Less than 24 hours after her husband was assassinated in Dallas Jackie Kennedy was on the phone to the Irish ambassador to the United States.
The reason for her call was to request the presence of the Irish Army Cadets rifle drill team at President Kennedy's funeral.
The request was passed on by the ambassador, but Irish State papers just released record Mrs. Kennedy's initial outreach.
The request was formally conveyed by the U.S. ambassador to Ireland, Matthew McCloskey, to then taoiseach Seán Lemass on the evening of November 23rd. Mr. Lemass immediately gave the go ahead.
And so, as reported by the Irish Times, the Irish Defence Forces 37th Cadet Class would play its extraordinary graveside part in the funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.
President Kennedy had witnessed them perform a drill at the Garden of Remembrance during his visit to Ireland in June 1963 and described it as the finest honor guard he had ever seen.
The cadets performed their rifle drill just feet from the president's grave. Commands in Irish echoed over the rolling ground of Arlington National Cemetery.
A full account by a member of the rifle drill team is contained in Echo editor Ray O'Hanlon's book "Unintended Consequences, The Story Of Irish Immigration To The U.S. And How America's Door Was Closed To The Irish."
