June 25, 2016: Then-Vice President Joe Biden in Carlingford, Co Louth. Biden is set to make his first visit to Ireland as President in April 2023.RollingNews.ie
Ireland's "most US President obsessed town" has been determined by search engine specialists at the Cork-based digital marketing agency Digital Funnel.
The Irish towns and counties most obsessed with the US President were determined using Google Search data dating back to 2004 from across Ireland, the team at Digital Funnel said.
Results were calculated by examining Google search data for the last five US Presidents to visit Ireland - Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and current President Joe Biden.
Clinton visited Ireland in December 1995, September 1998, and December 2000; Bush visited in June 2004 and February 2006; Obama visited in May 2011; Trump visited in June 2019.
Ireland's Top 10 Most President-Obsessed Towns
- Celbridge, Co Kildare
- Malahide, Co Dublin
- Greystones, Co Wicklow
- Bray, Co Wicklow
- Wicklow
- Skerries, Co Dublin
- Naas, Co Kildare
- Ballincollig, Co Cork
- Crossakiel, Co Meath
- Ballina, Co Mayo
Celbridge, Co Kildare is leading the way when it comes to searches for these US Presidents, Digital Funnel found, while Malahide, Greystones, Bray, and Wicklow finish out the top five.
(Perhaps surprisingly, Moneygall in Co Offaly - which famously opened Barack Obama Plaza after the 2011 visit - didn't make the top 10!)
Meanwhile, Ranafast, Co Donegal had the lowest searches, followed by Groyne in Co Kerry, Roscommon, Derrinturn in Co Kildare, and Coolaney in Co Sligo.
Ireland's Top 10 Most President-Obsessed Counties
- County Dublin
- County Kildare
- County Cork
- County Meath
- County Wicklow
While there are 23 US Presidents who claim Irish roots, the first US President to ever visit Ireland while in office was President John F. Kennedy in June 1963.
The research from Digital Funnel comes after President Biden all but confirmed a visit to Ireland in April around the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Biden, who regularly touts his Irish roots, has yet to visit Ireland or Northern Ireland since becoming President, though he did make an official visit as Vice President in 2016.
On March 27, reports emerged that Biden is set to arrive in Belfast on April 11, followed by visits to Dublin and his ancestral homes in Co Louth and Co Mayo. Speculations about Biden's Irish visit kicked off almost immediately when he took office in January 2021.
Only time will tell if Biden's visit to Ireland in April will see a shake-up in the rankings of Ireland's "most US President obsessed towns."