NEW YORK, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America's cultural ties to Ireland remain powerful and our shared family bonds have only deepened. Ireland is where the story began for many American families, and there has never been a better time to come home to Ireland and discover your roots.
Ireland’s connection to U.S. Presidents is one of the deepest and most culturally significant transatlantic relationships in the world. Northern Ireland has played a significant role in the United States’ Presidential history and the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, highlights the storied history between the two nations.
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Ancestral home counties connected to U.S. Presidents. America has had 23 presidents with Irish roots, and many of them can be traced to specific towns and counties across Ireland.
James Hoban, originally from Kilkenny, was the winner of a 1792 competition to build an official residence for the President of the newly formed United States of America. The design of the White House, as it became known, was inspired by the Georgian architecture of Dublin, where Hoban received training at the Dublin Society’s Drawing School.
Doo Lough, Co. Mayo The landscape the Irish in America carried in memory
The Ulster Folk Park will have live readings of the Declaration of Independence, reenactments, frontier food, and historical displays exploring Ulster Scots and the birth of America.
Getting to Ireland is easy with direct flights from major gateways across the United States.
Ever since the first emigrants crossed the Atlantic with their stories, their music and their hope for a better life, the Irish have helped to shape the new republic.
Over two million people emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1700s and 1800s, influencing early colonial life and playing an important role in the Revolutionary War. Among the earliest and most significant settlers were the Scots Irish, many of whom became prominent pioneers, soldiers, and even presidents.
23 US presidents have ancestral links to Ireland – 17 of them have connections to Northern Ireland, including Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt. You can explore these presidential roots at ancestral homesteads around the island of Ireland.
Eight of the original signatories of the Declaration of Independence had Irish heritage – in fact, five of them had family roots in Ulster. It was Charles Thomson, born in County Derry, who designed the Great Seal of the United States. Stephen Moylan, a proud Cork man and aide to George Washington, coined the phrase "United States of America".
A visit to Ireland offers the opportunity to see that our shared heritage is still true today.
Hear how those old traditional tunes evolved in the new world at the Bluegrass Omagh Festival in the Ulster American Folk Park. Or experience the thrill of live music at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast or the Belfast Tattoo.
The distilling know-how carried across the Atlantic laid the foundations of America's whiskey tradition. You can experience that potent mix of craft and innovation at Ireland's whiskey distilleries such as Slane, Bushmills, and Middleton.
Sport is a passion shared by Ireland and America, from the Friendship Four bringing American college ice hockey to Belfast to the Aer Lingus College Football classic that sees top teams kick off their season in Dublin.
The people of Ireland and the United States hold common values, a mutual respect, and shared hopes for the future. That human connection is at the heart of our relationship, and it is what will sustain and strengthen our bond in the years ahead.
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