We are delighted to welcome Neal Doherty back to the library. A lecturer, guidebook author and qualified tourist guide, Neal will give a multimedia presentation and show us Mayo, in the west of Ireland. He will take you through its history and heritage. You will learn about the Kelly ancestral home, which Princess Grace’s grandfather John Henry left in 1867.
His talk will outline Grace Kelly's origins in county Mayo - covering the 1800s, the years when her grandfather John Henry Kelly was born and left Ireland as a young man, right up to the visits by Princess Grace when she first visited Ireland in 1961 and subsequent visits. The Princess stood in the same field in county Mayo which her grandfather worked before leaving for America. Other famous diaspora who left the west of Ireland will pop up also.
More details soon.
Princess Grace arrives in Ireland in June 1961 for the first time. The occasion is the official state visit by her husband HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco with the sculptor Mark Rhodes in front of the sculpture of Princess Grace which was unveiled in March 2023. The Princess was born Grace Kelly and her ancestors are from county Mayo in the west of Ireland.
Three ways to reserve for the talk:
- Buy a ticket in advance online - from 5th January 2026
- or email: info@pgil.mc
- or Tel: + 377 93 50 12 25
Event details:
- Admission is €10 per person - students €5
- If paying when you arrive at the library, note we don't take cards - please be ready to pay either cash or cheque made out to 'Fondation Princesse Grace'
- The talk starts at 19:00 – please arrive at least 10 minutes before to be seated & enjoy the library
- We close the doors at 19:00 to avoid disturbing the speaker!
Directions to the library HERE