Biden Ireland visit – live: US president to hold talks with Sunak ahead of keynote speech
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Joe Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Rishi Sunak in Belfast on Wednesday after arriving in Northern Ireland last night as part of a historic four-day trip to Ireland.
Mr Sunak greeted the US president after Air Force One landed at RAF Aldergrove on Tuesday night ahead of engagements across the week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1998.
The two leaders met briefly before the president drove away in an armoured car amid a scattering of snow.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris was also present as Mr Biden alighted from the aircraft with US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy.
Later, the leaders of Northern Ireland’s main political parties will have the opportunity to engage with Mr Biden before he delivers an address at Ulster University’s new £350 million Belfast campus.
Mr Sunak will not attend Mr Biden‘s keynote speech, with Downing Street on Tuesday denying that the engagement between the pair would be “low-key”.
Key Points
US president to hold bilateral talks with Mr Sunak in Belfast
Biden meets Rishi Sunak as he lands in Northern Ireland as part of historic four-day trip
US president touches down in Antrim
Huge security operation in place for Biden visit
Mayo town ‘buzzing’ ahead of president’s arrival
Packed itinerary for four-day visit of Joe Biden to island of Ireland
04:00 , Sam Rkaina
Wednesday:
– The president will hold bilateral talks with Mr Sunak in Belfast in the morning.
– Mr Biden is also expected to hold talks with Northern Ireland’s main political parties. The powersharing Assembly established by the Good Friday Agreement is currently not operating due to a protest by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
– In his main engagement in Northern Ireland, Mr Biden will deliver a keynote speech at Ulster University’s new £350 million Belfast campus. The president tweeted that he would use the occasion to underscore his nation’s “commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity” in the region.
– Mr Biden will then cross the border. He will travel to Co Louth where he has ancestral roots. His great-grandfather Owen Finnegan left the county for the US in the 1840s. During the visit, he county, he will tour Carlingford Castle.
– Mr Biden will stay overnight in Dublin.
What is Joe Biden’s Irish heritage?
08:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The US president, who was born and raised among Irish-Americans in Scranton, Pennsylvania, rarely misses an opportunity to express his pride in his heritage or quote one of the many Irish poets he admires such as WB Yeats and Seamus Heaney.
”Every time I’d walk out of his house in Scranton, when I lived there for a while, he’d look at me and say, ‘Joey, remember, the best drop of blood in you is Irish,’” he said of his grandfather on St Patrick’s Day last month.
Mr Biden last visited the island of Ireland in 2016 while serving as Barack Obama’s vice president but traces his roots, on his mother’s side of the family, all the way back to Edward Blewitt, his great-great-great-grandfather, of County Mayo and to the Finnegan family of County Louth “who boarded coffin ships to cross the Atlantic more than 165 years ago”, in his telling.
What is Joe Biden’s Irish heritage?
Watch: Rishi Sunak greets Joe Biden as US president lands in Belfast
08:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland for anniversary ‘significant’, says Blair
07:00 , Sam Rkaina
Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair has described Joe Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland as “significant” as the US President is due to arrive on Tuesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The ex-Labour leader spoke of the importance of using “the American influence on the process with care and with sensitivity” adding “there’s a difference between influencing and pressurising and the one tends to be positive and the other can be negative”.
Mr Biden is expected to meet members of Stormont’s main political parties as part of a visit he said will underscore his nation’s “commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity” in Northern Ireland.
Sir Tony told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well, it is significant. You’ve got to use the American influence on the process with care and with sensitivity.
“I obviously had a very close relationship with President Clinton outside of the peace process, but I found him immensely helpful.
“He would immediately understand strategically what was important and what wasn’t and the Americans can play an important part of this, but you’ve just got to be, you’ve got to insert them at the right moment and in the right place.”
West of Ireland on Friday
06:00 , Sam Rkaina
Friday:
– The president will travel to the west of Ireland, where he will tour the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock and visit the North Mayo Heritage and Genealogical Centre’s family history research unit.
– The visit will conclude when Mr Biden makes a public speech at St Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina.
Mr Biden’s great-great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt sold 27,000 bricks to the cathedral in 1827, which helped him to afford to buy tickets for himself and his family to sail to America decades later in 1851.
