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Muhammad Ali Making Pilgrimage to His Ancestral Town in Ireland Published: 11 August 2009 By: Rick Roberts, Biography & Archived Articles 
Famed boxing champion Muhammad Ali is getting ready to make a pilgrimage to the Irish town where his great-grandfather was born.The sports legend has accepted an invitation to visit Ireland on 01 September, 2009 after local researchers recently discovered documents that indicate one of Ali's ancestors was born 160 years ago in the County Clare town of Ennis. Irishman Abe Grady emigrated from Ireland to the United States in the 1860s, before settling in Kentucky and marrying an African-American woman. Grady's son went on to raise Odessa Lee Grady, who would give birth to Cassius Clay Jr., named after his father, in 1942. Cassius Clay Jr. changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964, when he became a member of the Nation of Islam. County clare genealogist Antoinette O'Brien says, "Through research being carried out for the Irish language TV station TG4 on Ali, we established Ali's great-great grandfather, John Grady, the father of Abe, rented a house and a small garden in Ennis with a rateable value of fifteen shillings (75 pence) in 1855. There is no doubt that Abe Grady was Ali's great-grandfather."  Ennis is the county town of County Clare in Ireland Ennis is the county town of County Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original Inis Cluain Ramh Fhada ("Long Rowing Meadow Island"). The town,located near the mouth of the Fergus estuary, is now a gateway to the West of County Clare via the N85 Western relief road for people travelling from the Limerick and East Clare regions. The 2006 census indicates that Ennis had a population of 24,253 making it the largest town in province of Munster and the sixth largest town in Ireland.  The former World Heavyweight Champion is expected to be named the first Honorary Freeman of Ennis during his visit. Irish Genealogy & History Resources from Global Genealogy: Shopping Cart & Order Desk Global Genealogy & History Shoppe 1-800-361-5168 ( 9-5 Monday to Friday )
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