Donegal people have been urged to get their relatives in America to rally behind a Republican Party nominee in the presidential primaries.
Stranorlar man Ivan Knox is a ninth cousin of US senator John McCain. Mr McCain's ancestors came from the Drumboe area of Stranorlar.
According to Mr Knox, Mr McCain is a direct descendant of the "Drumboe McKanes" who emigrated to America in search of a better life in the early 1700s. Many of the American and Canadian McCains are very aware of their Finn Valley connections and have visited the area in recent years.
Mr Knox, whose mother was Sarah Jane McKane, published a book about the McKanes in 2000. He put the book together with the help of an American genetic researcher called Barra McCain, an eighth cousin of the senator.
Mr Knox told the Donegal News yesterday that he was always aware of the link with the veteran Republican senator and would like to see him at a future "clan reunion" in the Finn Valley.
"My mother's people came from Drumboe and they owned a shop in Stranorlar. It was through Barra McCain that we finally established the US side of our link with Senator McCain. I researched the Irish side of the link," Mr Knox explained.
"The McKanes originally came from Scotland, then they moved to Antrim and from there up to Derry, St Johnston and finally the Finn Valley and Castlederg areas. The link has already been established with Senator McCain and I'm proud to be his ninth cousin."
He continued: "Wouldn't it be something else if someone with relatives in the Finn Valley became president of the United States of America? Look what that would do for business and tourism in this part of Donegal. He [ Mr McCain] would be all for that and would be a big help for the illegal Irish immigrants in America. There are thousands of Irish stranded out there who cannot come home - they include some of my own people."
Mr Knox said the more Irish people that voted for Mr McCain the better. It would be good for this country in the long run. "It would give the Irish a better chance of getting a green card so they can travel and work freely," he added.