JFK in Ireland
Front cover of JFK in Ireland by Ryan Tubridy
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| Author | Ryan Tubridy |
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| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Subject | John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
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Publication date
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October 2010 |
| Pages | 302 |
JFK in Ireland: Four Days That Changed a President is the title of the first book written by Irish broadcaster Ryan Tubridy. Released in the UK in 2010, and by Lyons Press in the US in 2011, it is a profile of President of the United States John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland.
A spokesperson for Eason & Son was reported to have called it "one of the most highly anticipated literary events of the year". Tubridy was exempted from paying income tax on his work, leading to criticism from politicians and the media. The broadcaster said he would send copies of the book to both the Kennedy family and the White House. The book contains photographs of Kennedy's visit.
A documentary, JFK: A Homecoming, by Ryan Tubridy was broadcast on RTÉ One prior to the book's release. Bernice Harrison, reviewing the week's television in The Irish Times, commented: "The timing of this history documentary – not the usual bank-holiday viewing, not an anniversary of the visit, no new revelations – was peculiar until you noted that RTÉ's star presenter has a book coming out this week about the JFK visit. Nice publicity if you can get it".
For more than €100,000 HarperCollins signed Tubridy as part of a two-book deal. They wanted an autobiography but he persuaded them otherwise. The broadcaster said he had thought about going back to college before taking on the task of writing this book.
JFK in Ireland serves as a profile of John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland while he was President of the United States. Kennedy referred to this visit as "the best 'four days of his life'" and it occurred five months before his assassination. Tubridy's book discusses how Kennedy's visit affected the country, wondering if it was an inspirational one and featuring rare photographs and personal documents.
While researching the book, Tubridy discovered that Éamon de Valera (then President of Ireland) had part of Kennedy's speech to Dáil Éireann erased from all records after finding its content offensive. Intended as a joke, the comment "Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas" led to a "dressing down" for Kennedy and Taoiseach Seán Lemass to question this "utter suppression" by de Valera. Contrary to Tubridy's claim, however, the full text of the speech can be found on the Oireachtas website.
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