ASSASSINATION of President John F Kennedy: 50th Anniversary

50th Anniversary 

Assassination of 

President John F Kennedy
Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963
Pat Keenan remembers the fateful day, his visit to Dallas in 1990 
and shares some of his photographs

Article from HOLIDAY 1991

The man in front of me blocking the way of my photo shot turned out to be  Gay Byrne,
there as part of RTÉ TV coverage. I asked him to try not to get in the way of my photo

My photo shows President John F Kennedy, June 1963, in O'Connell Street, Dublin
with President Éamon de Valera seated in the back of the open top Cadillac limousine

The cavalcade has passed and the large crowd on O'Connell Bridge begin to disperse  Note the flowers on the bridge, the neon signs and O’Connell Bridge House in progress

During the visit the American flag flies over the Bank of Ireland building (the old Irish Parliament) at College Green behind the statue of Henry Grattan, campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. Encouraged by the American colonists, who were in a military struggle for independence from Britain, Grattan, with the support of the Irish Volunteers drawn up in front of this parliament house, passed, in 1782 a move toward a declaration for the independence of the Irish parliament.

...and later in the year

Crowds queue outside the US Embassy to sign the book of condolences.
The embassy in 1963 time was in Merrion Square Dublin

Visit to Dallas Texas in 1990

Pat Keenan in 1990 under the infamous assassin's sixth floor window at the 

Texas School Book Depository building

From where President Kennedy was shot: by 1990 when this picture of Dealey Plaza was taken, 
trees almost obscure Osward's vantage point at the Texas School book Depository

Photos of the infamous Grassy Knoll: there has been persistent debate from several testimonies of witnesses that shots were also fired from here and from the railroad bridge over the underpass.