Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Simi Valley, CA
Updated October 2024
Posted September 2023
Ronald Reagan's Irish Roots
In June of 1984, President and Mrs. Reagan visited his ancestral homeland of Ballyporeen, Ireland, where to his delight local residents John and Mary O'Farrell named a pub in his honor. The president would often say "John Kennedy got an airport, Lyndon Johnson got a space center but I got a pub named after me."
In June of 1984, President and Mrs. Reagan visited his ancestral homeland of Ballyporeen, Ireland, where to his delight local residents John and Mary O'Farrell named a pub in his honor. The president would often say "John Kennedy got an airport, Lyndon Johnson got a space center but I got a pub named after me."
After this visit, President Reagan corresponded with the O'Farrell's. In this letter dated July 17, 1994, President Reagan reminisces about how much he and Mrs. Reagan enjoyed the trip, and he expresses his appreciation for the O'Farrell's Irish hospitality.
Because of the O'Farrell's need for space to accommodate their family, the pub closed for business in June of 2004. However, the contents were saved and shipped to the Reagan Library. Today, as President Reagan did in 1984, guests can enjoy warm Irish hospitality in the same wonderful surroundings of a vintage Irish pub.
