Tuesday evening the National Library held a fascinating panel discussion on JFK’s pivotal four day visit to Ireland in 1963. Panelists John O’Regan, Executive Producer for Current Affairs Special Events, Liam Wylie, Curator of RTÉ’s JFK exhibition, and Godfrey Graham, award winning RTÉ cameraman were hosted by author and broadcaster Ryan Tubridy. These experts recounted experiences and stories that related the visit from the perspective of RTÉ. Tales were heard on nearly every aspect of Kennedy’s visit, commencing with the President stepping off the plane from Berlin to his final glance back at Shannon airport. The evening was peppered with intriguing insights that ranged from dealing with vast amounts of security to the difficulties in attaining the perfect photo angle.
The talk was highlighted with clips from the RTÉ Archives. To see some of the amazing footage shown at the event, visit http://www.rte.ie/archives/. The next panel discussion will be held on the 17th of July at 7 PM at the National Library.This will be moderated by Rick O’Shea and will be on the space exploration programme as part of the Kennedy legacy.