Biden begins Ireland trip after Belfast speech

1. US President Joe Biden has been welcomed to the Republic of Ireland for a three-day visit, during which time he's expected to address parliament and explore his ancestral ties
2. He's been given a tour of Carlingford Castle with Irish Tánaiste (Deputy PM) Micheál Martin
3. Speaking in Belfast earlier, Biden hailed the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and said he hoped Northern Ireland parties would return to power-sharing soon
4. Addressing an audience at Ulster University, he said protecting peace in Northern Ireland is an issue "that brings America together"
5. He also held brief talks with UK PM Rishi Sunak, and with the leaders of Northern Ireland's five main parties
6. Northern Ireland has not had a functioning devolved government since the Democratic Unionist Party walked out over post-Brexit arrangements

That's the end of today's live coverage

Andrew Humphrey

Live reporter

We're bringing our coverage of Joe Biden's visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to a close for the evening.

Our teams in Belfast and London have followed him as he met leaders, dignitaries and the public, in Belfast, Dublin and County Louth.

You can get more reaction to the events in Belfast here - and the events in the Republic here. We'll be back tomorrow as the US president continues his visit to Dublin and addresses the Irish parliament.

What's been happening?

Reuters

President Biden is greeted by the public in Dundalk

US President Joe Biden is currently in County Louth, greeting scores of locals in Dundalk who've been eagerly anticipating his arrival.

He'll return to Dublin this evening for the next phase of his official visit.

Here's a look at what's been happening today:

• "Bi-latte" meeting: Biden began the day in Belfast. His meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was dubbed a "bi-latte" meeting by reporters - as their conversation wasn't long enough to be described as a bi-lateral meeting, but more of a "catch up over coffee", in the words of our North America editor. Both leaders are said to have expressed their "sincere hope" that Northern Ireland's government at Stormont would be restored
• Brief conversation: Biden also met the leaders of each of Northern Ireland's five main parties. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said Biden's visit had not changed the "political dynamic" which had led to the political impasse at Stormont
• Preserving peace: During a speech at Ulster University, Biden urged a return to power-sharing at Stormont - something that's currently being blocked by Donaldson's party. He also praised the Good Friday Agreement - signed 25 years ago - and said that preserving peace in Northern Ireland was a "priority" for the US
• From Dublin to Louth: Biden then made his way to Dublin, where he was greeted by Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar as well as US embassy staff and their families. He then set off for County Louth, and toured the grounds of Carlingford Castle

Sinn Féin predicts unification referendum this decade

Although focus has now switched to the Republic of Ireland as Joe Biden continues his tour, we've had a fresh line from north of the border.

President of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, says she expects a referendum on possible Irish unification (meaning a joining of Northern Ireland and the Republic) "will happen in this decade".

Speaking to Radio 4's PM programme she says: "Politically there's been a generational change on the island... All of that is very consequential to the national question, as we would call it."

Unification is a central tenet of what Sinn Féin - the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly - stands for.

In Pictures: Previous US presidential visits to Ireland

Joe Biden is the eighth serving US president to visit the Republic of Ireland (George Bush Snr also visited in 1983 when vice-president), according to the US embassy there. Take a look at these pictures of the previous seven’s visits.

Independent News/Getty Images

President John F Kennedy visiting his ancestral home at Dunganstown, County Wexford, in 1963

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Richard Nixon touring Ireland in October 1970

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Ronald Reagan addressing a crowd outside the Ronald Reagan bar in Ballyporeen, County Tipperary, in 1984

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Bill Clinton (seen here with Irish President Mary Robinson in 1995) visited Ireland three times during his two terms as president

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George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were greeted by Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern at Ireland's Dromoland Castle in New Market-on-Fergus on a brief visit in 2004

White House via Getty Images

Barack Obama holds a pint of Guinness at Ollie Hayes’ pub in Moneygall, County Offaly, in 2011

Pool/Getty Images

Donald Trump meets Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport in 2019

'Biden loves the craic'

Aoife Walsh

Live reporter

Get

Joe Blewitt and his wife Deirdre pictured in 2020

An Irish relative of Joe Biden has said officials will find it difficult to keep the US President on schedule when he visits County Mayo on Friday because he "loves the craic".

Joe Blewitt, Biden's third cousin, told RTÉ's Today show: "They'll have a job moving him on because he loves talking and he loves the craic.

"You'd know there's Irish blood in him. He's a very nice fella. He's a gentleman and a family man."

The Blewitt family are linked to president Biden through his great-great-grandfather Patrick - a connection you can see visualised in our handy family tree graphic.

They've met Biden twice - once in 2016 and again when he made a second visit to Mayo at their invitation in 2017.

• Read more: Irish relatives eagerly awaiting 'cousin Joe'

'To sail for New York': How did Biden's family emigrate?

