Ireland:The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge named in honour of the mother of President John F Kennedy

The new road includes Ireland’s longest bridge, at 887m, crossing the River Barrow between counties Wexford and Kilkenny.

It is named the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge in honour of the mother of President John F Kennedy.

The opening was performed this afternoon by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Rose Katherine Kennedy Townsend, a great-granddaughter of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and grand niece of the late president.

Chairman of Kilkenny County Council Peter Cleere described the bridge as "an engineering wonder", which will attract visitors to the area.

Chairman of Wexford County Council Michael Sheehan said the opening marks "a new chapter" and means the region is "now ripe for a new era of investment, industry and interest".

The Kennedy family homestead at Dunganstown is less than 2km from the new bridge and it was the late president’s sister Jean Kennedy Smith who suggested naming it after their mother.