny believes a number of factors influenced the Queen’s decision. “Obviously there was the situation in the north — she was never going to visit until that had been rectified,” she said. “Now, after the peace agreement, Anglo-Irish relations are much improved, and things like the apology of David Cameron for Bloody Sunday have helped that. There is a feeling that her visit would bring closure to all that has happened.”
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Other considerations are more prosaic. “President Mary McAleese has a good relationship with her, and was determined the visit would happen on her watch,” claimed Kenny. “Her term in office comes to an end this year. The Queen is also busy, so it’s about timing.”
There are fears that the royal visit could be disrupted by republican protesters. The Department of Justice is already working to prevent any unseemly — or dangerous — interruptions to the trip. Already, one pub-owner on Dublin’s northside has been ordered to remove a massive banner declaring the Queen is barred from the premises.
“I hope people behave themselves,” said Ring. “Britain has helped us in the recent crisis. We need all the help we can get.”
The suggested itinerary won’t do anything to soothe outraged republicans. Upon arrival, the Queen is expected to travel up O’Connell Street, past the GPO, to pay her respects at the Garden of Remembrance, which is dedicated to the memory of “all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish freedom”. The following day, in what would be a huge act of symbolism, she is expected to visit Croke Park.
“Hopefully, the fact that Obama is coming as well will take the heat out of her visit, and there won’t be trouble,” said Kenny. “It could be a huge success. I think the key for Irish dignitaries who meet her will be to strike the right balance between friendliness and deference.”
Even if all these guest appearances don’t boost Irish tourism, it’s possible we will have one more chance next year with the visit of the Pope. There is speculation he may say mass in Croke Park on June 17, 2012, at the end of an international congress. Already, organisers of “spiritual tours” in Ireland are rubbing their hands at the prospect.
“It would obviously be a boost for us,” said Deborah Maxwell, manager of Lough Derg. “We are already working on nationwide spiritual tours, and a visit by the Pope would hold great potential for that.”
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Ring targets rip-off prices
The tourism minister wants all Irish businesses to sign a “price-fixing charter” during big events to prevent hotels or restaurants hiking their prices to capitalise on the influx of tourists, writes Sarah McInerney.
Michael Ring said the government intends to promote Ireland as a low- cost destination as part of its new tourism strategy. He wants businesses to sign an agreement, as they did in Galway during the Volvo Ocean Race in 2009, not to raise prices during big tourism events.
“One of the biggest reasons tourism has dropped here is the cost factor,” he said. “We are perceived as an expensive place. That is no longer the case. We have the cheapest hotels in the world now, and great quality food that is affordable. That is one of the messages we want to sell.
“That’s something I want to look at for major events, to ensure there are no rip-off price increases. It worked well in Galway when all the businesses signed an agreement not to raise their prices. I’ll be meeting all the parties over the coming weeks and discussing this with them.”
Ring said another priority is to make Irish visas more readily available in China. He said: “China is an emerging market, but the feedback we’re getting is that the Chinese are not coming here because it’s so difficult to get a visa. I’m going to refer this issue to cabinet. It’s important such a huge source of tourism isn’t shut off from the country.”