Cormac Campbell

BBC News NI south-east reporter

On 10 April 1849, an advertisement appeared on the front page of the Newry Commercial Telegraph newspaper, reading as follows:

Emigration. To sail today for New York, Direct from Warrenpoint, the Packet-Ship ‘Brothers’ of Newry."

When the ship set sail, among the passengers on board was Owen Finnegan, the great-great grandfather of US President Joe Biden.

Today, a monument stands in Warrenpoint Square to commemorate the more than 5,000 people who emigrated from the town dock during the famine years.

BBC

Historian Dr John McCavitt says the Finnegans of Whitestown, Co Louth, left Warrenpoint in two batches.

“President Biden’s ancestors caught two of those ferries to New York," he says.

"His great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan, who was a locksmith, emigrated in 1849 and his wife Jane and children the following year in 1850."

Why Ireland is so important to Joe Biden

Sarah Smith

North America editor

With two great-grandparents coming from Ireland, Joe Biden is one of the most Irish presidents in history.

He is inordinately proud of his personal Irish heritage. He mentions it at every opportunity. During the election campaign in 2020 he was asked by my colleague Nick Bryant for a "quick word for the BBC". He swiftly replied: "The BBC? I'm Irish!"

He loves to quote Irish poets and uses the experience of Irish citizens living under British rule as a way to express empathy with persecuted minorities around the world.

The Irish diaspora in America does not have the same outsized influence in US politics as it once did. But with 30 million Americans claiming Irish roots - that is about one in 10 of the current population - it never does any harm for a US president to be seen embracing his Celtic connections.

• Read more from Sarah here

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It's wonderful to be in Ireland - Biden

BBC

The cameras just caught a few comments from Biden as he explores the castle grounds.

He and Micheál Martin are both filmed sporting caps with emblazoned with American emblems to shield themselves from the rain.

Asked what he thinks of the weather, Biden smiles and says: "It's fine, It's Ireland".

He says it feels "wonderful" to be there, and that he feels like he's "coming home".

Biden gets a tour of Carlingford Castle

President Biden and Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Micheál Martin are now touring Carlingford Castle in County Louth. The president is expected to carry out some engagements in the town and Dundalk before heading to a hotel in Dublin for the night.

The castle was built about 1190 and is also known as King John's Castle.

BBC

Irish relatives to greet 'cousin Joe'

Matt Fox

BBC News NI

Brian Lawless/PA

Andrea McKevitt is a distant cousin of Biden

Back in 2016, the White House called the Irish Family History Centre, asking it to trace Biden's ancestry ahead of an upcoming visit.

After weeks of searching parish records and land registers, it compiled a list of his closest living relatives - many of who knew nothing of the connection.

Enter the Blewitts of Ballina, County Mayo, and the Finnegans of Carlingford, County Louth.

Andrea McKevitt is a distant cousin on the Finnegan side, related through the president's great-great-grandfather Owen.

Her family was oblivious to the connection until 2016 when White House officials contacted her uncle to break the news.

"I think at the beginning he thought somebody was joking, but then when we had paperwork and started looking into it, it proved to be true indeed," she said.

McKevitt was also in attendance at this year's St Patrick's Day celebration at the White House, something she described as a "pinch-me moment".

• Read more here

Warm welcome for president in Carlingford

A warm welcome has been awaiting President Biden in Carlingford - especially from the Finnegans of the Cooley Peninsula, where the president traces his ancestral roots.

Also amongst the crowd will be nine-year-old Lughnasadh who will be saying hello to the president in 11 different languages.

BBC

Finnegans of the Cooley Peninsula awaiting Biden's arrival

BBC

Ann Finnegan (no relation) and Muireann, Teddy, Yasmin and Jason Kirk say they are all Americans for the day

BBC

Lughnasadh, nine, has made a sign saying hello to President Biden in 11 different languages

BBC

Hugh, Clodagh and Roisin Brady were joined by Cohen and Eilish Davey in the wait for the president in the rain

BreakingBiden arrives in County Louth

BBC

US President Joe Biden has arrived in County Louth, Ireland.

The trip to Louth is significant for Biden as it is where his great-grandfather Owen Finnegan was born. Finnegan emigrated to the United States in 1849.

Biden is expected to visit Carlingford Castle, before embarking on a walkabout around Carlingford and Dundalk later this evening.

Sunak emphasises good US relations - despite low-key role in Biden visit

Chris Mason

Political editor

The prospect of this presidential visit to Northern Ireland has been talked about for months, but lasted only hours.

There is no such thing as a low-key public trip for an American president, but this felt like it came close.

Not least because Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's involvement was minimal. He wasn’t at the president’s speech – a decision which, privately, raised some eyebrows in government - and he didn’t talk to Northern Ireland’s political parties.

