In a quiet farmyard at Dunganstown, a few kilometres from New Ross, stands the cottage from which Patrick Kennedy set out in 1848 for a new life in America — a journey that would, three generations later, put his great-grandson in the White House. The Kennedy Homestead is still owned and farmed by Kennedy descendants, and it tells the story of one of the most famous emigration journeys in history from the place where it began.
Where It All Began
Patrick Kennedy was a cooper from this small Wexford farm who emigrated to Boston during the Famine years. The homestead museum traces the family’s rise from those humble beginnings through to John F. Kennedy’s presidency — and his emotional return visit to this farmyard in 1963, when he was welcomed by his Irish cousins just months before his death. The footage and photographs of that homecoming are genuinely moving.
The Museum
A purpose-built exhibition centre sits alongside the original farm buildings, using family photographs, documents and recordings to tell the Kennedy story across five generations. Because the farm is still in the family, there is an authenticity here that no reconstruction could match — this is not a set, but a living link to one of the 20th century’s defining dynasties.
Practical Information
The Kennedy Homestead is at Dunganstown, about a 15-minute drive from New Ross, and pairs naturally with the JFK Arboretum nearby and the Dunbrody Famine Ship in the town. Allow around an hour. Opening hours are seasonal — check the website and confirm before travelling, particularly outside the summer months.
This is one of our Top 15 Things to Do in Wexford.