WASHINGTON — With St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, President Joe Biden got to reflect on one of his favorite topics on Friday: Ireland.
Biden hosted Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House and afterward the two attended a luncheon at the U.S. Capitol as the two countries celebrated a century of diplomatic ties. The president wore a green tie for Ireland and the Oval Office was decorated with a bowl of shamrocks placed in front of the fireplace.
“May the hinge of our friendship never rust,” Biden told the Irish prime minister.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., hosted the president and Varadkar for the annual “Friends of Ireland Luncheon” at the Capitol. Johnson introduced the president as “America’s most famous Irishman.” Biden used the event to push for foreign aid to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and Israel, and to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.
Varadkar used his comments at the lunch to thank the United States for its efforts to bring peace between Ireland and Northern Ireland – part of the United Kingdom – with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. But he turned to the war in Ukraine , as the House of Representatives failed to pass military aid to the country, much to Biden’s frustration.
“Ukraine must not fall and together we must support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Varadkar said. “We look forward to working with America for the next 100 years.”
Biden is almost as fond of his Irish heritage as he is of his home state of Delaware and his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He likes to quote the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, among others. He has delivered Irish toast before formal dinners. He has routinely brought up Ireland with leaders from other foreign countries. He spoke in a pub during a visit to Ireland last year, and enjoyed the chance to be there.
As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year when Biden visited that country: “Joe, one thing everyone has learned about you is that you are a proud Irish American.”
His campaign planned to hold a virtual event Friday to mobilize Irish-American voters in a sign of Democrats’ interests. The Census Bureau has said that more than 30 million people in the U.S. claim Irish ancestry, with the largest group in the Chicago area.
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AP writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.