FROM THE ARCHIVES:President John F Kennedy was mobbed at almost every stop during his Irish visit, including at this garden party attended by the great and the good at Áras an Uachtaráin. –
JOE JOYCE
THERE WAS pandemonium on the lawns of Arus an Uachtarain yesterday as a crushing, pushing crowd of garden party guests literally mobbed President Kennedy. And to make things worse, it was raining. Mr. Daniel Costigan, Commissioner of the Civic Guard who had been escorting President de Valera, was forced to link arms with members of the Special Branch and of Mr. Kennedy’s bodyguard to try and preserve some sort of order. But the guests were too many for them.
In the middle of the melee an obviously distraught Mr. de Valera turned, motioned the pressing crowd back with his hand and appealed: “Move back, move back, please.”
The guests wanted to shake hands with the smiling young President Kennedy. Toes were trampled on, high heels sank into the lawn, shoes were lost, beautiful hats were crumpled, guests fell over chairs which had remained upturned on the lawn.
One man determined to get out of the surging, swaying crowd found his shoulder caught under the scarlet cape of a bishop. But too late. The bishop was almost pulled to the ground, and his cape was ripped. A pleasant man, however, he was most forgiving.
All the while Mr. Kennedy shook as many of the grasping hands as possible, including the white-gloved hand of a woman who shouted and waved frantically over the heaving shoulders of the security men. “Jack, Jack, my hand, shake my hand.” When he did, she turned away and adjusted her hat, and expressed her utter satisfaction to her friends and to the others on whom she had trampled.
Back up to the terrace the crowd stumbled, pressing so close to the Presidential party, that it was difficult even to see Mr. Kennedy. For a moment, Mr. de Valera took himself outside the tight little ring of security men around President Kennedy. His appeal to the crowd to keep back fell on deaf ears.
Commissioner Costigan, however, was by his side, and, incredibly, on the terrace above a few seconds later, the two Presidents were together again in a wider circle of security men, including Mr. Costigan. Inside the circle a smaller crowd was still pressing on Mr. Kennedy. Outside, the remainder were pressing in on the security men.
Finally the two Presidents founds themselves back between the protective columns of Áras on Uachtaráin. The doors opened, they were swept towards them. The crowds were still close on their heels, but by now they could only see the back of Mr. Kennedy’s head.
They wanted him to turn around, and it was Mr. Aiken, Minister for External Affairs, who voiced their wish. “Turn around, Jack,” he shouted. “Turn around.” Hearing him, Mr. Kennedy turned and smiled. He had no room to wave, so close was the crowd. Then he had gone inside, and the doors swung shut.
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