The Arlington Flame traveled to the Irish ruins that Kennedy visited 50 years ago.
Kennedy's eternal flame travels to Ireland
June 18, 2013-John F. Kennedy's eternal flame has a new light today. A part of the flame was taken by a torch from the Presidential Memorial in his graveyard in Arlington National Cemetery and transported to New Ross in County Wexford, Ireland.
The torch will be placed on the memorial there to celebrate the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland.
The transition of flames took place at a ceremony held in Arlington this morning. The ceremony began with the laying of a wreath to the 35th President of the United States.
The ceremony continued amid the national anthems of the two countries, attended by military personnel of the two countries.
The Kennedy family is represented by Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, who spoke on behalf of his uncle about how humble this honor is for the family.
"The story of the president's visit to Ireland is the story of a young man returning home," he said of his visit on June 27, 1963. "This is a story about a thousand welcomes and a million tears."
The members of the Irish Embassy also spoke about Kennedy's influence on the Irish people.
The Irish Minister of State, Paul Kehoe, called President Kennedy the voice of hope. "He is the embodiment of this hope... a living proof that the Irish can do whatever they want," Kehoe said, adding that Kennedy came when Ireland needed encouragement.
The Kennedy torch was lit by the eternal flame. The torch was passed by a series of representatives from the Irish Defence Force, the Special Olympics, the United States Peace Corps and the New Ross Town Council.
The torch will be transferred from the Kennedy torch to the Kennedy lamp, across the Atlantic Ocean to Wexford County, which is not the only place where President Kennedy delivered a speech in 1963. But his great-grandfather immigrated from here in 1848.
The lamp will be dedicated in his new home on Saturday.
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