Joe Biden urges UK to 'work closer with Dublin' to support N Ireland

Joe Biden says Britain ‘should be working closer with Dublin’ to support Northern Ireland as US President attempts to laugh off his earlier ‘Black and Tans’ gaffe in speech to Irish parliament

• Joe Biden becomes the fourth US president to address the Irish Parliament 

Joe Biden tonight claimed Britain ‘should be working closer’ with Dublin to support the people of Northern Ireland.

The US President, speaking to the Irish Parliament as he continued his three-day trip to the Republic of Ireland, said that ‘peace is precious’ but warned it ‘still needs to be nurtured’.

Mr Biden spent yesterday in Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, but is spending the longer portion of his trip in the Republic.

In a speech heavy with references to his proudly-held Irish heritage, Mr Biden also sought to soothe tensions over an earlier gaffe when he mistakenly referred to the ‘Black and Tans’ instead of the All Blacks rugby team of New Zealand.

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 that ‘peace is precious’ but warned it ‘still needs to be nurtured’

The US President also sought to soothe tensions over an earlier gaffe when he mistakenly referred to the ‘Black and Tans’ instead of the All Blacks rugby team of New Zealand

Mr Biden is the fourth US president to address the Irish Parliament after Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and John F Kennedy.

The US President’s address was heavy with references to his proudly-held Irish heritage

‘People of Ireland, it’s so good to be back in Ireland,’ Mr Biden said, as he begun his speech to applause after making a remark in Irish which translates as: ‘I am 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 ancestry on his visit are linked to the looming US election campaign.

The White House, meanwhile, has been busy attempting to quell a backlash at the US President’s perceived ‘partisan’ and ‘anti-British’ stance.

US officials had earlier been forced to issue a correction after Mr Biden jibed about ‘the Black and Tans’ during a pub visit in County Louth last night.

Mr Biden said he was wearing a shamrock tie given to him by Irish rugby player Rob Kearney – a distant relative – saying approvingly that he ‘beat the hell out of the Black and Tans’.

The Blacks and Tans was an auxilliary police force sent to Ireland in the 1920s to counter IRA extremism – pilloried in Republican folk songs for their brutality.

The group was notably singled out in the pro-IRA song, ‘Come Out, Ye Black And Tans’, 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 team.

In a further effort to move past the row, Mr Biden said in his speech to the Irish Parliament tonight: ‘I always have a little bit of Ireland close by, even when I’m in Washington

‘In the Oval Office I have the rugby ball signed by the Irish rugby team, – the ball the team played with when they beat the All Blacks in Dublin in 2021.’

The US President exaggerrated the words ‘All Blacks’ and offered a fist pump as he attempted to laugh off his earlier gaffe.

Turning to the primary 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 nurtured.’

The Good Friday Agreement, the US President said, had a ‘significant positive impact across the Republic of Ireland as well’.

Reflecting on his discussions 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 that the United Kingdom should be working closer with Ireland in this endeavour,’ the US President added, in a message to London.

‘Political violence must never be allowed again to take hold on this island.’

Mr Biden hugged former Irish president Mary McAleese as he left the Dail chamber.

He stopped to speak to former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who were both involved in the Good Friday Agreement talks.

Mr Biden also exchanged words with another former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

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