AS the dream came true for Barack Obama, being sworn in as the 44th US president, there was an overwhelming sense of family pride - as well as an air of disbelief - in Hazel Grove.

IT instructor Dawn Galley, aged 28, hasn’t missed a moment of Obama’s meteoric rise to power, since relatives in Ireland revealed she is in fact the new president’s eighth cousin!

Their shared roots lie in the little village of Moneygall, on the Tipperary border, population 298, where Dawn’s mother Margaret’s family and Obama’s great-great-great grandfather Fulmouth Kearney - on his mother’s side - hail from.

"It was all a bit of a shock at first," said Dawn. "It is very surreal no-one believed it but we are extremely proud. Who would think that you would have anyone like that in your family it’s fantastic - it is worlds apart. My friends all laughed when they first found out - they find it hard to believe but think it is great. It has been mad appearing on TV and in national newspapers. It is something to tell the grandchildren who will also be related to him. I know that the President’s team have been in touch with the family in Ireland and that one of my cousins, Henry, was invited to the inauguration to represent the clan."

Dawn, of Capesthorne Road, and her mum traced their family tree back to a man called William Healey, who was related to Sarah Healey, one of Fulmouth Kearney’s descendants.

Records tracked down by genealogists show that Mr Obama’s great-great- great grandfather left Moneygall in 1850 when he sailed to New York on the SS Marmion at the age of 19. He eventually settled in Indiana via Ohio.

She added: "We found out 18 months ago, we were all just amazed to hear that there was a family connection, but at the time Barack was a candidate and I suppose we didn’t think he would actually become President. My brother John and I followed the election all the way through. At first we just thought that it would be something to tell people about in the future, but once he won the presidential election, it was something quite different."

Dawn is now keen to visit Washington to see her cousin’s home and is hoping she may even get an invite to the White House.

She said: "I would love to go over there and with the link visit Washington. Maybe Obama would even invite me in for a cup of tea - that would be great. It would be fantastic to meet him at some stage. I would hope that he will find the time to make a personal trip to Moneygall, and if he does so, I’ll be on the first plane out there!