President Joe Biden was treated like a returned wayward cousin when he arrived in Co Louth on the second leg of his visit to Ireland.
Locals rejoiced as his motorcade turned into the small town of Carlingford, not far from where his great-grandfather lived.
“It feels great,” he told reporters during a tour of Carlingford Castle. “I feel like I’m coming home.”
Indeed, as he looked across Carlingford Lough, he was looking at the route Owen Finnigan might have taken when he boarded the Brothers’ ship leaving Ireland for good in April 1849.
Like many other Irish families, the Fenians decided to try their luck in the United States, to escape the Great Famine.
US President Joe Biden (left) speaks with Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin (right) during a visit to Carlingford Castle. From here he could see where his ancestors had sailed away
Biden’s maternal line immigrated from Ireland during the Great Famine. The Blewitts left the Mayo Company and settled in Scranton, PA, while the Finnegans left Co Louth and came to New York
After spending the first half of the day in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Biden traveled to Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
From there he headed north to Carlingford and the chance to meet his cousins who still lived in the area and hear about his Irish family.
He was greeted by Irish Deputy Prime Minister Michael Martin and joined by Rob Kearney, his cousin who played international rugby for Ireland.
Biden was behind schedule by the time he arrived. Forced to travel by land rather than by air due to bad weather, his entourage abandoned plans to visit the family cemetery.
The chief, who was wearing a blue hat, ignored the rain.
“It’s okay,” he said, “it’s Ireland.”
The Carlingford Pipe Band, a four-piece bagpipe and drum ensemble, arranged to play a special piece, “Biden’s Back” for a visit.
This is the third time Biden has visited the region, having ranked first in 2016 as vice president.
Biden stares down Carlingford Lough that empties into the Irish Sea
“It feels great,” Biden told reporters during a tour of Carlingford Castle with Martin. “I feel like I’m coming home.” Louth was the home of his great-grandfather before he set sail
Biden received a standing ovation in Co Louth, the home of his artist ancestors
After touring the castle he wants to head to Dundalk, where he was encouraged when he got out of the Beast for a walk through the city center on Wednesday evening.
The dilapidated house where James Finnegan, Biden’s great-grandfather, was born in 1940 still stands, and is currently being renovated by its new owners.
The president’s trip will last four days, and will mix official business with a chance to explore his Irish roots.
So in Belfast he delivered a speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Belfast Agreement, before moving on to the family business later in the day.
He was accompanied on the trip by his son, Hunter, and his sister, Valerie, which raised questions about who pays for the travel.
On Thursday he will address the Irish Parliament, plant a tree and ring the “peace bell”.
The procession leaves Carling immediately for Dundalk. Crowds lined the road
Biden earlier gave a speech at the University of Ulster, and said he hoped Northern Ireland’s political parties would soon return to a power-sharing government.
From left, US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley, Valerie Biden Owens, Hunter Biden, and US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III listen to the speech
And then on Friday it’s back to family matters. He will travel west to Co. Mayo, to learn about another branch of his family, the Blewitts, who left Ireland at about the same time as the Finnegans.
Waiting to see Biden later in a pub in Dundalk was Andrea McKevitt, a local councilor and distant cousin.
Louth was an important place to visit, she said, for more reasons than family.
Part of the reason for Biden’s trip is to celebrate 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement, and we’re here in Border County, right.
“Many people have lived through it and know what the problems are here,” she said, referring to the decades of violence that ravaged Ireland but largely ended with the peace agreement.
