Patrick and the President

A captivating story which beautifully evokes a seminal moment in the life of JFK through the eyes of a young boy.

From foremost radio and television broadcaster Ryan Tubridy, and Kate Greenaway Medal-winner P. J. Lynch, comes a picture book about President John F. Kennedy’s return to his ancestral home in Ireland. When the much-loved President visited Ireland in 1963, he described it as the best four days of his life and, for a generation of Irish people, it was a trip they never forgot.

In this warmly told, big-hearted picture book, Ryan captures the fevered excitement in the build-up to JFK’s visit – all evoked through the eyes of a young boy called Patrick who wants to know, more than anything, what it would feel like to shake the President’s hand... Rooted in historical fact, and marking the centenary of JFK's birth, this feast of a book offers readers a very pure and personal take on JFK’s visit to County Wexford and includes a time line in the back matter.

• An exciting collaboration between the inimitable P.J. Lynch and debut picture book author Ryan Tubridy – a media personality and advocate of children's literacy in Ireland, with a personal passion for the life of JFK
• P. J. Lynch’s masterful watercolour paintings are brimming over with the style and sensibility of 1960’s Ireland and bring vividly to life the character of Patrick, his family, his schoolmates and a charismatic world leader
• The year of publication coincides with the 100th anniversary of JFK’s birth

About the Author

Ryan Tubridy has become one of Ireland’s leading and best-loved media personalities. He has had a distinguished career so far, gracing both the Irish and UK airwaves, which have seen him win numerous awards and accolades. He is best recognized as the current host of the world’s longest running chat show, The Late Late Show. He is also the author of an adult non-fiction title, JFK in Ireland: Four days that Changed a President. He lives in Dublin.

About the illustrator

P.J. Lynch has won many awards throughout his incredible illustrative career, including the Mother Goose Award, the Christopher Medal three times, the Irish Bisto Book of the Year award and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal on two occasions, first for The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, and again for When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest. He lives in Dublin with his wife and their three young children.