Biden will receive Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for St. Patrick’s Day

President Joe Biden will host Irish leader Leo Varadkar for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House on Friday after the COVID pandemic ruined the festivities for the past two years.

Green will be the theme of the day amid a jam-packed schedule of holiday-related activities including a meeting in the Oval Office, a Capitol Hill luncheon hosted by President Kevin McCarthy and an Irish Egg Breakfast with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Varadkar’s visit comes after Biden said he plans to visit both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland next month, which marks the 25th anniversary of the US-brokered Good Friday deal.

The agreement helped end sectarian violence that had raged for three decades over whether Northern Ireland should be unified with Ireland or remain part of the United Kingdom.

“I want to recognize the central role that the United States has played in the peace process on our island, moving it forward and the critical points,” Varadkar said Friday morning during his meeting with Harris.

The two men will also discuss the war in Ukraine when they meet in the Oval Office.

Before his meeting with Biden, Varadkar, known as the taoiseach, and his partner Matthew Barrett visited the Naval Observatory to have breakfast with Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff. ‘Eggs St. Patrick’ were on the menu. It’s an Irish twist on Eggs Benedict.

Harris wore a green pantsuit for the occasion. All three men had shamrocks in the top pockets of their jackets.

He acknowledged Biden’s love of all things Irish, noting: “He’s quite exuberant in that joy and now I’ve got the bug.”

Later on Friday, the boyband One Direction and Irish singer Niall Horan will perform for leaders and guests at the White House.

Horan was one of five members of One Direction, the popular 2010 English-Irish boy band, which has sold more than 70 million records worldwide. The band officially broke up in January 2016.

During Friday’s visit, Varadkar is expected to present Biden with a crystal bowl etched with shamrocks, a tradition that began in 1952.

Last year, on St. Patrick’s Day, then-Prime Minister Micheál Martin tested positive for COVID, prompting him to meet virtually with Biden. And, in 2021, Martin and Biden celebrated the pandemic virtually.

Varadkar, who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020, returned to the role in December. He was last in Washington for St. Patrick’s Day when Donald Trump was president.

President Joe Biden is proud of his Irish roots and speaks about them often.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner Matt Barrett meet guests at a St. Patrick’s Day reception at the Irish Ambassadors’ Residence on Thursday evening.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (right) greet Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (second left) and his partner Matthew Barrett (left)

The holiday is becoming a tradition to celebrate at the White House. About 31.5 million US residents claim Irish ancestry, according to the Census Bureau, second only to German.

Biden, in particular, is proud of his Irish roots, speaking about them often, quoting an Irish poet in most of his speeches.

His mother’s family, the Finnegans, were Irish-American immigrants.

The president made it clear long ago that he wanted to visit Ireland as president, but Northern Ireland’s trade status was causing a diplomatic headache when it came to a presidential visit.

But that hurdle was removed when Britain and the European Union agreed to the Windsor Framework, paving the way for trade to cross the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Former One Direction member, Irish singer Niall Horan, will perform at a St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House on Friday.

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, essentially remained in the European Union market, along with its independent neighbor, the Republic of Ireland, when Great Britain voted to leave. of the EU.

The Windsor Framework will keep the goods moving without disturbing the Good Friday Agreement.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak personally invited Biden to come, when he met him in San Diego on Monday during an aukus event.

I know it is something very special and personal for you. We would love to have you,” the prime minister told the US president.

‘Twenty five years. Seems like yesterday. Like yesterday,’ Biden reflected on Sunak’s invitation. ‘Thank you,’ she added.

Biden last visited Ireland in an official capacity in 2016 as Vice President. That visit included stops in Dublin, Mayo and Louth, the capital and the two counties of his ancestors.