This year marks the 65th anniversary of the historic visit in 1961 of Princess Grace of Monaco to Ireland when she visited the former Kelly homestead in county Mayo where her grandfather was born in 1847 and grew up during the years of The Great Hunger. The two-bedroomed cottage is located on The Leg of Mutton Lake in Drimurla, a small village in the west of Ireland. Princess Grace's son H.S.H. Prince Albert II unveiled a sculture in honour of His mother in nearby Newport in 2023.
Join us for a three-way conversation on the deep attachment of the Princess to Ireland between three gentlemen - two of whom are retired diplomates Peter K. Murphy and Pierre Joannon who knew Princess Grace personally - they are joined by historian William Harrison Jr., whose postgraduate research examined Princess Grace’s 1961 visit to Ireland and its legacy. Her grandfather John Henry Kelly was born in county Mayo and emigrated to the USA in 1867 as a young man of 20 years old.
The blend of personal anecdotes and factual knowledge brought to the conversation by the former diplomates and historians will provide an insightful exploration of Princess Grace's Irish ascendancy, originating in county Mayo and the continuation of the Irish-American saga in Philadelphia before coming full circle back to Ireland via Monaco. Questions such as the following will be explored in conversation - where in Ireland did Grace Kelly’s grandfather grow up and what caused his departure? How did the official visit to Ireland by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace in 1961 come about and what was its impact - for both Ireland and Princess Grace.
copyright black&white photos ©: Archives du Palais princier de Monaco
Former Consul General of Ireland to the South of France (1973-2024) and a former trustee of the Princess Grace Irish Library, Pierre Joannon has written extensively on Irish history and literature and was elected member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2021.
Photo above: Princess Grace with Pierre Joannon, who organised a day-long conference in Monaco to mark the centenary of Irish writer James Joyce in April 1982, with the support of The Ireland Fund of France. It took place just a few months before the untimely death of Princess Grace in September 1982. Princess Grace had invited Pierre Joannon to research her rich literary collection, however, his visit to the palace to view the collection only took place after her death, following an invitation by Her husband Prince Rainier III. The idea for the creation of the Princess Grace Irish Library in her honour was conceived some time afterwards and the books were moved to the library's current location on 'the Rock' (Le Rocher).
In 1961 Princess Grace first met members of the extended Kelly family who remained in Ireland. She was presented with a green marble Connemara coffret by a distant cousin. In the 1970s the Princess acquired a rare collection of Irish books and annals, from the estate of Count Gerald O’Kelly de Gallagh. Born in 1890, in North Tipperary, Count O'Kelly was an Irish diplomat, serving as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to France for the Irish Free State government. He was the sole Irish diplomat to remain in Paris throughout World War II, securing the safety of Irish trapped in France in the years of occupation, as well as giving Irish passports to needy British applicants. Thanks to Count O'Kelly's mother, who had Wild Geese ancestry, he spoke fluent French.
As part of the 1961 visit Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III climbed Croagh Patrick, an important site of pilgrimage in the west of Ireland. It has long been considered as a holy mountain.
© Archives du Palais princier de Monaco
Croagh Patrick, also known as 'the Reek', is located in county Mayo and has a height of 764 metres. The mountain overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk.
copyright © John & Stephanie Woodman
Photo above: Peter K. Murphy (also below) with Princess Grace at a gala dinner. Peter is a retired American diplomat from Boston, Massachusetts and has been a trustee of the Princess Grace Irish Library since 2018. A longtime resident of the Principality of Monaco he was a lifelong friend of Princess Grace and Her family. Their son His Serene Highness Prince Albert II bestowed upon him the honourary role of trustee.
William Harrison Jr, a Dublin native, has long held a passion for history and art. His recent postgraduate research examined Princess Grace’s 1961 visit to Ireland and its legacy.
William holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Art History from University College Dublin and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Limerick. His dissertation was on the subject: 'Pride and resonance: Princess Grace of Monaco’s 1961 State Visit to Ireland'.
He began his career as a tour guide at the James Joyce Tower and Museum in Dublin in 2016. Since then, he has built extensive experience working across a variety of cultural and heritage institutions in Ireland, including EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In 2021, he completed the National Tour Guide Programme and became a certified tour guide with Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority. He has also worked with the Irish National Monuments Service as an archive assistant.
Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco is greeted upon her arrival to Shannon airport on a subsequent visit to Ireland in 1976.
Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco stands on the land in county Mayo where her grandfather lived before emigrating to the USA. The Princess purchased the land and cottage, which is now jointly owned by her grown children.