Analysis: The US president tucked into smoked salmon, turtle soup, beef and strawberries during the 1963 state dinner at Iveagh House
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On April 20th 1963, the White House and Áras an Uachtaráin simultaneously announced that the United States president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK), had accepted President Éamon de Valera's invitation to visit Ireland. JFK would not be the first head of state to pay an official visit to Ireland, but there had not been an event of such significance in Irish life since the 1932 Eucharistic Congress.
State visits follow a common pattern and the programme for Kennedy’s visit included a state banquet and reception as was custom. The fifth of the 16 protocols drawn up for the visit by government officials focused on the state dinner and reception to be hosted by Taoiseach Seán Lemass at Iveagh House at 7pm on Thursday June 27th 1963. Lemass had originally wanted to hold the banquet at Iveagh House and the reception at Dublin Castle, but the US president’s security detail wanted his movements kept to a minimum and recommended that both events be held in the same venue.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, listeners remember JFK's visit to Ireland in 1963
There was a flurry of activity in preparation for the banquet. Lists of tableware and inventories of cutlery and glass were drawn up. One handwritten note on file stated 'shrimp cocktail: a teaspoon is used, seventy-four in stock’. There were three dozen coffee spoons, but only two and a half dozen teaspoons available. Calculations were made as to how many pieces of cutlery or type of plate would be required, depending on whether there were 70 diners or 100, or whether one fish course was served or two.
Linen tablecloths were measured to see how many would be required, based on guests seated opposite each other on either side of the long dining table that would be used. The OPW was asked to supply extra table linen and cutlery, as well as 40 easy chairs, 12 coffee tables, 60 gilt chairs and 24 ash trays. Housekeeping decided to keep the hand-tufted carpets, but noted that the curtains in the main hall might need to be replaced.
The Hotel Russell on Stephen's Green was the caterer for official meals at Iveagh House and proposed two menus for the banquet. As expected, they reflected the cuisine which would see the Russell win Ireland's first Michelin star a decade later. They featured items such as foie gras, lobster, milk-fed lamb, avocados, truffles and pineapples, all of which indicated the prestige being conferred on the guest of honour and, by inference, the importance of Irish relations with the US.
It was likely too that JFK would be familiar with these high status ingredients. He and his wife, Jacqueline, were the first American presidential couple to employ a French chef and had created the post ‘White House Executive Chef’ specifically for presidential entertaining soon after his inauguration in 1961. Prior to this, cooking for the US first family, as well as for state guests at the White House, had been carried out by African-American cooks.
Given JFK’s schedule of the day in question, his team asked that the Russell propose lighter fare but retain the tournedos (filet of beef). The menu which was ultimately chosen opened with Irish smoked salmon, followed by clear turtle soup with a garnish of parmesan chips. The tournedos was served with a mushroom sauce, parslied new potatoes and fresh peas with butter. For dessert, chilled strawberries with fresh cream.
The menu cost 52s.6d per person (approximately €83 in today's money). From amongst the selection of wines suggested by the Russell, a Château Le Tuquet 1959 white Bordeaux and a Le Corton 1959 red Burgundy were chosen, costing 21 shillings (approximately €34) and 55 shillings (approximately €78) per bottle respectively. Both were considered grands crus and excellent vintages.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Mooney Goes Wild, Dr Elaine Mahon on the ins and outs of State dinners
The Civil Service Dining Club catered for receptions at Iveagh House. The Club had been established in 1950 as a dining club for active and retired civil servants and, unlike dining clubs in other government buildings, it held a liquor licence. It also enjoyed special access via a connecting door leading from its kitchen to a lift which went directly to the first floor landing in Iveagh House where the Ballroom was located.
Approximately 450 guests were expected at the fork supper, which cost 21s.6d (approximately €34) per person. Its menu offered a tomato cocktail, a choice between salmon and lobster mayonnaise, baked cloved ham, a mayonnaise of chicken and ham, assorted salads, strawberries and cream and coffee. Two table wines, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a Liebfraumilch were served.
Apart from reports about the crowds waiting for Kennedy to arrive at Iveagh House and that he was several minutes late, the press carried little detail about the dinner. That day’s programme had been particularly busy, and the press focused heavily on his visit to Wexford earlier in the day and thegarden party at Áras an Uachtaráin, in particular. Although several photographs of his arrival at Iveagh House appeared in newspapers, the state dinner and reception received little coverage compared to the other events of the day.
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From RTÉ Archives, Maud Liddy describes the fashions on display at the garden party held in honour of US president John F Kennedy at Áras an Uachtaráin in 1963, including crisp silk two-pieces, elegant sheath dresses and magnificent hats.
Kennedy’s visit was deemed a success and 15 albums of press cuttings were compiled by Bord Fáilte in North America in the months that followed. Over 3,500 photographs of the visit appeared in the American press where the entire coverage ran to 40 million words and was described as the greatest publicity windfall Ireland had ever received.
Everyone was happy...well, almost everyone. When the staff of the Civil Service Dining Club arrived to set up for the reception, they found the connecting door locked and couldn’t get in. It was eventually opened around 9.30pm with the help of Special Branch, but guests had started to assemble by this point and staff were unable to put the final touches to the room. They were perhaps understandably disappointed, even if the lack of certain table decorations went unremarked by officials and guests who were more likely focused on trying to shake hands with JFK before he left promptly at 11pm as dictated by Protocol Five.
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