US rock star Bruce Springsteen paid a surprise low-key visit to locations in Co Kildare this morning to explore his ancestral roots.
The trip was a closely-guarded secret and local organisers were only officially notified of the ad hoc itinerary yesterday evening.
Springsteen's great-great-grandmother Anne Garrity emigrated from the Mount Prospect area of Rathangan during the Famine and settled in New Jersey in the United States.
The singer landed in Rathangan just after 11am where he discreetly visited The Burrow pub, which was opened early for the occasion as well as the community centre.
Locals also showed him where his relations may have come from in Mount Prospect outside the village.
He also earlier stopped off at Newbridge Library where local historians presented him with research material on his family roots.
The visit comes ahead of Springsteen's first live shows in Ireland in six years at the RDS Arena which get under way tomorrow.
