JohnnySign2013

JFK WE HARDLY KNEW YE MEMENTO

To Orwell Today,
re: WHERE'S JFK WE HARDLY KNEW YE?

Dear Jackie,

I drove the 2 hours down to New Ross on last Thursday and met with Ray Flynn and members of the organising committee of the JFK Museum. I gave them a loan of the placard, the book and a copy of the film along with some other photos taken by my father at the time. They were very interested in what I had and my items will be added to what is an impressive collection of memorabilia.

Attached (above) is a photo of the handover to Ray Flynn at the JFK Memorial.

One thing that may interest you was a discovery that I made some years ago on the web. I found a colour photo of JFK’s addressing the New Ross crowd, see:

JFKSignCrowd

I have attached a copy of it to this email also. The placard can be seen in the photo. To find it look down into the middle of the crowd under the letter 'T' of the word 'Agricultural' in the red sign on the grey building in the background in the centre of the picture. As Ray remarked, I managed to get very close to the President!

Kind regards,
Peter O’Leary

Greetings Peter,

I'm so glad you delivered the JFK sign personally from Dublin to New Ross -- it must have been a beautiful drive along the Emerald Isle coast with your precious cargo.

IrelandMap

I scanned a map that includes the places JFK visited during his homecoming visit 50 years ago -- Dublin, New Ross, Waterford, Galway, Limerick and Shannon.

That's a godcidental photo of the handover of the JFK sign at the statue of JFK -- you're each symbolically holding JFK's hand.

JohnnySign1963 JohnnySign2013

Hard to believe it's been 50 years since you held that sign high for JFK to see -- and yes, I found it in the crowd at New Ross -- and enlarged the pic to show it more clearly:

JFKsignCrowdClose

Thanks so much for sharing your JFK-book-inspiring JOHNNY WE HARDLY KNEW YE memento with ORWELL TODAY -- and the world.

JohnnyCover

All the best,
Jackie Jura

To Orwell Today,

Hi Jackie,

Many thanks for the update.

I travelled most of the way down to New Ross by the M9 which is a new motorway that was completed in 2010. I left the motorway near Leighlinbridge and travelled through some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland. It is called the Barrow Valley and it remains virtually undiscovered. The view across the valley to the Blackstairs mountains just south of my hometown of Graignamanagh was breathtaking in the beautiful weather that day. I visited my parents' graves on the way and paid my respects.

Kind regards,
Peter

Greetings again Peter,

Sounds like a wonderful day driving down to New Ross -- and a godcidental opportunity to visit your parents' graves -- especially since your father was a huge part of the JFK WE HARDLY KNEW YE saga -- he being the person who did the calligraphy on the sign and who took the close-up photo of JFK:

JFKFaceJohnny

As you say, you got very close to the President that day -- and your brother actually shook his hand -- in the flesh -- as you did in the bronze!

JohnnySign

And with your sister being the artist of the sketch of JFK's face -- and your mother there in the photo too, your family's a part of the JFK folklore.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

JFKRosesBirthday46 JFKFlowersGoblet FLOWERS FOR JFK (...On his trip to Ireland in June 1963 -- to which Jackie couldn't accompany him because she was pregnant with Patrick -- he was given a Waterford crystal vase which became his most precious souvenir. It was displayed on a table in the Oval Office and Jackie made arrangements with the White House florist to keep it filled with fresh flowers....Perhaps that's the Irish vase in the pic of JFK in his office -- and those are roses from his garden...)

Peter says he took the "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" sign down from the attic to lend to New Ross

WHERE'S JFK WE HARDLY KNEW YE (Ray wishes to contact Peter O'Leary to borrow the "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" sign for the 50th anniversary of JFK's Homecoming in New Ross)

JFK WE HARDLY KNEW YE SIGN (Peter writes that he was the person who held up the placard "Johnny I hardly knew ye" at New Ross, Ireland in 1963)

JFK TRUTHS & UNTRUTHS & JFK ASSASSINATION PUZZLE PIECES

Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~

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