History > Charles De Gaulle
From Drumaroad to the Elysee Palace
Charles de GaulleWhen Patrick Kennedy left New Ross,
County Wexford, in 1848, to seek a better life in the United
States, little did he know that his direct descendant, John,
would become President of his newly adopted country.
Similarly, when Anthony McCartan, aged 16, left Drumaroad,
County Down, around 1696, to settle in France, little did
he realise that his direct descendant, Charles De Gaulle,
would become French President (1958-69) and a distinguished
Second World War General.
De Gaulle became a political giant on the world stage. To
those who lived in the 1940s he was the leader of the Free
French and hero of his liberated fellow citizens. To those
who lived in the 1950s and 1960s he was the symbol of a new
and confident France.
Amazingly both De Gaulle and John F Kennedy were Presidents
in their respective countries at the same time. Kennedy paid
a state visit to France in 1961. De Gaulle attended the US
President’s funeral in 1963. Sadly Kennedy was assassinated
shortly after his visit to his ancestral home in New Ross.
De Gaulle miraculously survived several assassination attempts.
Two young men leave Ireland at different times from different
places. Their descendants later meet as Presidents of their
respective countries. No writer of fiction could have imagined
such an incredible scenario.
De Gaulle was aware and proud of his Irish ancestry. His
great grandmother was Marie Angelique McCartan (1798 –
1852). She was the great grand daughter of Anthony, who died
in France in 1753. The family had settled in Lille, the birthplace
of President De Gaulle.
Public records show that, in 1837, Anthony’s grandson,
Andronicus, and his son, Felix, visited Dublin Castle to research
the McCartan connection. Both men stated that their profession
was that of ‘medical doctor’ in Lille.
The Irish connection was woven into the French President’s
whole family: his grandmother, on the De Gaulle side, wrote
a biography of the famous Irish politician, Daniel O’Connell
(Dublin’s main thoroughfare is named after him –
O’Connell Street). When De Gaulle came to Ireland in
1969, he and the Irish President, Eamonn De Valera, held a
reception for the ‘McCartan Clan’, at Aras An
Uachtarain, the official residence of Irish Presidents.
One of the best researchers into the ‘French connection’,
Sean McCartan, has aptly entitled his work, ‘From Drumaroad
to the Elysee Palace’. The latter is the official residence
of French Presidents.
Today the best-known Gaullist in France is President Jacques
Chirac, a protégé of General De Gaulle.
For the younger generation who may not be familiar with the
importance of De Gaulle as a world leader, a good introduction
might be the film (available on video), ‘The Day of
the Jackal’. This deals with the various attempts on
his life, all of which he survived. The plot revolves around
the hiring of ‘The Jackal’, a highly trained assassin
brought in by De Gaulle’s enemies to ensure that he
will not survive this ‘professional’ attempt to
kill him.
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French President, Mr. Charles De Gaulle meeting with Irish
President, Mr. Eamon De Valera, at Arus an Uachtarain, in
Dublin, on 10th June 1969. The French President’s family
ancestry roots trace back to Drumaroad.
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