The visit to Belfast “will underscore the readiness of the United States to preserve those gains and support Northern Ireland’s vast economic potential to the benefit of all communities,” John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Monday. “President Biden cares deeply about Northern Ireland and has a long history of supporting peace and prosperity there.”
How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause.
In Belfast, Mr. Biden will have the chance to meet with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s political parties individually. The president’s visit comes amid a flare-up of political violence that has the city’s police on heightened alert.
Mr. Kirby downplayed concerns about the president’s safety while in Belfast.
“We don’t ever talk about security requirements of protecting the president,” he said. “But the president is more than comfortable making this trip, and he’s very excited to do it.”
Once he leaves Belfast on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Biden will spend far less time on policy, though he will address the Irish parliament and host discussions with the country’s president and prime minister. White House officials said those discussions would touch on the “wide range of interests” between the two countries, including economic cooperation and the effort to help Ukraine fight back against Russian aggression.
But even White House officials have made little effort to describe Mr. Biden’s trip as a policy one. It is personal for the president, they said, and most of his time will be spent in the countryside — with his sister and his son among the scores of staff, Secret Service and media in the long presidential motorcade.
In Louth, Mr. Biden will pay homage to Owen Finnegan, his great-great-grandfather, who was a shoemaker and emigrated to the United States in 1849, and other members of the family. Rob Kearney, a retired professional rugby player who lives in County Louth, is Mr. Biden’s fifth cousin, once removed. Both are related to John Finnegan and Mary Kearney, who were Mr. Biden’s great-great-great-grandparents.
In County Mayo, the president will tour the Family History Research Unit at the North Mayo Heritage and Genealogical Center, which has assembled a genealogical database with more than 1.2 million records to track the ancestry of people from the county.
Source : Nytimes
