Taoiseach Simon Harris predicts Joe Biden will be a 'frequent visitor' to Ireland after presidency
Mr Biden has visited Ireland a number of times and has regularly spoken about his Irish roots in Louth and Mayo
Taoiseach Simon Harris has predicted that Joe Biden will be a “frequent visitor” to Ireland when he is no longer US President.
The Taoiseach also took a pop at former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his claims that Mr Biden told him he was “not really Irish”.
Mr Biden has visited Ireland a number of times and has regularly spoken about his Irish roots in Louth and Mayo. He paid an official State visit to Ireland last year, culminating in an address at St Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina, Co Mayo.
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Following his meeting with Mr Biden in the Oval Office at the White House, the Taoiseach stated he believed the US President would be a regular visitor to Ireland in retirement.
“The President made it clear to me that he intends to be a frequent visitor to Ireland. I don't think that'll come as a surprise to anybody in Ireland,” he said.
“He probably considers himself more Irish than he considers me. The President is a proud Irish American, and I would be surprised if we don't see him in Ireland in the years ahead. He's visited many, many times with his family.”
In his new memoir, Mr Johnson claimed that President Biden told he is “not really Irish” and told him privately that his family was connected to Kent. When this was put to Mr Harris outside the White House, Mr Harris said he was “certainly not from Kent”.
He added: “I hope Boris Johnson is better at selling books than he was being a politician.”
Mr Biden and Mr Harris met for just under an hour in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting was supposed to only last 30 minutes.
The Taoiseach said he and President Biden also discussed the undocumented Irish in the United States. Mr Harris said: “I just said to the President that, obviously, this is an issue that the Irish government will continue to pursue.
“I'm conscious that there are congressional and Presidential elections to take place in the weeks ahead, but it's something that will remain high on the list of activities and campaigns by our embassy here in Washington.”
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