Limerick town lowers flags following death of grand-niece of John F Kennedy

SAOIRSE Kennedy Hill, grand-daughter of Robert F Kennedy has died age 22.

Saoirse was the daughter of one of the Guildford Four, Paul Hill.

It has been reported that she suffered from depression.

“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the Kennedy family said in a statement, according to the New York Times.

“Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.” Ethel Kennedy, 91, said, “The world is a little less beautiful today.”

The Kennedy statement also said that Saoirse “was passionate about human rights and women’s empowerment and that she worked with indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico,” AP reported.

Saoirse Kennedy Hill was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, a daughter of the assassinated presidential candidate, who was 11 when her dad died in 1968. Courtney was the 5th of the 11 children born to Ethel and RFK.

The Kennedy family has strong ties to Limerick, with research in 2018 showing that the majority of the Kennedy bloodlines descended from Limerick and not Wexford, as is widely believed.

Research undertaken by Ancestry.com show that three of the family's four great-grandparents on the mother’s side, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Michael Hannon and Thomas Fitzgerald are from the county.

In 2014, a debate was held in City Hall about renaming the bridge over the River Shannon the Robert F Kennedy Bridge.

A life-size bronze bust of John Fitzgerald Kennedy was unveiled in Bruff in May of this year to commemorate his visit, months before his death in November in 1963.

This afternoon, flags behind said statue were lowered as a mark of respect to the Kennedy family. 

Caroline Kennedy, JFK's surviving daughter, visited the town in 2013.