Biden's coming back to Louth

The worst kept secret in Louth is out, as it has been officially confirmed that US President Joe Biden will visit the Wee County tomorrow.

Excitement was building throughout the week as rumours abounded of Secret Service agents at King John’s Castle in Carlingford and plain closed gardai taking notes on Clanbrassil Street.

The White House released an official statement last Wednesday stating the president’s intention to visit Louth, but it was only on Saturday that official confirmation came from Louth County Council with the local authority saying visits to both Dundalk and Carlingford were on the cards.

Biden will make a return to the Cooley peninsula, the place from which his great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th Century.

It is also understood that he will then travel to Dundalk for a walkabout, becoming the second US president to visit the town after Bill Clinton attracted crowds of 60,000 in 2000.

Over the last few days, the town has been a hive of activity as footpaths are repaired and cleaned and rumours circulated that the pitches at DkIT have been marked as an alternative landing zone for the president’s Marine 1 helicopter.
Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council Conor Keelan welcomed news of the visit.

Cllr Keelan said: “On behalf of the people of County Louth, we are thrilled to note that President Biden will be visiting us this coming Wednesday.

“He has close and long-standing ties with the county and the Cooley Peninsula, and we look forward to extending the warmest of welcomes to him. I have no doubt that he will witness a large and welcoming County Louth gathering.”

Joan Martin, Chief Executive, Louth County Council, said local people would give the president a warm welcome:

“We are really honoured that Joe Biden has opted to come once again and visit us in Co. Louth, this time as President of the United States.

“We have been working with the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the United States Embassy in our preparations for the visit; and are confident that he will receive a rousing welcome and great memories to take away from his visit.”

In a previous visit to Co. Louth in 2016, as Vice President, Louth County Council bestowed Joe Biden with the Freedom of Co. Louth. He remains the only individual to hold this honour.

Last Thursday Carlingford was bustling with excitement as national and international media descended on the town in anticipation of a homecoming for “cousin Joe” as he is expected to again meet up with his distant relations.

“There’s a real sense of euphoria at the minute as we’re all eagerly anticipating the visit,” said local councillor and fifth cousin to the president, Andrea McKevitt.

It was less than a month ago that Councillor McKevitt met the president in Washington as part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

“We’re all waiting on the details of where he’s going to go and who he’s going to see.

“There’s an awful amount of rumours about where he’s going to visit, but nothing’s definite yet.”

Over the weekend, a Chinook helicopter landed on the Cooley Kickhams football pitch further fuelling speculation regarding the president’s itinerary on the peninsula.

“We heard he might be visiting the Castle and there were a lot of security guys in there.

“It’s a massive opportunity for our county to promote tourism. This is the second presidential visit that we’ve had, so it’s mega.”

Biden’s visit comes as people on both sides of the border mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and Fianna Fail senator and Cooley native, Erin McGreehan, feels the symbolism of visiting a border county is hugely significant. Senator McGreehan said:

“The timing of President Biden’s visit is significant. He has chosen to visit the island on the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, an agreement that we know is hugely important to him.

“For us here on the border, it has been of life-changing importance. That is why, for me, this visit to Cooley is hugely significant.”

She also said it was a wonderful opportunity for the “land of legends”, giving it the opportunity to give the world a glimpse of what it has to offer.

She added:

“This beautiful place that we all love has had difficult times, but over the past few decades, it has gone from strength to strength.

“The optimism and pride we all have in this historic place is shared by President Biden, who we can say with pride is one of ours, a son of Whitestown.”

She noted that President Biden’s ancestors left in the late 1840s when the Famine was raging. They left behind an impoverished, suffering place.

“But the President is now coming, for the second time, to a prosperous, thriving peninsula as leader of the country his family had fled to for a better life.

“That encapsulates the American Dream, but is also illustrative of what peace brought to us all, the optimism, the belief and the ambition.

“We are very lucky in the peninsula to have the eyes of the world on us, to get a glimpse of some of what it has to offer.”
Senator McGreehan concluded by saying that it is such an honour to be the senator from his parish.

“I very much look forward to welcoming Cooley’s first American President to his ancestral home.

“His last visit is remembered with such joy and I am in no doubt that the memory of this visit will remain with local people for years to come.”

The Louth senator is proposing that a commemorative stamp be issued to mark the occasion.

One was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F Kennedy’s visit, “but why wait so long?” she asked. “Let’s do it now.”

She has written to An Post CEO, David McRedmond, asking him to consider the proposal and says she is more than hopeful of a positive result.

“Given the significance of the visit, I believe a commemorative stamp featuring President Biden would be a fitting tribute to his role in strengthening the bond between the US and Ireland. It would serve as a lasting reminder of the importance of his visit to both countries.”

Urging Mr McRedmond to consider her proposal, Sen McGreehan added that the President is the epitome of the American Dream for people emigrating for a better life.

She said it was quite extraordinary that after his ancestors had put down roots in America, generations later they have an American President in their family tree.