John F. Kennedy Arboretum

President Kennedy's visit to Ireland in June 1963 was a pivotal moment in modern history and one that ignited the spirit of the nation.

Following his untimely death, a number of Irish-American societies wished to establish a memorial forest as a living tribute to him in Ireland.

The Irish government suggested this take the form of a national arboretum, and sufficient funds were raised to purchase the lands, close to the Kennedy homestead, outright.

The committee visited arboreta and botanic gardens in North America and Europe, to study state of the art methods of both arranging and managing such a collection.

Dedicated to the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (35th President of the United States from 1960 to 1963) the Arboretum is a tree collection of international standing.

Sunrise at the lake
The ericaceous garden has more than a thousand varieties of rhododendron and heather, making it one of the most colourful sites in the arboretum in spring.
A pair of Monkey Puzzle trees ( Araucaria araucana) on the main vista outside the JFK Arboretum visitors centre
Aerial image of the ericaceous garden and surrounding tree collections