Obamas arrive at Trinity
Mary Regan, Political Correspondent
The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, and her daughters Malia (14) and Sasha (12) have arrived in Trinity College, Dublin, where the Irish ancestor of their father and husband, Barack Obama, was "Chair of Oratory" more than 200 years ago.
The three are receiving a presentation detailing the family genealogy which shows that a distant cousin of Mr Obama, John Kearney, held the Chair of Oratory in Trinity from 1781 until his appointment as Provost of the College in 1799.
The Obamas will also see the College Harp - Ireland's oldest harp dating from the 15th century and on which Ireland's national emblem is based. They will also view the Book of Kells - a 9th century gospel manuscript written and illustrated by Columbian monks.
Mrs Obama will address a group of Irish young people this evening who have been selected to join her and her daughters for a performance of Riverdance at Dublin's Gaeity Theatre.
Mrs Obama had been expected to visit a school during short visit to Dublin. But instead, she plans to make a speech to the gathering of teenagers and children chosen from a number of youth groups and schools, including from her husband's ancestral home of Moneygall.
Mrs Obama will spend tonight at the €2,500 a night Princess Grace Suite of the Shelbourne Hotel on Saint Stephen's Green, while her daughters have adjoining suites of their own. Tomorrow they will enjoy a guided tour of Glenalough in County Wicklow.