He did, though, have a meeting with Joe Biden this morning, which lasted around 45 minutes – and emphasised how close his relationship with him is.

Relations between the White House and Downing Street do appear improved since Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss served as prime minister.

And the nature of the political impasse here meant a more grand, celebratory tone – or longer itinerary – was perhaps always unlikely.

Biden and Sunak agree Windsor Framework important for peace

The White House has given its own account of the talks between President Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Belfast earlier.

The pair welcomed the UK's updated deal with the EU - the Windsor Framework - as being an "important step" in preserving "peace and progress" in Northern Ireland.

The two leaders "reaffirmed their shared commitment" to the Good Friday Agreement to mark the 25th anniversary of the "landmark" peace deal, the White House adds.

The pair are also said to have exchanged views on a range of global issues, including their continued support for Ukraine after Russia's invasion.

In its own summary of the meeting a few hours ago (referred to in diplomatic media circles as a "readout"), Downing Street emphasised that both Biden and Sunak "expressed their sincere hope" that power-sharing government in Northern Ireland could be restored

Biden's Belfast speech was challenging but sensitive

Chris Page

Ireland correspondent

This was a presidential visit which required delicate diplomacy.

President Biden’s task was to sum up the achievements of the last 25 years - against a backdrop of more political instability in Belfast.

He said the return of the power-sharing devolved government was “critical” for Northern Ireland.

But he followed that up by adding: “That’s a decision for you to make, not for me to make.”

The remark was simultaneously challenging and sensitive.

The White House will have been aware that a tone which could have been interpreted as overbearing would have fuelled unionist hostility towards a president who they have often criticised in the past.

But Biden’s visit seems to have gone down reasonably well with Northern Ireland’s politicians - including the DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who said the president had made it clear he hadn’t come to "interfere".

'Biden sent message of prosperity and peace'

BBC

Joe Biden's speech was charactised by a message of "prosperity and peace", Ireland's former taoiseach (prime minister), Bertie Ahern, has told the BBC.

Ahern served as the head of Ireland's government between 1994 and 2008, working closely with the UK in the lead-up to the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.

Asked about the US president's remarks earlier, the former Fianna Fáil leader said Biden gave a balanced speech about "what we all want to see" - getting Northern Ireland's political institutions up and running again.

Ahern said Biden's emphasis on the positives of the updated Brexit deal for NI's economy - the Windsor Framework - showed Belfast had secured unique economic access to both the UK and EU markets.

"If you come and lecture either side it won't work," he added.

Biden spoke of threats to democracy during speech

Morgan Gisholt Minard

BBC News, Washington

Reuters

On the motorcade route outside Ulster University earlier, a lone Trump flag waved to greet the US president. A familiar sight in America - but an unexpected one for this president who so proudly touts his Irish-American ties to this place. Another protester nearby held a sign that read "Fake Catholic. Fake president."

Between folksy anecdotes designed for laugh lines about what Northern Ireland and the Republic mean to him, President Biden's remarks didn't focus solely on the international politics of this visit.

“Those of you who have been to America know there is a large population that is invested in what happens here,” Biden said during his speech at Ulster University.

"Supporting the people of Northern Ireland, protecting the peace, preserving the Belfast Good Friday Agreement is a priority for Democrats and Republicans alike in the United States, and that is unusual today because we have been very divided in our parties.”

The president's oft-repeated ode to the importance of democracy here, in America, and around the world was not missing from his brief remarks.

And his reference to the threats that American democracy faced during the 6 January riots at the US Capitol two years ago won’t have fallen on deaf ears for a city whose residents were once no stranger to persistent conflict and violence.

Belfast taxi drivers given token of historic visit

Declan Harvey

BBC News NI

The president has left a little "thank you" for some of the people who were involved in transporting his team in Belfast.

A local taxi driver tells me dozens of drivers like him have spent the last nine days dressed in black suits, as designated drivers for US officials.

He said he was given this to keep:

BBC

'Major disappointment'

Jake Liggett

BBC News NI

BBC

Cameron and Camilla travelled to Belfast from Dublin to catch a glimpse of Biden

Not everyone revelled in President Biden's visit to Belfast.

Cameron and Camilla travelled from Dublin - but Cameron described the experience as "a major disappointment", adding: “I don’t know why they spent so much money for that - it was only a few seconds.”

He said he also went to the city centre last night, but “didn’t even see him”.

Despite feeling let down, he said he would 100% do it all again as he loves "the drama”.

WATCH: Biden salutes Belfast Oscar-winner

Belfast barista-turned-actor James Martin was celebrated by President Biden during his speech at Ulster University earlier.

Biden said he would brag to his daughter about meeting the star of Oscar-winning film An Irish Goodbye when he returned home.

Joe Biden 'will brag' about meeting Oscar winner James Martin