Missed Opportunity

Eileen Vard

I was eight years old when JFK came to Ireland. My mother, who loved a bit of excitement, brought myself and one of my older sisters to Stephen’s Green to see his cavalcade in the afternoon. We seemed to be waiting a long time to catch a glimpse of them. I was pretty bored waiting when a stir ran through the crowd, he was on his way. Preceding the car there was a group of Garda motorbicycles. One came in very close to where we were standing forcing us back just as JFK passed, I never got to see him! His visit was a big news event at the time.