In 1961 Princess Grace of Monaco 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. Her son H.S.H. Prince Albert II unveiled a sculture in honour of His mother in nearby Newport in 2023.
Join us for a conversation between Pierre Joannon and William Harrison Jr on the deep attachment of Princess Grace to Ireland - her grandfather's country of birth and from where he emigrated as a young man in 1867 to the USA. The two historians will explore the Irish ascendancy of Princess Grace, originating in county Mayo and the continuation of the Irish-American saga in Philadelphia and 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.
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.
Princess Grace with Pierre Joannon, who organised the day long commemoration of the centenary of Irish writer James Joyce, which took place in Monaco in April 1982, with the support of The Ireland Fund of France.
William Harrison Jr, a Dublin native, has long held a passion for history and art. His postgraduate research examined Princess Grace’s 1961 visit to Ireland and its legacy.
He began his career as a tour guide at the James Joyce Tower and Museum 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.
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'.
Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco is greeted upon her arrival to Ireland in 1961 for the State Visit by her husband Prince Rainier III.