Saoirse Kennedy Hill: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

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Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the woman who died at the famous Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, was a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and was a student at Boston College, according to the New York Times and her LinkedIn page.

According to WCVB Boston, Saoirse’s death may have been from a overdose.

Kennedy Hill (whose first name is pronounced SUR’-shuh) died on the afternoon of August 1, 2019 “after paramedics were called to one of the homes on the Kennedy Compound property.” In 2016, she wrote about struggling with depression in a column published in The Deerfield Scroll.

This is Saoirse Kennedy-Hill. The young Kennedy who died today at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport. When she attended Deerfield Academy she wrote in the school paper about her depression. We DON'T know the cause of her death. She was only 22. Too young. pic.twitter.com/wyi80aweHv

— David Wade (@davidwade) August 2, 2019

Hyannis News is reporting that the call came from the home of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy. That property is located on the complex at 28 Marchant Ave.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Kennedy Hill Is the Granddaughter of RFK & the Daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill & Paul Hill

Getty Courtney Kennedy Hill and daughter Saoirse Kennedy Hill attend the Speak Truth To Power Memorial Benefit Gala at Pier Sixty, October 6, 2006 in New York City.

According to The New York Times, Saoirse Kennedy Hill was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, a daughter of the assassinated presidential candidate. When she died, Saoirse was at the compound where Ethel Kennedy lives, according to the Times. The Associated Press reported that she is Courtney’s daughter with Paul Michael Hill, “who was one of four falsely convicted in the 1974 Irish Republican Army bombings of two pubs.”

“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the Kennedy family said in a statement, according to the Times. “Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.” Ethel Kennedy, 91, said, “The world is a little less beautiful today.” The Kennedy statement further stated that Saoirse “was passionate about human rights and women’s empowerment and that she worked with indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico,” AP reported.

WCVB reported that police are investigating, and the call came in as a possible overdose. There are multiple homes in the famous Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port.

2. The Call Came in on Thursday Afternoon for a Possible Overdose & Kennedy Hill Was Involved in Campus Politics

Saoirse Kennedy Hill with Tom BRady.

According to Hyannis News, the call came in just after 2:30 p.m. Emergency radio transmissions reviewed by Hyannis News indicated that police and rescue were called “to reports of an overdose inside the Kennedy Compound.” The newspaper did not indicate the patient’s condition or give a name.

The New York Times reported that Kennedy Hill was vice president of the College Democrats.

An officer who responded indicated in the radio transmissions that the person was in cardiac arrest and requested a supervisor.

Getty An Honor Guard carries the casket of the late US Sen. Edward Kennedy across the porch of his home at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts on August 27, 2009.

On Twitter, she wrote, “Boston College student account for Social Media and Social Justice class. Raising awareness for the #metoo movement.” She wrote on Twitter, “Under the Obama Admin., sexual assault on college campuses was an issue that was heavily focused on. College administrations were held responsible for creating a culture in which inappropriate sexual behavior would be punished to the highest extent.”

She supported the #metoo movement. “Sexual harassment training in professional workplaces have been mandatory in certain states for quite some time. The #metoo movement has sparked a push for training sessions & is calling on lawmakers to pass bills to ensure mandatory training in more cities & states<" she wrote.

3. Kennedy Hill Was Interested in Mass Media & Communications

Getty A partial view of the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, MA where a large tent stands intended for Rory Kennedy’s wedding reception and now where family members wait to hear word of the missing John F. Kennedy Jr. 18 July 1999.

According to her LinkedIn page, Kennedy Hill wanted to merge politics with the media.

“I am a Junior at Boston College with a passion for the study of mass media and communication. I seek a career where I can merge my studies with my interest in politics and contribute to the national dialogue on the issues that are most important to me through TV, radio, music, and film,” she wrote.

Kennedy Hill wrote on LinkedIn that she attended Boston College from 2016 to 2020.

4. Kennedy Hill Wrote About Depression & Mental Health

In a very moving and poignant column in the Deerfield Scroll, Kennedy Hill shared that she was struggling with mental health issues.

“When you were little, did you ever have friends your mom made you hang out with, even though you didn’t want to? Then those friends kept showing up, and you were confused and sick of them,” she wrote. “Soon enough, those friends were around so much that you got used to them. Finally, those friends were always with you and never left, and you almost began to enjoy having them around.”

She added: “Until last year, this was my relationship with my mental illness. My depression took root in the beginning of my middle school years and will be with me for the rest of my life. Although I was mostly a happy child, I suffered bouts of deep sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest. These bouts would come and go, but they did not outwardly affect me until I was a new sophomore at Deerfield.”

She continued: “We all know that some people find winter at Deerfield lonely, dark, and long. I began isolating myself in my room, pulling away from my relationships, and giving up on schoolwork. During the last few weeks of spring term, my sadness surrounded me constantly. But that summer after my sophomore year, my friend depression rarely came around anymore, and I was thankful for her absence.”

You can read the full piece here.

Ethel Kennedy’s large brood has had its share of tragedy since the assassination of her husband. While some of the 11 children have been very successful (such as Kathleen Kennedy Townsend), two children died tragically, David and Michael. David Kennedy died at age 28 of an overdose in Palm Beach back in 1984. Michael was killed in a skiing accident.

In 2017, in a series commemorating what would have been President John F. Kennedy’s 100th birthday, WBUR reported that Cape Cod is where the president’s legacy remains most visible in the landscape. In addition to the famous Kennedy Compound, where the family has gathered throughout the years, there is a JFK museum, memorial and legacy walk in Hyannis Port, the television station reported.

5. The Kennedy Compound Is a Symbol of the American Political Dynasty

The Kennedy Compound where Kennedy Hill died is one of the most famous cluster of homes in America.

“The house is a symbol of the Kennedys because so much happened there, especially during the presidential years with different people coming there for conferences or ambassadors visiting heads of state,” said Bob Luddington, a consultant to the Kennedys, to WBUR for that series. The television station described the cluster of buildings as being “in an unassuming residential neighborhood, mostly obscured from street view by tall wooden fences and shrubs” and said Ethel Kennedy was still living there as of 2017.

According to Architectural Digest, “Vivid images of the famed Kennedy compound are emblazoned in the eyes of several generations: Marine One landing on the lawn for weekends President John F. Kennedy spent with his brothers; cousins running toward the helicopter to greet their fathers. Patrick wasn’t born yet, but he speaks of it as if he remembers.”

There have been various incidents throughout the years in Hyannis Port involving the Kennedys, such as when RFK’s son Max and his daughter were arrested after a house party in the area.

“This historical gem was once home to the beloved and iconic United States president John F. Kennedy. Today, the Kennedy family still uses the property. For this reason, it is private property and not open to the public. However, you can still view the estate from a distance,” Candleberry Inn notes.

According to RAAB Collection, “In 1926 Joseph P. Kennedy rented a large, beautiful, oceanfront summer cottage on Cape Cod at 28 Marchant Avenue in Hyannisport, MA. Two years later, he purchased the structure, which had been erected in 1904, and enlarged and remodeled it to suit his family’s needs.”

This post will be updated when more information is learned.