Before I call Senator Joe O'Reilly, it is my great pleasure, as Cathaoirleach, to issue a céad míle fáilte roimh na cuairteoirí as na Stáit Aontaithe mar inniu táimid ag ceiliúradh an óráid speisialta a thug an t-iarUachtarán Seán Mac Gearailt Ó Cinnéide i dTeach Laighean.
Today is a very special day in Leinster House. We are commemorating the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's address to the joint Houses of the Oireachtas. I am pleased, as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, to welcome members of the Kennedy family, including John F. Kennedy's nephew, Mr. Stephen Kennedy Smith, and his wife, Cheryl; Mr. Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association; and members, board members and staff of the JFK Library Foundation. The chancellor of the University of Massachusetts is with us, as is the Consul General for Ireland in Boston, Ms Laoise Moore. They are welcome to Leinster House, the Oireachtas and Seanad Éireann on this auspicious occasion.
We had a wonderful breakfast this morning commemorating the visit. To put it in context, given the times we are living in with the media and the news cycle in this country at the moment, the New York Herald, on the occasion of President Kennedy's visit to Ireland, stated, "It would be difficult to dream up a more unjustified and time-wasting trip than the one on which President Kennedy is scheduled to embark." How wrong that was. As we all know, the visit of President Kennedy left an enduring and lasting legacy. It is my great pleasure and privilege, as Cathaoirleach, to welcome Mr. Kennedy Smith today. Of course, his mum, Ms Jean Kennedy Smith, was a former ambassador to Ireland. She did a great job in the Deerfield Residence and across Ireland.
Mr. Stewart McLaurin, as I said earlier, is the president of the White House Historical Association. Thanks to Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy, who founded the association, it is the custodian of the people's house. It is, as Mr. McLaurin has said, a treasure trove of memories. We thank Mr. McLaurin for being here today and for visiting Leinster House. We hope he enjoys the rest of his trip.
The sad news is that Ms Laoise Moore is leaving Boston and moving back home. We thank her for her extraordinary work in Boston on behalf of the citizens of Ireland. The work she does with many of our emigrants, often at difficult and traumatic times in their lives, is deeply appreciated. Today is a day of celebration. On behalf of all of us, Ms Moore has dealt with families and people at their most vulnerable and at the most trying of times, as well as at happier times. Her work is appreciated. As she leaves Boston, I ask her to know we are appreciative of what she has done for the Irish people there. I thank her very much indeed.