It was on. It was off. Then it was half on and half off. Next it was postponed and now it’s anybody’s guess whether or not, or if, or when, President Trump will visit Ireland!

When it was initially announced by the White House that the President’s visit would “renew the deep and historic ties between our two nations”, I wondered if Mr Trump knew about General Robert Ross from Rostrevor!

In 1826 a monument was erected in the beautiful little County Down seaside-town commemorating Ross with the words “conquered in America…attacked and dispersed the American forces…victoriously entered Washington” …where he burned down the White House!

And there’s a poignant twist to this remarkable tale - the White House was built by an architect from Kilkenny - twice!

James Hoban designed it, inspired by Dublin’s Leinster House, and after the fire he designed the rebuild.

More about Hoban in a moment, but first - General Ross.

The capture of Washington was “one of the most extraordinary stories in British or American history” according to journalist Peter Snow, author of a history of the War of 1812.

Robert Ross, a Protestant British General born in Rostrevor (then called Ross-Trevor) in 1766, served gallantly under the Duke of Wellington in the war with Napoleon, and in 1814 he was sent to North America with British troops to help end the war with America, by then into its third year.

In August 1814, outside Washington, Ross led his troops to victory over a powerful American force at Bladensburg.

The British entered the capital over a period of about 24 hours and burned down the White House and the Capitol.

President Madison and his wife fled their home as Ross and his men marched in and torched most of the city’s public buildings.

When news of the American victory reached London in September, Rostrevor’s General became a national hero.

But sadly he died three weeks after his Washington victory, when he fell under American militia-fire during a failed British attack on Baltimore.

America’s victory on this occasion provided Francis Scott Key with inspiration to write ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’

General Ross was greatly loved and respected by his troops as a multiple-hero for his exploits in the Napoleonic Wars and for what he accomplished in America, as well as numerous other battles.

In commemoration of his historic military career his family name became ‘Ross of Bladensburg’ and their coat of arms was amended to depict a captured American flag.

This incensed the Americans who planned an attack on Rostrevor, but the war ended before the plot was hatched.

Back now to White House architect James Hoban.

He was born into a humble Catholic family in a thatched cottage in Callan, County Kilkenny, in 1758.

James displayed a talent for drawing and design in his first job as a wheelwright and carpenter and entered the Royal Dublin Society to study architecture.

He was an outstanding student but jobs were hard to find after he graduated.

So James left Ireland for America in 1785, first to Charleston, South Carolina and then to Philadelphia to set up an architectural practice before returning to Charleston.

He got some significant commissions including the South Carolina Statehouse in Charleston, and the Capitol building in Columbia.

Highly regarded, Hoban also taught architecture to up and coming designers.

In 1791 he met President George Washington who was impressed with the young Irish designer, particularly

with his elegant Irish Georgian style.

In July 1792, after an open competition, the President and his advisors chose Hoban’s design for the executive mansion - The White House - inspired by Dublin’s Leinster House.

Construction was delayed as there weren’t enough skilled workers to build it and Hoban was asked to downsize it, from three stories to two.

Though it wasn’t yet finished President John Adams and his wife Abigail moved into the mansion early in November 1800.

Apparently they found it ‘too cold’ - probably because it wasn’t completed - but Hoban’s White House was the springboard for other important commissions and he designed many of the capital city’s hotels, government buildings and expensive private residences.

After the White House was burned down in 1814 by General Ross, Hoban was commissioned to rebuild it, virtually a total redesign as the structure had been almost totally destroyed.

So the White House was raised, razed and raised again by Irishmen, with more to come!

Following many delays the north portico was finally completed in 1829-30, just in time for the first Irish-American president, Andrew Jackson, to move in.

James Hoban died a year later at the age of 73.

General Ross’s tomb is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Hoban is buried in Washington where flame damage is still detectable on his White House!