On the 60th anniversary of the speech, using a range of historical resources to see the event from the perspective of those who witnessed it, take a fresh look at President Kennedy's address to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas and consider if there can ever be one "true" version of history.
Explore | the address
Kennedy's address in Leinster House was an historic event of firsts and witnessed by many. It was the first time the Dáil and Seanad sat in a formal joint sitting. It was the first time a foreign dignitary - indeed, an American president - addressed both Houses of the Parliament. It was the first time television cameras recorded events in the Dáil Chamber.
(Re)making history
A little after 4 p.m. on a June day in 1963, after some words of welcome from the Ceann Comhairle, the President, in a dark suit and tie, stood at a lectern in the Dáil Chamber in Leinster House, a sheaf of typewritten pages in his hand.
Take a look at who was there and how we might read the room that Kennedy saw from his lectern.
Finding the right words
The President's address to those gathered in the Dáil Chamber begins with not one but two inaccuracies. A slight verbal miscue by Kennedy meant he misspoke the date and location of the Battle of Fredericksburg.
The film, audio and written versions of the speech differ slightly so is there a definitive version of the President's address?
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Explore | speech documents
Take a look at some different versions of the President's address, including a copy of the speech pages he used in the Chamber, complete with handwritten notes by Kennedy, the copy of the speech distributed to the press and the speech contained in the Official Report of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Flag of "the Fighting Sixty-Ninth"
During his address, President Kennedy presented a flag to the Irish people that had been gifted by the 69th New York Volunteers Irish Brigade, which came under fire at the Battle of Fredericksburg over a century before his address to the Irish Parliament.
As Kennedy notes:
In the fall of 1862, after serving with distinction and gallantry in some of the toughest fighting of this most bloody struggle, the Irish Brigade was presented with a new set of flags [...] Today, in recognition of what these gallant Irishmen and what millions of other Irish have done for my country, and through the generosity of the Fighting 69th, I would like to present one of these flags to the people of Ireland.
Kennedy made history when addressing the joint sitting but the gift bestowed by him to the Irish people already had a rich history of its own.
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Explore | history of the flag
The flag of "the Fighting Sixty-Ninth" has been in Leinster House since its presentation to the Irish people. Read the history of the flag and watch President Kennedy bestowing it to Ireland.
Explore | the role of witnesses
In a 1966 interview, the Taoiseach at the time, Seán Lemass spoke about how part of the Kennedy address had "disappeared completely".
The piece in question contained a quote about Leinster House not inspiring "the brightest ideas", so is it part of the "official" address?
The film of the speech appears to omit the section referred to by Lemass, although the written versions of the speech are complete.
Take a look at the relevant passage from the Lemass interview
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Explore | comparing video, audio and text
The film, audio and text resources of Kennedy's address vary slightly from each other. Take a look at how the audio file from the Kennedy archives can be overlaid on the broadcast footage and viewed with the written text sources to highlight the importance of considering all sources of an historical event.
In this case it highlights the "missing" piece of the broadcast alluded to by Lemass in his interview, highlighted in the text by a red box where no video is available.
This part of the address was always contained in the Official Report and other written forms of the address. This does not mean the written sources are identical. The Official Report of the Houses makes changes to parliamentary debate when appropriate to correct errors and changed Kennedy's inaccurate reference to the date of a speech by Henry Grattan, for example.
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Marking 60 years since President Kennedy's speech in the Oireachtas
A breakfast event marking the historic speech was held in Leinster House. Hosted by the Cathaoirleach, Senator Jerry Buttimer, and attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland and Stephen Kennedy Smith, among others, the event served to recall the timeless message of President Kennedy's speech in 1963.
JFK Presidential Library and Museum
This page came about using materials from the archives of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, which preserves and provides access to historical materials related to President Kennedy and his life.
References
Kennedy, John F., Dáil Debates, 203, No. 14, 28 June 1963.
Kennedy, John F., 1991, Papers of John F. Kennedy. 28 June 1963. President’s Office Files. [Speech Files]. Address to Irish Parliament, Dublin. JFKPOF-045-036-p0001. Boston. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Kennedy, John F., 1991, Papers of John F. Kennedy. 28 June 1963. President’s Office Files. Historic Speeches, JFKWHA-202-001, Boston, John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
O’Connor, J.E., 1966, Seán Lemass recorded interview, John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program, Boston. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.