By Susan Falvella Garraty
[caption id="attachment_63823" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption=" Enda Kenny greets Monaco's Prince Albert, whose visit is a foretaste of a busy spring for the taoiseach as host. PHOTOCALL"]
Three weeks after the initial announcement of President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Ireland, most details, including the precise dates of the trip, have yet to be revealed.
Meanwhile, officials from different parts of the country have been lobbying the White House with suggestions about where and what should be included in the itinerary. And the media, too, has exploited the information vacuum, publishing unsubstantiated rumors about the brevity of the visit and speculation about how taxed the Secret Service might be in handling security in three countries in one overseas trips.
Here's what is known: President Obama will arrive in Dublin sometime after the departure of Queen Elizabeth from Ireland on May 20.
The length of the stay -- which, contrary to press stories, will not be decided by security issues -- has apparently not yet been determined. But it's certain that the president will visit the home of the Kearneys, his ancestors, in Moneygall, Co. Offaly. The village has already been reviewed by the president's security detail.
While Moneygall and Dublin are certain destinations, other parts of Ireland are also being mentioned.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley sent a letter to the White House last week asking staff to consider a stop in Cork for the unveiling of a statue of 19th century abolitionist and former slave, Frederick Douglass.
"As you know, Frederick Douglass was born and raised in Maryland, and spent six months on a lecture tour in Ireland during the Great Famine," O'Malley wrote.
The governor was asked to write the letter by representatives from Cork who were in the U.S. for St. Patrick's Day. The White House has not yet responded to the suggestion.
Presidential trips sometimes include congressional delegations, but, so far, no members of Congress have been asked to accompany the president.
Asked for an update on details of the trip, a U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Dublin said it was still too early to announce anything about the presidential itinerary.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said last week that it was his understanding that it wouldn't be possible for Obama to include Northern Ireland while on the island as that would be a breach of protocol. Such a visit would have to begin in London.
"But I'm very glad he's coming here and I hope that the people of Ireland will give him a brilliant and wonderful welcome as he comes to associate himself with part of his ancestry," Kenny said.
The president will depart Ireland then for a full state visit to Britain. From there he will proceed to France for G8 meetings.
