Kennedy Homestead Family Visit

What to Expect

The Kennedy Homestead at Dunganstown, just outside New Ross, is the working farm where President John F. Kennedy’s great-grandfather Patrick was born before emigrating to the United States during the Famine. The exhibition traces five generations of the Kennedy family on both sides of the Atlantic, from the original homestead through to JFK’s own 1963 visit to Ireland, using family photographs, letters and video. Because it is a real family farm rather than a purpose-built visitor centre, the scale suits younger children well; it is a compact, walkable site rather than a sprawling museum, with the story told clearly enough for children to follow the outline even if the political detail is aimed more at adults. It pairs well with the nearby Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross town, since both cover different sides of the same emigration story, the Homestead telling one family’s departure and eventual rise, the Famine Ship recreating what the voyage itself was like below decks. The exhibition is presented chronologically, so children can follow the timeline from Patrick Kennedy’s departure during the Famine years through to his great-grandson’s return to Dunganstown as a sitting US President, without needing much background knowledge of American history going in.

Good to Know

• Open 7 days a week, 9:30am to 5:30pm
• Address: Dunganstown, New Ross, Co. Wexford
• Family ticket (2 adults + 1 child) €26; (2 adults + 2 children) €31; (2 adults + 3 children) €36
• Children under 6 admitted free; individual child or student rate €8
• Book via kennedyhomestead.ie or call 051 388264

Getting There

Dunganstown is a few kilometres south of New Ross, off the R733 towards Campile. New Ross itself is on the N25/N30 in south-west Wexford, with the homestead a short drive from the town centre.