There are many shades of green across the Irish diaspora in the US, from the multigenerational descendants of famine emigrants to the more recent economic migrants of the 1980s and 1990s. And, coming the other direction, US investment moving to Ireland has been a hugely beneficial economic force.
It means that the connection between the two countries is real and meaningful – and multi-faceted. And the consistently strong bonds are critically important at a time of heightened international tension and assaults on multilateralism.
The arrival of the great-great-grandson of Irish emigrants from Louth and Mayo, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr, for his first official visit as the US president, should be celebrated not just for the strength of Irish-American ties it marks, but as a triumph of the soft power Ireland carries in the world.
While the alliance between the US and the UK has been hailed as the “special relationship” in the post-war era, the US-Ireland bond is older – and unique. It was built, in large part, on powerful familial bonds that have sustained the connection in ways that cannot be measured by summits between leaders, although Ireland is lucky enough to enjoy a disproportionately large share of those with the US.
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Biden’s Irishness is rooted in family. His political compass was set by his quintessentially Irish Catholic mother Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan Biden who carried Biden’s lineage from his Irish ancestors of more than 170 years ago – the Blewitts of Mayo and the Finnegans of Louth – with gusto to her son. Her words of advice played a formidable role in shaping the 46th US president.
Past throwaway remarks from Biden to shouted questions from reporters – his “I’m Irish” quip to a BBC reporter or his “You can ask about Ireland anytime you want” to RTÉ shortly after his election as president – point to a strong ally of Ireland in the White House.
His visit, 25 years after a US-supported political deal brought peace to Northern Ireland, comes at a critical moment in a tricky post-Brexit world. The embryonic Windsor Framework needs strong economic backing to ensure its survival. The US, the source of almost 200,000 jobs through 900 American companies in the Republic, will need to play a key role again, this time economically, in supporting Northern Ireland to make this new agreement work.
The American support for the peace process over the years has been real and substantial. And vital. The four-day visit by this most Irish of American presidents shows his unwavering interest in Ireland.
It should be remembered that, behind the speeches and potential shamrockery surrounding the visit, is a relationship that really matters.