Kennedy Homestead


The birthplace of Patrick Kennedy (great-grandfather of John F Kennedy) is a farm that still looks much as it must have done when he departed for America in 1848. When JFK visited in 1963 and hugged the current owner's grandmother, it was his first public display of affection, according to his sister, Jean. A museum examines the Kennedy dynasty's history on both sides of the Atlantic. It's on a minor road 7km south of New Ross, signposted from the R733.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. John F Kennedy Arboretum

2.61 MILES

This beautiful woodland park, dedicated to the memory of JFK, the late US president, has 4500 species of trees and shrubs spread across 252 hectares of…

2. Dunbrody Famine Ship

3.58 MILES

Called 'coffin ships' due to their fatality rate, the leaky, smelly boats that hauled a generation of Irish emigrants to America are reimagined on board…

3. Dunbrody Abbey

4.49 MILES

Beside the R733, 9km north of Duncannon, ruined Dunbrody Abbey is a remarkably intact Cistercian abbey founded by Strongbow in 1170 and completed in 1220…

4. Ballyhack Castle

6.93 MILES

Pretty Ballyhack village is 5.5km northwest of Duncannon. It’s dominated by the 15th-century Ballyhack Castle, a Knights Hospitallers tower house…

5. Reginald's Tower

7.92 MILES

Ireland's oldest complete building and the first to use mortar, 13th-century Reginald's Tower, the city's key fortification, is an outstanding example of…

6. City Hall

7.97 MILES

Waterford's stately City Hall (1788) was designed by local architect John Roberts.

7. Medieval Museum

8 MILES

Housed in a stunning modern structure that incorporates several medieval buildings and part of the city wall in its basement (all on display), this museum…

8. Clock Tower

8.01 MILES

In the middle of Waterford's waterfront stands an 1860s clock tower, a famous local landmark.