| Barack Obama Plaza | |
|---|---|
 View of the services from the Junction 23 slip road | |
  Barack Obama Plaza Location within Ireland | |
| Information | |
| County | Tipperary, on the County Offaly border |
| Road | R445 road at Exit 23 off the M7 motorway |
| Coordinates: | 52°53′06″N 7°56′42″W / 52.884894°N 7.945059°W |
| Facilities | Petrol, shop, fast food, sandwiches, coffee, toilets, visitor centre, meeting rooms and wifi. |
| Operator | Pat and Una McDonagh |
| Date opened | 30 May 2014 |
| Website | http://www.barackobamaplaza.ie |
Barack Obama Plaza is a motorway service area on the R445 road at Junction 23, just off the M7 motorway in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is beside the village of Moneygall, which is just across the county border in County Offaly, and is accessed using the Junction 23 slip roads.[1][2][3] It is named after former US president Barack Obama, whose third great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, lived in Moneygall and who emigrated to the US in 1850.[4] The Plaza cost €7 million to construct and opened on 30 May 2014.[5] An Obama museum–visitor centre opened on the following 4 July.[6][7] The Plaza is owned and operated by Pat McDonagh and his wife Una McDonagh.[citation needed]
- ^ O'Connell, Hugh (26 January 2013). "Moneygall to get a 'Barack Obama Plaza', creating 60 new jobs". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ "Offaly Independent - Barack Obama Plaza creates 60 new jobs for Moneygall". Offaly Independent. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ "Barack Obama Plaza in Moneygall to create 60 new jobs". Supermac's. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^
- Loftus, Valerie. "10 reasons why Barack Obama Plaza is the best place on earth". The Daily Edge. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- "Barack Obama Plaza". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- Team, TheJournal.ie (14 January 2017). "Barack Obama Plaza: Business is booming - but US tourists don't quite know what to make of it". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- "Barack Obama Plaza? The Curious Tale of How an Irish Rest Stop Was Named After a US President - Irish Fireside Travel and Culture". Irish Fireside Travel and Culture. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Rush to finish 'Barack Obama Plaza' in €7 million rest stop development - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ Obama Plaza opens in ancestral home of Moneygall, Offaly Irish Central, 2014-07-11.
- ^ Aaaaannd we're open!! Obama Plaza on Twitter, 2014-07-04.