Biden gazes out to sea where his great-great-great grandfather set sail for the US in 1849
President Joe Biden was treated like the returning prodigal cousin when he arrived in Co. Louth on the second stop of his visit to Ireland.
Locals cheered as his motorcade pulled into the small town of Carlingford, near where his great-great-grandfather once lived.
“It feels great,” he told reporters during a tour of Carlingford Castle. “It feels like I’m coming home.”
Looking out over Carlingford Lough, he was in fact looking at the route Owen Finnegan is said to have taken as he boarded the Brothers ship and left Ireland for good in April 1849.
Like so many other Irish families, the Finnegans decided to try their luck in the United States to escape the Great Famine.
US President Joe Biden (L) speaks with Irish Secretary of State Micheal Martin (R) during a visit to Carlingford Castle. From here he could see where his ancestors sailed
Biden’s maternal line emigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine. The Blewitts left Co. Mayo and settled in Scranton, PA, while the Finnegans Co. left Louth and came to New York
After spending the first half of the day in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Biden flew to Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
From there he drove north to Carlingford and had the chance to meet cousins who still live in the area and to hear about his Irish family.
He was met by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, Michael Martin, and they were joined by Rob Kearney, a cousin who played international rugby for Ireland.
Biden was behind schedule by the time he arrived. His entourage was forced to travel by road rather than air due to inclement weather, and abandoned plans to visit the family cemetery.
The president, wearing a blue cap, shook off the rain.
“It’s fine, it’s Ireland,” he said.
The Carlingford Pipe Band, a four-piece bagpipe and drum ensemble, arranged a special composition, “A Biden Return,” for the visit.
It is Biden’s third visit to the area, the first in 2016 as vice president.
Biden overlooks Carlingford Lough, which flows into the Irish Sea
“It feels great,” Biden told reporters during a tour of Carlingford Castle with Martin. “It feels like I’m coming home.” Louth was home to his great great grandfather before he left
Biden was warmly received in Co. Louth, the home of his Finnegani ancestors
After a tour of the castle, he returned to Dundalk, where he was cheered when he emerged from The Beast on Wednesday evening for a walk through the town centre.
The dilapidated house where James Finnegan, Biden’s great-grandfather, was born in 1940, still stands and is currently being renovated by new owners.
In total, the president’s trip will take four days, combining official business with a chance to discover his Irish roots.
So he gave a speech in Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement before entering the family business later in the day.
He was accompanied on the trip by his son Hunter and sister Valerie, which raised questions about who is paying for their trip.
On Thursday he will give a speech to the Irish parliament, plant a tree and ring a ‘peace bell’.
The column leaves Carlingfor for the town of Dundalk. Crowds lined the route
Earlier, Biden gave a speech at the University of Ulster and said he hoped Northern Ireland’s stalled political parties would soon return to a power-sharing government.
From left, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley, Valerie Biden Owens, Hunter Biden and US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III listen to the speech
And then on Friday, it’s back to family matters. He will travel west to Co. Mayo, to learn about another branch of his family, the Blewitts, who left Ireland at about the same time as the Finnegans.
Andrea McKevitt, a city councilor and distant cousin, waited to see Biden later at a pub in Dundalk.
She said Louth was an important place to visit for reasons beyond family.
Part of the reason for Biden’s trip is to celebrate 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement, and we’re in a border region here, right?
“A lot of people have been through it and know what the Troubles are about here,” she said, referring to the decades of violence that plagued Ireland, but largely ended with the peace deal.