Town shines on Nationwide
RTE devoted a full Nationwide programme to New Ross on Tuesday evening last, showing a smart, bustling town, which celebrates its Kennedy and river heritage.
The programme showed film reels of President John F Kennedy’s visit to New Ross, including when he addressed thousands of people from a podium on New Ross quay front 55 years ago, stating: ‘It took 115 years to make this trip and 6,000 miles and three generations.’
Shot during the Kennedy Summer School weekend last September – on an often fine weekend – it included interviews with chairman of the JFK Trust Willie Fitzharris, who outlined how the trust was formed in 1988 at a time when the town and the country ‘was on its knees’.
He said the trust sought ways in which to capitalise on the Kennedy brand to build the local economy and to attract tourists to the area. Images of people walking the wuay front and in the John F Kennedy Arboretum reflected well on the area.
Municipal council district director Eamonn Hore provided presenter Anne Cassin with an insight into the economic benefit the town’s links with the Kennedy name has had, saying that 70 per cent of visitors are aware of the Kennedy connection, while 40 per cent chose the town particularly for the Kennedy factor.
He said 200,000 people visit the town and Dunganstown each year, with further potential growth arising from the fact that three out of every four young Americans see John F Kennedy as the top modern American president.
He said the Kennedy connection has meant hundreds of jobs for the area.
The programme highlighted the Kennedy archive collection in New Ross Library, which was launched last autumn, while Kennedy Summer School director Noel Whelan outlined the history of the summer school, from when it was founded in the run up to the JFK50 celebrations in 2013 and how modern political issues are debated at the event every September. Talks at St Mary’s secondary school were also shown.
CEO of the Dunbrody Visitor Centre gave an insight into the Irish America Hall of Fame and the history of the replica famine ship, while Mary Murphy showed Ms Cassin around the Kennedy Homestead. The arboretum was also highlighted in the lengthy programme.
Mr Hore said: ‘It was a great half hour’s exposure on a well watched programme, which has a viewership of 700,000. Anyone who spoke to me about it, the unanimous verdict, was that New Ross looked really well.
The fact that they cut in shots of St Michael’s Theatre, cafes, the new hotel and the library showed off the town really well so we are delighted with it and delighted with the reaction of the people.’