Where to Visit the Irish Roots of America’s Founding Fathers

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If you want to visit Irish roots of America’s founding fathers, these are the sites that matter most: the Ulster American Folk Park in Co. Tyrone, the Cobh Heritage Centre in Co. Cork, the Kennedy Homestead in Co. Wexford, the Andrew Jackson Centre in Co. Antrim, and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin. Each one marks a real departure point — the actual ground where Irish men and women boarded ships and built a nation 3,000 miles away. This guide tells you exactly where to go and what to expect.

These are not just tourist attractions. They are the same ports, the same villages, the same soil that produced the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, commanded Washington’s armies, and shaped the American presidency. When Americans with Irish roots walk through these places, they retrace their own family story.

Before you plan your trip, start here with our complete Ireland planning guide — it covers everything from driving on the left to the best time of year to visit.

1. Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone

The Ulster American Folk Park is one of Ireland’s finest outdoor museums. It sits on the edge of Omagh in County Tyrone and brings the 18th-century emigrant experience to life in extraordinary detail.

The park has over 40 reconstructed buildings spread across a large open-air site. You walk from an authentic Ulster thatched cottage, through a replica dockside emigration centre, and onto the deck of a full-scale emigrant sailing ship. The journey physically mirrors the one millions of Irish families made between 1718 and 1850.

Why does this matter for visitors tracing founding father roots? Because this is where many of the Scots-Irish settlers came from. The Presbyterians of Tyrone, Antrim, and Down who filled Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas. The same communities that produced generals like John Sullivan, ironmasters like George Taylor, and patriots across Washington’s Continental Army.

Practical details: Open year-round. Entry approximately €9 for adults. About 90 minutes by car from Belfast. The site has costumed interpreters, a genealogy centre, and a dedicated exhibition on the Scots-Irish emigration to America.

2. Cobh Heritage Centre, Co. Cork — Where 2.5 Million Left

Cobh (pronounced “Cove”) is one of the most emotionally powerful places in Ireland. Between 1848 and 1950, approximately 2.5 million people sailed from Cobh Harbour to start new lives, primarily in America and Australia. The town was then known as Queenstown.

The Cobh Heritage Centre sits inside the original Victorian railway station right on the waterfront. Its permanent exhibition, “The Queenstown Story,” covers the full arc of Irish emigration — from the Famine years through to the great 20th-century waves. Interactive displays let you trace the names of emigrants, read their letters, and understand what drove them out.

On the quayside just outside stands the Annie Moore statue. Annie Moore was a 17-year-old girl from Co. Cork who became the first immigrant officially processed at Ellis Island on 1 January 1892. A second identical statue stands at Ellis Island in New York. The two statues face each other across 3,000 miles of ocean.

Cobh was also the Titanic’s last port of call on 11 April 1912. Many of the Irish passengers who boarded there were emigrants heading to new lives in America. The Titanic Experience Cobh nearby covers this chapter in detail.

Practical details: Cobh is 25 minutes by rail from Cork city. Heritage Centre open daily. The town itself is worth a full half-day — colourful houses, St Colman’s Cathedral on the hill, and one of the most poignant harbours in Europe.

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3. The Kennedy Homestead, Dunganstown, Co. Wexford

Patrick Kennedy — John F. Kennedy’s great-great-grandfather — left this farm in Dunganstown, County Wexford in 1848. He was fleeing the Great Famine and hoping for a better life in Boston. He could not have imagined that his great-great-grandson would one day become the 35th President of the United States.

JFK himself visited Dunganstown in June 1963, just five months before his assassination in Dallas. He met his Irish cousins, walked the land his family had farmed for generations, and gave one of his most personal speeches. The photographs from that visit — Kennedy surrounded by distant relatives in the farmyard — rank among the most moving images of his presidency.

Today the Kennedy Homestead is a fully open heritage site run by Kennedy’s Irish descendants. You can tour the original farmhouse, see family photographs and letters, and learn the full story of how a Wexford farming family became American royalty. Guided tours are available and give excellent context for the Kennedy presidency and the Irish-American experience.

Practical details: Located near New Ross in Co. Wexford, about 2 hours from Dublin by car. Open from spring through autumn — check their website for seasonal hours. The nearby JFK Memorial Forest and Arboretum is also worth a visit.

4. Andrew Jackson Centre, Boneybefore, Co. Antrim

Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States, the founder of the Democratic Party, and one of the most consequential figures of the early republic. His parents — Andrew Jackson Sr. and Elizabeth Hutchinson — emigrated from the townland of Boneybefore, near Carrickfergus in Co. Antrim, in 1765.

They brought their Ulster Presbyterian values with them: fierce independence, distrust of established power, and a belief in the rights of ordinary people. Jackson inherited all of it. His presidency from 1829 to 1837 reshaped American democracy in ways that still echo today.

The Andrew Jackson Centre in Boneybefore is a small but significant heritage site. A reconstructed period cottage shows what life looked like for the Jackson family before emigration. Displays inside trace Jackson’s rise from frontier poverty to the White House and connect his Ulster roots to his political character.

