Back to his roots: Biden traces family history on first day in Ireland

The President of the United States arrived in Dublin on Wednesday, April 12, but it’s his visit to his ancestral roots that has stolen the headlines. Joe Biden, a proud Irish-American, returned to the land of his forefathers, and the Irish rolled out the green carpet for him.

Crowds lined the streets of Carlingford in County Louth, where Biden’s great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan once lived, to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade. Heavy rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the locals, who welcomed their long-lost relative with open arms. Biden also met with distant relatives in the Cooley Peninsula, where he also visited ancestors’ graves. .

But it wasn’t just a personal visit. Biden met with political leaders in Northern Ireland before crossing the border on Wednesday and called for the restoration of the power-sharing government at Stormont. And he made time for a joke too, telling embassy staff that he couldn’t qualify to be a cop, firefighter, or priest, so “here I am”.

Biden also met with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish President Michael D Higgins during the three-day visit to the Republic of Ireland.