Obama ancestor was bigwig in Dublin of 1700s
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Thursday August 07 2008
Genealogists have uncovered fresh evidence of Barack Obama's Irish ancestry revealing the US Presidential hopeful descended from an 18th century Dublin property mogul.
Previous records found Mr Obama's fourth great grandfather was a shoemaker in the village of Moneygall in Co Offaly, whose son Fulmuth Kearney left for the US in 1850.
But researchers at Trinity College Dublin, delved further into the would-be-president's colourful past to find his sixth great granduncle was a prominent Dublin businessman in the 1700s.
Wig-maker Michael Kearney brushed shoulders with Ireland's aristocracy on a daily basis and bought and sold property throughout the country.
Obama's political dynasty can also be traced to Kearney who was heavily involved in the trade politics of Dublin.
A distant cousin was also discovered -- John Kearney -- who served as the head of Trinity College and Bishop of the midlands Diocese of Ossory in the early 19th century. Research director with the Trinity heritage group Eneclann, Fiona Fitzsimons, said they were amazed by the discovery.
"When we started off we had Joseph Kearney shoemaker, that sounded like a country shopkeeper. But we were surprised to find any link to Dublin.
Invested
"Michael Kearney made his money from wigs, but then he invested the profits from that into a lot of property.
In the 18th century wigs were worn by the aristocracy, professionals and gentry, so Kearney would have been mixing with the elite of the Irish capital on a daily basis.
His business dealings also afforded him the opportunity to become a Freeman of Dublin in 1718 and he ended up very active in the politics of his trade guild.
However, after the 1780s the fortunes of this line of the Kearney family went into a fairly rapid decline due to a combination of the economic changes brought about after the Act of Union in 1801 and the decline in the fashion of wig wearing.
- Colm Kelpie
