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Obama Irish Roots

March 18, 2012 by · Comments Off on Obama Irish Roots 

Obama Irish Roots, President Barack Obama could not visit Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub in Syracuse for St. Patrick’s Day, so he chose the next best thing — the Irish pub with Syracuse roots in Washington, D.C.

Obama made a surprise visit Saturday afternoon to The Dubliner, a landmark Capitol Hill pub owned by Danny Coleman, the Syracuse native whose father opened Coleman’s on Tipperary Hill in 1933.

Danny Coleman told reporters he received only five minutes notice before Obama’s arrival to cheering patrons on the Dubliner’s sidewalk terrace at about 1 p.m. Saturday.

Obama was accompanied by Henry Healy, an ancestral cousin from Moneygall, Ireland, and Ollie Hayes, the owner of a pub the president visited in Moneygall.

A pool reporter who accompanied the president said he drank a pint of Guinness with his guests, while wearing a moss-green jacket that read, “National Parks, America’s Best Idea.” The crowd, aware of the famous visitor, broke into chants of “Four more years” and “U.S.A.! U.S.A!”

At one point, Obama posed for photos with Danny Cooper Coleman, the 21-month-old grandson of Danny Coleman. The president also wore a “VIP Guest” badge adorned with a photo of the grandson.

Carolyn Kaster/APBarack Obama holds Danny Cooper Coleman, 21 months, as he celebrates St. Patrick’s Day at The Dubliner Restaurant and Pub.

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