President Michael D Higgins welcomed US president Joe Biden to Áras an Uachtaráin for the diplomatic high-point of his visit to Ireland on Thursday.
In bright sunshine on a fresh morning, Mr Biden arrived to Mr Higgins’s residence on Thursday running slightly behind schedule, where he was met by the Irish President and Sabina Higgins.
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Mr Biden spent the morning meeting dignitaries and in a private conversation with his Irish counterpart. He also planted a tree, and rang the ceremonial peace bell – inaugurated in 2008 to mark the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast Agreement.
Members of the Irish delegation arrived from 11am, including Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who was met by the Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Seán Clancy.
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Lieut Gen Clancy then escorted Mr Higgins to the main entrance with Sabina Higgins, where they met Mr Biden.
Mr Biden has said he hopes the Stormont Executive “begins to function as it used to” as a representative body in Northern Ireland, after ringing the peace bell in Áras an Uachtaráin during his official visit with President Michael D Higgins.
In brief remarks after the ceremony, during which he also planted an oak tree in the grounds of the Áras, he spoke about how his ancestors and those of former US president Barack Obama left from the same Irish port five weeks apart. “The idea they both would seek a new life and think their great, great grandsons would end up becoming president of the United States is just remarkable”.
“That’s the Irish of it,” he said.
Speaking about his Irish heritage, Mr Biden said “you hear all these stories about what it was like back in Ireland, they heard from their parents, their grandparents, their great grandparents.”
He said his grandfather used to say his grandfather told him how Scranton, Pennsylvania, was just like the Boyne Valley, a place he visited when he came to Ireland first. “And you could see, a hundred years ago [Scranton] would look like the Boyne.”
Mr Biden would not be drawn on the detail of an investigation into leaked US military documents related to the war in Ukraine.
He said there was a “full blown” investigation underway with the intelligence community and the Justice Department. “They’re getting close, I don’t have an answer”. He said he was concerned the leak happened but “there was nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that I’m aware of that is of great consequence”.
After the greeting on arrival, the party proceeded to the drawingroom in the Áras, where Mr Higgins introduced Mr Martin and Orla O’Hanranhan, secretary general to the president, to Mr Biden.
Mr Higgins then led Mr Biden down the Francini Corridor in the Áras, flanked by busts of Irish presidents on one side. In the State reception room, Mr Biden signed the visitors’ book, before Mr Higgins introduced Lieut Gen Clancy and Brig Gen Tony Cudmore, Officer Commanding, 2nd Brigade.
Both men then proceeded back to the front of the building, where a Guard of Honour presented arms and the national anthems of the United States and Ireland were played. Mr Biden inspected the display, and was then introduced to the Irish delegation by Mr Higgins.
The Irish delegation includes Mr Martin, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, Ms O’Hanrahan, Irish ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne-Nason, Dermot Woods, Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Taoiseach, George Burke, Deputy secretary general to the President, Claire Power, adviser to the President, Lt Gen Clancy, Brig Gen Cudmore and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
Mr Biden then introduced the US delegation to Mr Higgins, including cabinet members Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Claire Cronin, the US ambassador to Ireland, Jon Finer, an assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, as well as presidential assistants Bruce Reed, Mike Donilon and Amanda Sloat.
Mr Higgins and Mr Biden then went to the President’s Study for a private meeting. Following this, they were escorted to the tree-planting area with Sabina Higgins, where Mr Higgins introduced Donal Nugent, head gardener at the Áras, followed by the tree-planting ceremony and a salute by four army buglers.
The tradition of tree planting began during Queen Victoria’s 1853 visit to the then-viceregal lodge, and trees have been planted by Pope John Paul II, US presidents John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, as well as each of Ireland’s nine presidents.
Mr Higgins, Mr Biden and Sabina Higgins then lined up beside the Peace Bell, installed in 2008 to mark the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast Agreement. Mr Biden rang the bell four times, saying “for Ireland” and “for the United States”, for his ancestors and “for peace”.
The bell is made of an old, refurbished bell from the viceregal days, suspended from a central piece of an oak tree from the grounds, in turn supported by two oak trunks – one from Co Antrim and one from Co Dublin.
The group then returned to the drawingroom, where Mr Higgins introduced Mr Biden to representatives of civil society – including Siptu general secretary Joe Cunningham, IBEC chief executive Danny McCoy, Ictu president Kevin Callinan and Macra na Feirme president Elaine Houlihan.
Mr Biden also met Mary Cunningham from the National Youth Council and Orla O’Connor, director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, alongside Beth O’Reilly, president of the Union of Students of Ireland and Monnine Griffith, chief executive of BeLonG To. Irish soccer hero Paul McGrath was also present as part of the civil society group.
The US congressional delegation members travelling to Farmleigh will then depart, and the president and Sabina Higgins will escort Mr Biden to the main entrance for the official departure. President and Sabine Higgins will then meet members of the congressional delegation and Mr Biden’s family members in the State Reception Room and the Council of State Room.
