Should we call him, "Barack O'Bama"?

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Obama's heritage traced to Ireland
listen Thursday, 15 March 2007 17:47

US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama can now count himself as one of the millions of Americans with Irish heritage.

Research by the genealogy website ancestry.co.uk reveals that Mr Obama's great great great grandfather was born in Ireland, although it is not yet known where.

Falmouth Kearney sailed from Ireland to New York in 1850 at the age of 19 on the S.S. Marmion arriving on the 20th of March.
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He initially settled in Ohio, got married, had eight children, and later moved to Indiana, right next door to the state Obama currently represents in the US Senate.

Mr Keaney was part of the great American migration to escape the 1840s potato famine in Ireland.

Mr Obama's father was from Kenya, while his mother grew up in Kansas.

'A great deal has been made of Obama's Kenyan roots, however his European ancestry has until now been overlooked', said Ancestry.co.uk Managing Director Simon Harper.

If Mr Obama gets elected, he would be the first multiracial US president in history - and join a long list of those with Irish ancestry including Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and of course, John F. Kennedy.

Ronald Reagan's great-grandfather, Michael O'Reagan, was born in Ireland in the 1820s. John F Kennedy's great-grandfather, Patrick Kennedy is said to have come from Dunganstown, Co Wexford, while Bill Clinton's maternal ancestors are said to have come from Co Fermanagh.

* Morning Ireland: Simon Ziviani of the family history website ancestry.co.uk talks about Barack Obama's hunt for his Irish ancestry

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0315/obamab.html

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Interesting. I recall reading that over 80 % of US police were Irish.

Reminds me of Australia's Pauline Hanson. Outspoken about our immigration policies, her heritage surprised her.

FORMER One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, the proudly outspoken proponent of polarising immigration policies, has discovered she is of Middle Eastern heritage.

Quote:

Ms Hanson said she was "amazed" and "mystified" to learn of her ancestry.

A recent DNA swab, taken with Ms Hanson's permission by The Sunday Mail, has revealed the controversial former MP's genetic makeup is drawn from a rich multicultural background, with 9 per cent originating in the Middle East, 32 per cent from Italy, Greece or Turkey and 59 per cent from northern Europe.

When told of the results, the former fish and chip shop owner appeared flustered, making references to "rape and pillage" in ancient times, adding:
"All I can think of is that probably down the track it eventuated from some war..........

When taking the test at her rural property outside Ipswich before Christmas, Ms Hanson, who recently attacked Muslims for "eradicating Australian traditions", said she was confident her ancestry came from England and Ireland.

In December the right-wing firebrand, who once warned that Australia was in danger of being swamped by Asians, launched a fresh attack on black South Africans and Muslims.

But she vowed yesterday that knowledge of her own exotic ancestry will not colour her views.

"I can't even believe you would even ask me that just because I might have 9 per cent Middle Eastern in me -this girl here is 100 per cent Australian," she said.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,21204450-5007190,00.html

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Quote:

Interesting. I recall reading that over 80 % of US police were Irish.

Major cities that have had primarily Irish police in the past are: Boston, Chicago and NY.

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Only if you want to call me O'Boomerang. Otherwise maybe you could just call him by his name.

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Quote:

O, be some other name!
What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet...

William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet 2.2

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Hey, when I get married, I'll be part Irish by marriage. then you can call me McSnood.

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I'm guessing there's a substantial number of a2k posters who would prefer to call Obama "boy." They're pretty much self-evident.

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yuppurs.

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O'Osso says let his name alone.

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snood wrote:

Hey, when I get married, I'll be part Irish by marriage. then you can call me McSnood.

That actually sounds rather fetching..

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nimh wrote:

snood wrote:
Hey, when I get married, I'll be part Irish by marriage. then you can call me McSnood.

That actually sounds rather fetching..

Sounds like a meal name rejected by McDonalds.

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Yummm.

I'll have a McSnood Happy Meal with a Coke please.

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McSnood sure sounds mighty fine. Congrats on the engagement, by the way. I missed any official announcement if there ever was one. Just picked up the whispers in the wind.

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I'm pretty tickled about it, dag. I feel like a very lucky fellow.

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I prefer Barack Yo Momma.

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nimh wrote:

snood wrote:
Hey, when I get married, I'll be part Irish by marriage.

Sounds like something our old friend John Kerry would say! Didn't old John pretend to be Irish?

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DrewDad wrote:

nimh wrote:
snood wrote:
Hey, when I get married, I'll be part Irish by marriage. then you can call me McSnood.

That actually sounds rather fetching..

Sounds like a meal name rejected by McDonalds.

Was that the BURGER with the excessive amounts of TRANS FAT??

Rolling Eyes

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I think the O'Bama thing is a red herring.

He's not what I would consider to be president material, but as long as he sends the cat amongst the pigeons, he's on my calling card list.

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Miller wrote:

snood wrote:
Hey, when I get married, I'll be part Irish by marriage.

Sounds like something our old friend John Kerry would say! Didn't old John pretend to be Irish?

Yeah, and George Allen... letsjustnotgothere, kay?

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Since John Kerry has decided not to be Irish any longer, have you noticed his absence from Boston fun on St. Pats Day?

Out-out and away! Laughing

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Should we call him, "Barack O'Bama"?

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