Moneygall

Ireland

Moneygall sits on the N7 between Dublin and Limerick, a handy stop that's become famous as Barack Obama's ancestral village. His great-great-great grandfather left here in 1850, and now there's a proper service plaza on the M7 with a bronze statue of the former president. Take Junction 23 off the M7 to reach the village center, which puts you about two hours from Dublin and an hour from Limerick. The Barack Obama Plaza has become a bit of a tourist draw with its exhibits and Irish-American memorabilia, making this midlands village an unexpected presidential pilgrimage site.