Thursday itinerary
05:00 , Sam Rkaina
Thursday:
– The US president will meet Irish President Michael D Higgins at his official residence Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park. The park will be closed for 24 hours to accommodate the visit. Mr Biden will also take part in a tree-planting ceremony and a ringing of the Peace Bell.
– Mr Biden will travel for talks with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, whom he recently hosted at the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
– He will then address the Dail, becoming the fourth US president to do so – following John F Kennedy in 1963, Ronald Reagan in 1984 and Bill Clinton in 1995.
– On Thursday evening, Mr Biden will attend a banquet dinner in his honour at Dublin Castle.
‘Big own goal’ for Stormont during Biden’s visit
03:00 , Liam James
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said it was a “big own goal” that the Northern Ireland Assembly is not operating for the visit of US President Joe Biden.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, the former Irish premier and Fianna Fail leader was asked if he was disappointed with the duration of Mr Biden‘s visit and the fact that the US president would not be addressing Stormont.
Northern Ireland’s executive has not been sitting since the powersharing agreement between major parties broke down after last year’s elections.
Mr Ahern said: “I am very disappointed with that. I mean, the whole idea when this visit was mooted last year was that we would try and resolve the issues between the European Union and the UK.
“Then we weren’t making much progress on that until October, then Rishi Sunak came in. So it is a huge pity and a huge disappointment that the president of the free world, the United States, is not addressing the assembly, there’s no good hiding that fact. It’s a big own goal in my view.
Sunak to recognise heart transplant boy on Northern Ireland trip
02:00 , Liam James
Rishi Sunak is to personally present a six-year-old boy who is awaiting a heart transplant with an award recognising his “outstanding” contribution to his community.
The presentation to Daithi Mac Gabhann is one of the Prime Minister’s engagements coinciding with US President Joe Biden‘s visit to Northern Ireland.
A new organ donation law for Northern Ireland is named in honour of the Belfast boy in recognition of his and his family’s campaign for law changes.
Mr Sunak will meet Daithi and his family as part of the Prime Minister’s daily Points of Light award.
No formal meeting with Biden for Northern Ireland’s parties, says White House
01:00 , Liam James
The White House said there will not be a formal group meeting between US president Joe Biden and Northern Ireland’s five main political parties.
He will have an opportunity to engage with the leaders of the parties ahead of a speech on Wednesday at Ulster University.
Joe Biden to meet Northern Ireland leaders as US ‘nudges’ DUP to end Brexit stand-off
Wednesday 12 April 2023 00:00 , Liam James
Joe Biden is set to meet the leaders of Northern Ireland’s political parties in Belfast on Wednesday ahead of a speech to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (Adam Forrest writes).
The US president will hold an informal meeting with the leaders of the five parties at the start of his four-day trip, The Independent understands.
A top ally of President Biden said the US administration would “prod” and “nudge” the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its protest over post-Brexit trading arrangements and resume its participation in the power-sharing institutions at Stormont.
Dozens of police officers and secret service vehicles descended on Belfast in a major security operation ahead of the visit.
Click here for the full story:
Joe Biden to meet Northern Ireland leaders as US ‘nudges’ DUP
Biden on the tarmac: In pictures
Tuesday 11 April 2023 23:20 , Liam James
More photographs have come through of the opening moments of the US president’s trip to Northern Ireland.
Biden's family trip
Tuesday 11 April 2023 22:45 , Liam James
Besides reaffirming his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, Joe Biden will use his Northern Ireland trip to reconnect with his roots.
The president often speaks proudly of his Irish heritage and has traced his ancestry back to County Louth in the Republic of Ireland, where he will head tomorrow to visit the site of family graves.
His son Hunter Biden and sister Valerie Biden Owen are believed to be accompanying him for the trip.
Mr Biden previously visited Ireland in June 2016 as vice-president to Barack Obama.
Tuesday 11 April 2023 22:20 , Liam James
Joe Biden left the airfield at RAF Aldergrove in an armoured car after meeting Rishi Sunak.
UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris was also present as Mr Biden alighted from the aircraft with US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy.
