Top-ranking US naval officers are due to arrive at west Cork this weekend to commemorate the legendary Sullivan brothers at their ancestral home of Adrigole.
The five Sullivan brothers are an integral part of US naval history. They received worldwide recognition through movies such as The Fighting Sullivans and Saving Private Ryan.
George, Francis, Madison, Joseph and Albert Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, volunteered for the US Navy after a friend died during the Pearl Harbour attack. They served aboard the same ship.
All five were killed in 1942, when a Japanese submarine torpedoed their ship, the USS Juneau, at the battle of Guadalcanal. Since that tragedy it is rare for the US government to allow brothers to serve on the same ships.
Their ancestors left Adrigole in west Cork in the 1840s. This weekend, a US Navy destroyer, The Sullivans, will lead a navy flotilla visiting the area, and a plaque in honour of the family will be unveiled by top naval officers.