Joe Biden claimed tonight that Britain should ‘work more closely’ with Dublin to support the people of Northern Ireland.
Speaking to the Irish parliament as he continued his three-day trip to the Republic of Ireland, the US president said that “peace is precious” but warned that it “has yet to be cherished”.
Biden spent yesterday in Northern Ireland marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, but is spending the longer leg of his trip in the Republic.
In a speech full of references to his proud Irish heritage, Biden also tried to ease tensions over an earlier blunder when he mistakenly referred to the “Black and Tans” instead of New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team.
He is the fourth US president to address the Irish Parliament after Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and John F Kennedy.
Joe Biden, speaking to the Irish parliament as he continued his three-day trip to the Republic of Ireland, said ‘peace is precious’ but warned it is ‘yet to be cherished’
The US president also tried to ease tensions over an earlier blunder when he incorrectly referred to the “Black and Tans” rather than New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team.
Biden is the fourth US president to address the Irish Parliament after Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and John F Kennedy.
The US president’s speech contained many references to his proud Irish heritage
“People of Ireland, it’s so good to be back in Ireland,” Biden said, beginning his speech to applause after a comment in Irish, which translates as, “I’m home.”
“I only wish I could stay longer,” the US president added.
Cynics have suggested that Mr Biden’s many enthusiastic references to his Irish heritage during his visit are related to the impending US election campaign.
The White House, meanwhile, has been busy quashing a reaction to the US president’s alleged “partisan” and “anti-British” stance.
US officials were previously forced to issue a correction after Biden joked about “the Black and Tans” during a pub visit in County Louth last night.
Mr Biden said he wore a cloverleaf tie given to him by Irish rugby player Rob Kearney – a distant relative – and said approvingly that he had ‘beat the Black and Tans the fuck out’.
The Blacks and Tans were an auxiliary police force sent to Ireland in the 1920s to counter IRA extremism – pilloried in Republican anthem for their brutality.
The group was most notably mentioned in the pro-IRA song ‘Come Out, Ye Black And Tans’, which is still popular with Irish rebel bands.
The White House website attempted to smooth over the situation by clarifying its official record to refer to the All Blacks – the New Zealand rugby union team.
In a further effort to get past the row, Mr Biden said in his speech to the Irish parliament tonight: ‘I always have a little bit of Ireland around, even when I’m in Washington.
“In the Oval Office, I signed the Irish rugby team’s rugby ball, the ball the team played with when they beat the All Blacks in Dublin in 2021.”
The US president exaggerated the words “All Blacks” and held out his fist as he tried to laugh off his earlier blunder.
Returning to the main reason for his trip across the Atlantic – the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – Mr Biden said: ‘Peace is precious. It still needs its champions. It still needs to be cherished.’
The Good Friday Agreement, the US president said, “also had a significant positive impact across the Republic of Ireland.”
Reflecting on his conversations with the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, he spoke of ‘how Ireland and the United States can work together with the United Kingdom and the European Union to support the people of Northern Ireland’.
“I think the UK should work more closely with Ireland on this,” the US president added in a message to London.
“Political violence must never again prevail on this island.”
Biden hugged former Irish President Mary McAleese as he left the Dail room.
He stopped to speak with former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, both of whom were involved in the Good Friday Agreement talks.
Biden also exchanged words with another former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.