The US president will carry out several other engagements across the week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1998.
Full story: Joe Biden meets Rishi Sunak as he lands in Northern Ireland as part of historic four-day trip
Tuesday 11 April 2023 22:00 , Liam James
US president Joe Biden has landed in Belfast as part of a historic four-day trip to the island of Ireland (Cillian Sherlock writes).
He was greeted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after Air Force One landed at RAF Aldergrove on Tuesday night.
The two leaders met briefly before the president drove away in an armoured car amid a light scattering of snow.
Click here for the full story:
Watch: Biden touches down in Northern Ireland
Tuesday 11 April 2023 21:45 , Liam James
Joe Biden touched down in Northern Ireland minutes ago. The US president was filmed descending the steps of Air Force One before meeting Rishi Sunak.
Biden greeted by Sunak
Tuesday 11 April 2023 21:32 , Liam James
Rishi Sunak was waiting on the tarmac in County Antrim as Air Force One touched down.
Joe Biden left the plane and walked over to the British prime minister.
The pair shook hands and exchanged a few words.
Tuesday 11 April 2023 21:21 , Sam Rkaina
US President Joe Biden has touched down at a military base in County Antrim as he begins a four-day visit to the island of Ireland.
Biden has said he will use his visit to the island of Ireland to “keep the peace”, as he left the US for his four-day trip.
The US president invoked the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and the recently negotiated Windsor Framework as he prepared to set off for Northern Ireland.
No formal meeting between Biden and Northern Ireland’s five main parties
Tuesday 11 April 2023 20:37 , Sam Rkaina
The White House said there will not be a formal group meeting between US President Joe Biden and Northern Ireland’s five main political parties.
Mr Biden is due to land in Northern Ireland on Tuesday night.
He will have an opportunity to engage with the leaders of the parties ahead of a speech on Wednesday at Ulster University.
Northern Ireland Assembly not operating is “big own goal”
Tuesday 11 April 2023 20:37 , Sam Rkaina
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said it was a “big own goal” that the Northern Ireland Assembly is not operating for the visit of US President Joe Biden.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, the former Irish premier and Fianna Fail leader was asked if he was disappointed with the duration of Mr Biden’s visit and the fact that the US president would not be addressing Stormont.
He said: “I am very disappointed with that. I mean, the whole idea when this visit was mooted last year was that we would try and resolve the issues between the European Union and the UK.
“Then we weren’t making much progress on that until October, then Rishi Sunak came in. So it is a huge pity and a huge disappointment that the president of the free world, the United States, is not addressing the assembly, there’s no good hiding that fact. It’s a big own goal in my view.”
Partner of murdered journalist says its “pathetic and sad” violence has erupted in Northern Ireland again
Tuesday 11 April 2023 20:17 , Sam Rkaina
The partner of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has said it is “pathetic and sad” that violence has erupted in Northern Ireland again.
Easter weekend saw a police Land Rover come under attack, with masked youths throwing petrol bombs and launching fireworks before it drove off in flames.
US President Joe Biden is visiting Northern Ireland as part of a series of engagements to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Sara Canning condemned the violence and believes the Good Friday Agreement is in peril due to the political vacuum in the province which also risks rendering the Biden visit meaningless.
In an interview with Channel 4 News on Tuesday about events over the weekend, she said: “If I’m honest, I’m not surprised, it’s Easter and it’s only been almost four years since Lyra was killed in a similar kind of a circumstance.
“It’s really pathetic and it’s sad that we are back there again.
“The people of Creggan deserve better, the people in Northern Ireland and Ireland as a whole deserve better, but there’s always going to be that minority that are going to drag us back and do something that we, none of us, want to be a part of.
“And it’s really sad, you look at the demographics again and it’s all young kids.
“The people behind that, the paramilitaries, will tell you those children support this and they understand.
“They don’t understand, they’re there because there’s nothing else for them to do. They’re bored. They’re off school and they’re running the streets wild.”
Ms McKee was killed almost four years ago.
Police chairman hits out over suspected pipebombs found in cemetery
Tuesday 11 April 2023 20:01 , Sam Rkaina
Police Federation for Northern Ireland chairman Liam Kelly said the placement of four suspected pipe bombs inside a cemetery in Creggan is a clear statement of intent to cause harm to police officers.
