The cultural feast has been celebrated as a holiday by the Irish for over 1,000 years.
President Joe Biden and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar will attend a series of Saint Patrick’s Day events to celebrate the strong ties between the United States and Ireland.
The Irish leader’s visit to the White House on Friday is a cherished annual tradition. That has never been truer than under Biden, who regularly trumpets his family roots in Ireland and sprinkles quotes from Irish poems throughout his speeches.
According to the White House, Varadkar’s day will begin with breakfast at the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris with “eggs Saint Patrick” on the menu. Varadkar and Biden will then have lunch at the Capitol, hosted by Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
“Ireland and the United States are forever linked by our people and our passion. Everything between us is deep,” Biden said.
At the White House, Varadkar — known as the taoiseach — will then present Biden with the traditional shamrock — a sprig of clover representing Ireland. The revelers are entertained by Irish pop star Niall Horan, a former member of mega boy band One Direction, now a singer-songwriter.
The White House is even painting its South Lawn fountain green.
The cultural feast has been celebrated as a holiday by the Irish for over 1,000 years.
‘Peace Dividend’
However, there will be more weighty issues on the table. Biden says he will soon visit Ireland and the British north — possibly to mark the 25th anniversary of the US-brokered Good Friday Agreement, which ended the violent unrest known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The Biden administration watched closely as Britain, Ireland, the European Union and leaders of the British province of Northern Ireland negotiated a compromise – the Windsor Framework – on how to manage cross-border trade as Britain leaves the EU, including Ireland.
Biden and Varadkar will emphasize their “support for the Belfast/Good Friday agreement as we approach its 25th anniversary and welcome the recent agreement between the UK and the EU on the Windsor Framework as an important step in preserving the peace dividend of the accord.” said the White House. said.
Some 32 million Americans – nearly 10 percent – claim ancestral roots in Ireland. Given its long history, the fate of the island nation and the troubled northern province play an inordinate role in American politics.
Biden said on Monday that he plans to visit both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
If the post-Brexit trade deal gets full support from rival forces in Northern Ireland, it could pave the way for the restart of a local power-sharing deal between pro-British loyalists and the Nationalist parties, who want to break away and reunite the province with the Republic of Ireland.
