John F Kennedy
John F Kennedy’s White House was probably the most culturally welcoming of all US presidencies. Bernstein, Stravinsky and Copland were all invited, and the great cellist Pablo Casals played a recital. JFK no doubt inherited his penchant for domestic music-making from his Irish ancestors, and on a trip to Ireland in 1963 he visited the homestead of his great-grandfather Patrick in Dunganstown, half an hour from Wexford. A visitor centre now stands on the site and the John F Kennedy Arboretum ten minutes away in New Ross is an ideal spot to unwind between operas.