19 April 2011

Royal Visit to Ireland - Monaco's Prince Albert's 'Homecoming'

Some Wild Geese recently returned to Ireland when Prince Albert of Monaco visited the source of his lineage with his fiancee Charlene Wittstock. This state visit  took place 50 years after Albert's parents – Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace – had taken part in a similar trip.

The state visit included a visit to St. Joseph's National school
Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock meeting Irish 
President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin



Prince Albert's great-grandfather, John Kelly owned a cottage in Newport Co Mayo and eventually emigrated to the United States where he started a new life for himself in Pennsylvania. His son, John Brendan Kelly Sr. (known as Jack Kelly) was an Olympic Gold Medalist rower and Jack's daughter was the renowned actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly


An incredible example of The Wild Geese in the modern world, Prince Albert's rich lineage had a very significant impact on not only their adopted community, but the American nation. Prince Albert was humbled by the visit, emphasising that it felt 'more like a homecoming than a state visit'. 

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