Obama visits Irish village of Moneygall on Europe tour
Baku, May 23 (AZERTAC). US President Barack Obama is visiting Moneygall in the Republic of Ireland as he begins a week-long tour of Europe.
The tiny village in County Offaly was the home of one of his ancestors who emigrated to America in 1850.
Locals greeted the president and First Lady Michelle Obama with whoops of delight as they entered the village.
He arrived in Dublin earlier on Monday. Security is tight during the trip, following the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan three weeks ago.
Crowds lined the streets in Moneygall, which normally only has 300 residents, to welcome Mr Obama.
The couple`s short visit, which is expected to last less than an hour, includes a trip down the village`s main street which was decked with stars and stripes as well as the Irish flags.
The Obamas visited the ancestral home of the Kearney family, shook hands with well-wishers lining the village`s flag-bedecked main street and enjoyed supping on a pint - or a half, in the first lady`s case - of Guinness in the village pub.
There had been a minor delay to the US president`s schedule when his bomb-proof Cadillac - nicknamed "the Beast" - became stuck on a ramp on the way out of the US embassy in Dublin, forcing the US first couple to switch vehicles.
When he returns to Dublin later, Mr Obama will deliver an open-air speech on College Green.
Upon arriving in the capital, President Obama met Irish President Mary McAleese, and also held talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
After the Republic of Ireland, the president will also visit the UK, France and Poland. In France, he will attend a meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) major world powers.
Mark Mardell, the BBC`s North America editor, says Afghanistan will be high on the agenda, as will the upheaval in the Arab world.
On Tuesday, Mr Obama flies to London for a three-day state visit to the UK.
He and his wife will stay at Buckingham Palace as guests of the Queen.
Mr Obama will hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street with the Nato operation in Libya expected to be high on the agenda.
Mr Obama will also address both houses of the UK parliament at Westminster Hall.
It is rare for a foreign head of state to make such an address in Westminster Hall - usually this is reserved for British monarchs.
The White House has said the visit will be an important opportunity for Mr Obama to reaffirm the strength of the "special relationship".
"The US and UK of course enjoy a special relationship," said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.
"There is no closer ally for the US in the world than the UK. We are in absolute alignment with the British on a range of core international security interests and, of course, our deeply shared set of values that have tied us together for many decades."
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