President Joe Biden told lawmakers in a packed parliament building on Thursday that the story of Irish immigrants setting sail for the United States is at the heart of “what binds Ireland and America together.”
“Like so many countries around the world, though perhaps more than most, the United States was shaped by Ireland,” Biden said in address to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas in Leinster House. “And the values we share remain to this day the core of the historic partnership between our people and our governments.”
Biden emphasized the importance of economic ties, a united front in the Ukraine war, and a shared urgency to address climate change. Biden delivered the address as part of a four-day trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, during which he met with political leaders and took a quick tour of his ancestral homeland.
Comhairle Ceann Seán Fearghail, speaker of the Dail, the lower chamber of the Irish parliament, told Biden that Ireland has benefited “immensely” from American investment, and that it works both ways — Ireland is the ninth-largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States.
“Long may this bilateral investment continue,” Ó Fearghaíl said to cheers. He welcomed Biden “home” as he introduced him. Biden was the fourth U.S. president to address the Irish parliament, after John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
For Biden, Ireland has served as a backdrop for conversations about his favorite topics, such as dignity, “possibilities,” democracy — and poetry. He spoke in parliament on what would have been his favorite poet, Seamus Heaney’s, 84th birthday. Fearghail presented Biden with a signed copy of Heaney’s poems, and Heaney’s widow was in the audience, watching as Biden quoted “The Cure at Troy.”
The president used poetic flourishes to describe how the two countries could “dream together over horizons we can’t see.” He mentioned visiting County Louth this week and gazing out at the sea from the stone balcony of Carlingford Castle, which was the last Irish landmark that Biden’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Owen Finnegan, saw before sailing for New York in 1849.
“These stories are at the very heart of what binds Ireland and America together,” he said. “They speak to a history, defined by our dreams.”
Biden, 80, also reflected on his age, which he rarely does in public. He declared that he was “at the end of my career, not the beginning.” He told Irish lawmakers, “you can see how old I am,” claiming that he is the most experienced president in American history.
“It doesn’t make me better or worse, but it gives me few excuses,” he said. Biden is expected to run for reelection, and would be 82 were he to start a second term.
Earlier in the day, Biden met with Ireland’s prime minister, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and praised the country for its humanitarian efforts in welcoming Ukrainian refugees. Ireland has taken in nearly 80,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s invasion, and it has been a staunch supporter of US-led efforts to end the war. Ireland’s commitment, according to Biden, has impressed him.
“I think our values are the same,” Biden told Varadkar. “And I think our concerns are the same. So I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with you.”
Biden also met with Irish President Michael D. Higgins at his stately Dublin home. As they walked inside along a red carpet, the two octogenarian leaders clasped hands and laughed.
Biden signed the guest book with a writerly missive for Ireland’s poet-president: “As the Irish saying goes, your feet will bring you where your heart is. It’s an honor to return.”
Biden helped shovel dirt around a newly planted Irish oak, not far from one planted by then-President Barack Obama years earlier. He also rang the Peace Bell, which was unveiled in 2008 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. Biden rang the bell four times, including one “for all my Irish ancestors, and a fourth for peace.”
Then he thanked Higgins, who turns 82 next week.
“I’m feeling great, and I’m learning a lot,” Biden said at Higgins’ estate. “I know it sounds silly, but there’s many Irish-Americans, like my relatives, who’ve never come back here.”
At a dinner banquet at Dublin Castle, Varadkar and Biden also exchanged toasts.
Biden began his trip earlier this week in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended years of sectarianism.The deal brokered by the United States brought peace to a region of the United Kingdom where “the Troubles” had killed approximately 3,600 people in bombings and other attacks.
In a speech to parliament on Thursday, Biden said the UK “should be working closer” with Ireland to support Northern Ireland. His emphasis on the importance of preserving Northern Ireland’s quarter-century peace was likely to irritate some British Conservatives and Northern Ireland unionists wary of US meddling.
Biden arrived in Ireland on Wednesday, a day after landing in Northern Ireland. Crowds lined up five deep for eight hours to see Biden in County Louth, where his mother’s family is from. The Democratic president toured a castle in Carlingford, looking out over the sea where his forefathers sailed to America.
Biden acknowledged that his ancestors immigrated to the United States to escape famine, but he added, “When you’re here, you wonder why anyone would ever want to leave.”
The dive into his Irish heritage, which he frequently cites as a driving force in his public and private life, delighted the president. Biden, according to the Irish Family History Centre, “is among the most ‘Irish’ of all U.S. Presidents.” Ten of his sixteen great-great-grandparents were from Ireland.