Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara was born on 14 June, 1928 in Rosario, Argentina, the eldest of five children into a family of Spanish, Basque and Irish descent. His father Ernesto Guevera Lynch said of his son, that his veins flowed with the blood of Irish rebels. His great-grandfather, Patrick Lynch allegedly left Galway, Ireland during the devastating famine in the 1840’s. The name Lynch is one of the most common surnames in Ireland. The origin of the name comes from the Norman, de Lench, they established themselves in Galway becoming one of the fourteen tribes that dominated the city. Dr. Che Guevara arrived at Shannon Airport on Saturday, 13 March 1965. He was onboard a Cuban Airlines Britannia aircraft which had encountered mechanical difficulties during their flight from Prague, Czechoslovakia (present day Czech Republic) to Havana in Cuba. He was returning to Cuba after a three month tour, that had included China, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Mali, Dahomey, Congo-Brazzaville and Tanzania. In Algiers, on 24 February, he made what turned out to be his last public appearance on the international stage when he delivered a speech at an economic seminar on Afro-Asian solidarity. Guevara was accompanied by another revolutionary Dr. Osmani Cienfuegos, the Cuban Minister for Construction along with some other minor government officials. An Irish journalist named Alan Quinlan, working on a tip-off went to meet Che at Shannon airport. Upon first meeting him, the Commadante pretended that he did not speak English, however Quinlan coaxed him into speaking with him. Guevara remained tight-lipped about anything got to do with politics, but he did speak about his Irish connections and the name Lynch. Later that day he went into Limerick City, going to Hanratty’s hotel on Glenworth St. He left Ireland the following day after the plane had been repaired, returning to Havana on 14 March 1965.