SNIPPET: Per the Jan-Feb 2009 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine: "It's the question of all of County Offaly, and indeed most of Ireland, is asking. When will President Barack OBAMA visit the home of his Irish ancestors? The wheels are already in motion. Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian COWEN, Offaly's leading son, didn't waste too much time after Senator OBAMA morphed into President-elect OBAMA. The invitation to visit Ireland was made in a pre-arranged phone call on November 18th. Mr. COWAN was in Thomond Park in Limerick at the time, having just formally opened the spanking new stadium there before watching Munster almost beat New Zealand's legendary All Blacks rugby team. President-elect OBAMA's third great-grandfather, Fulmouth KEARNEY and his family were members of the Church of Ireland in Moneygall, Co. Offaly - which happens to be in Mr. COWAN's Dail (parliament) constituency. Mr. KEARNEY, a shoemaker by trade, left Ireland in 1850 and settled in OH, where he took to farming. In 1960 his direct descendant, Ann DUNHAM, married a Kenyan student, Mr. OBAMA. Their son will be the 44th President of the United States. An Irish Government spokesperson said Mr. COWAN congratulated Mr. OBAMA on his election, and 'stressed the importance the Government attaches to Ireland's relationship with the United States.' The two men then talked about President-elect OBAMA's connections to Co. Offaly, and Mr. COWAN took the opportunity to update him on developments in Northern Ireland. In terms of Irish representation among the presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the U. S. election, we had all bets covered - all four of them have Irish roots!"