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Both US presidential hopeful Barack Obama and running mate Joseph Biden are descended from shoemakers who emigrated from Ireland within five weeks of each other, a researcher said.

一名研究人員表示，美國總統候選人歐巴馬和選舉搭檔拜登兩人都是愛爾蘭鞋匠移民後裔，先人移民到美國時間前後差不到5週。

US genealogist Megan Smolenyak said the two politicians’ ancestors set off for the United States in April and May 1849, joining up to 1.5 million other Irish who fled their island’s devastating 1845-49 potato famine.

美國族譜學者斯莫蘭雅克說，這兩名政治人物的祖先分別在1849年的4月和5月，加入多達150萬名其他逃離祖國1845年到1849年間馬鈴薯飢荒的愛爾蘭人，出發前往美國。

Last year, Smolenyak traced Obama’s maternal Kearney family roots to County Offaly of Ireland.

去年，斯莫蘭雅克追溯歐巴馬母系家庭基尼家族的起源，追溯到愛爾蘭的歐菲力郡。

Now she believes that Biden’s great-great-grandfather, Owen Finnegan, most likely emigrated from Carlingford in County Louth, which borders on Northern Ireland.

現在她相信，拜登的高外祖父芬尼根，非常有可能來自與北愛接壤的洛特郡。

"In the case of both Biden and Obama’s family....what is even more peculiar is that both of the progenitors were shoemakers." Smolenyak told RTE public radio.

「拜登和歐巴馬這兩個家族……尤其特別的是，兩家的先人都是鞋匠。」斯莫蘭雅克向RTE公共電台說。

About 34 million Americans claim an Irish connection.

大約有3400萬美國人都說有愛爾蘭血統。

新聞辭典

descended：為……的後裔，出身於……的。例句：She claims to be descended from Abraham Lincoln.她自稱是林肯的後裔。

cobbler： 鞋匠；（複數）蠢話。例句：I’ve never heard such a load of old cobblers in my life.我這輩子沒聽過這種蠢話。

set off （for）：出發，啟程（for 目的地）：例句：You’d better set off early to avoid the traffic.你最好早點出發以免塞車。

宏浩翻譯引用http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=241088&day=2008-09-08