Practical details: About 2 miles east of Carrickfergus town centre, easily combined with a visit to Carrickfergus Castle — one of the best-preserved Norman castles in Ireland. Admission is free. About 20 minutes by car from Belfast city centre.

5. Moneygall, Co. Offaly — Obama’s Ancestral Village

In May 2011, Barack Obama arrived in the tiny village of Moneygall in Co. Offaly to meet his Irish cousins. His great-great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, had emigrated from Moneygall to the United States in 1850 during the Famine. The village had a population of around 300 people when Obama visited. It became international news overnight.

Obama pulled a pint of Guinness in the local pub, gave a speech about his Irish roots, and stayed for about two hours before flying to Dublin. The visit sparked enormous interest in Irish-American genealogy and brought thousands of tourists to a village that had never expected such attention.

Moneygall now has a small visitor centre telling the Kearney family story, staffed by enthusiastic local volunteers. The village also has a permanent mural and memorial marking Obama’s 2011 visit. For fans of American political history, it is a genuinely unique and unhurried stop.

Practical details: Moneygall is on the N7 between Nenagh and Roscrea, about 90 minutes from Dublin. Worth combining with a visit to the Rock of Cashel or Lough Derg on a Midlands driving route.

6. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Dublin

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum opened in Dublin’s Docklands in 2016. It won Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards in 2019 and has remained among Ireland’s top-rated attractions ever since.

The museum tells the story of 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish descent — how they left, where they went, and what they built when they got there. Twenty-three interactive galleries cover everything from the Wild Geese soldiers of the 1600s to the Irish who shaped music, politics, sport, and science around the world.

For American visitors tracing their roots, EPIC is often the perfect starting point before heading out to the regional sites. The museum houses the Irish Family History Centre, where staff can help you begin tracing your specific Irish ancestors and identify which county to head for.

Practical details: CHQ Building, Dublin Docklands, about 15 minutes’ walk from O’Connell Street. Open daily. Adult entry approximately €16.50. The building itself — a restored Victorian bonded warehouse — is remarkable. Allow 2–3 hours.

How to Plan Your Irish Roots Road Trip

Most American visitors combine these heritage sites into a single driving trip of 7–8 days. Here is a logical route that covers the main sites without excessive backtracking:

• Day 1–2 — Dublin: Start at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and the Irish Family History Centre. Set the historical context before you head out to the regions.
• Day 3 — Wexford: Drive 2 hours south to the Kennedy Homestead in Dunganstown. Combine with New Ross town and the nearby Dunbrody Famine Ship.
• Day 4–5 — Cork and Cobh: Head west to Cork city (2.5 hours from Wexford), then take the 25-minute train to Cobh. Allow a full half-day at the Heritage Centre and the waterfront.
• Day 6 — Offaly: Drive north from Cork (2.5 hours) through the Midlands to Moneygall. Continue north if heading straight to Ulster, or break the journey with a Galway or Limerick overnight.
• Day 7–8 — Tyrone and Antrim: The Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh is the major heritage stop in the north. Then drive east to the Andrew Jackson Centre near Carrickfergus. Finish in Belfast.

The full route covers approximately 500 miles of driving. It takes in four provinces and gives a complete picture of where the Irish emigrants who built America actually came from.

For more on the north and west, see our guide to Donegal — a county that sent thousands of emigrants to America — and our overview of Irish heritage and ancestry to help plan your research before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the best place in Ireland to trace Irish-American ancestry?

Start with EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin, which houses the Irish Family History Centre. Staff can help identify your ancestral county and direct you to relevant regional archives. The General Register Office in Dublin holds civil records from 1864. If your family came from Ulster, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast is the key resource for pre-1900 records.

Is the Ulster American Folk Park worth visiting?

Yes — especially for visitors with Scots-Irish or Ulster Presbyterian ancestry. The park recreates the emigrant journey with genuine reconstructed buildings, costumed interpreters, and a replica emigrant ship. It is one of the best outdoor heritage museums in Ireland. Allow at least 3 hours. Entry is approximately €9 for adults and it is open year-round.

How many US presidents had Irish roots?

At least 23 US presidents have documented Irish ancestry. These include Andrew Jackson (Co. Antrim), James K. Polk (Co. Londonderry), Woodrow Wilson (Co. Tyrone), John F. Kennedy (Co. Wexford), Ronald Reagan (Co. Tipperary), Bill Clinton (Co. Fermanagh), Barack Obama (Co. Offaly), and Joe Biden (Co. Mayo and Co. Kilkenny). The Irish diaspora has had an extraordinary influence on American political leadership.

When is the best time to visit Irish heritage sites?

Late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September–October) offer the best combination of good weather, manageable crowds, and full site opening hours. July and August are peak season — busier and more expensive but with the longest days and best weather. The Kennedy Homestead in Wexford has seasonal opening hours, so check ahead if visiting outside summer.

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