Mr Kelly said: “They don’t mind who gets hurt as they plough on with their redundant agenda. They don’t care if innocent people get seriously injured or killed.
“They are callous individuals who would drag the Creggan and the city back to the dark ages of bitter and pointless conflict. They seek to wreak havoc and exercise ruthless control over a community that deserves better.
“I want to praise the steadfast and dedicated work of my colleagues. Furthermore, I would appeal to the many decent people in Creggan to tell the police who the ringleaders are so that they can work to prevent them from inflicting devastating harm.
“These gangs have nothing to offer the community. They inspire unrest, paranoia and tell tall tales. They bully and mislead young people and use them as cannon fodder armed with petrol bombs and bricks.
“It’s high time these thugs were rejected, shunned and placed before the courts so they can be put where they belong, behind bars. This will ensure that the community can live in peace and work collaboratively to build a better future for everyone.”
Biden visit will “underscore the importance” of US-Irish relations
Tuesday 11 April 2023 19:47 , Sam Rkaina
US ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin said Joe Biden will “underscore the importance” of US-Irish relations.
“I think it’s very well known that he has a great fondness and affection for this country, the home of his ancestors,” she said. “But it’s also a time for him to underscore the importance of the US-Irish relationship, which remains so strong always.”
Speaking to RTE, Ms Cronin said the “excitement is palpable” in Mr Biden’s ancestral homeland of Co Mayo.
“I mean, there are flags in the windows. Wherever you go, people are talking about it, they’re excited about it and I know he will be too,” she said.
She added that festivities and “great entertainment” in Ballina will commence at around 7pm on Friday.
“The Chieftains are reuniting for a special show after we lost Paddy Moloney,” she said. “It’ll be very emotional for them to be back together for the first time since then, so we’re really looking forward to that.”
She added that the embassy had put out the “Infant of Prague” as part of a tradition in hope of good weather.
Small Irish town prepares for president’s trip
Tuesday 11 April 2023 19:11 , Liam James
Joe Biden is set to reconnect with his roots at Carlingford Castle tomorrow.
The town of Carlingford has been busy ahead of his arrival, hanging US flags and messages welcoming the president.
The US president has relatives buried in nearby Templetown.
Biden-Sunak talks won’t be ‘low-key’, Downing Street insists
Tuesday 11 April 2023 17:30 , Liam James
Downing Street has denied that Rishi Sunak’s interactions with Joe Biden in Northern Ireland this week are “low-key”, despite reports their talks were downgraded by the US.
The prime minister will greet the US president off Air Force One when he arrives this evening, with talks to follow in Belfast the next morning.
The White House pushed to scale back their meeting from a bilateral to a less formal coffee, The New York Times reported, quoting an official jokingly dubbing it a “bi-latte”.
Asked why the plans appeared low-key, a No 10 spokesman told reporters: “I wouldn’t characterise it as that. As I’ve said the prime minister will see him tonight, he will see him again tomorrow.
“You’ve seen the president’s actions during his time demonstrate that we have a close relationship. His first visit outside of North America was to the UK, where he met both the Queen and the Prince of Wales.”
“We continue to have an incredibly positive working relationship with the president and the US government.”
Biden and Sunak must discuss Troubles bill, says Amnesty
Tuesday 11 April 2023 17:00 , Liam James
Government plans to deal with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland should be on the agenda when Rishi Sunak meets Joe Biden, Amnesty International has said.
The human rights organisation has called on the prime minister to scrap its Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, stating that it erodes the Good Friday Agreement.
The legislation proposes offering immunity for people accused of crimes during the Troubles as long as they co-operate with a new truth recovery body.
It would also would stop future court processes or inquests.
Along with Amnesty International, victims’ groups have expressed opposition to the Bill. Several protests have taken place over the last several weeks, with victims’ families carrying banners and placards demanding truth and justice for loved ones.
Biden says he will ‘keep the peace’ on Ireland trip
Tuesday 11 April 2023 16:26 , Liam James
Joe Biden said he will use his visit to the island of Ireland to “keep the peace”, as he left the US for his four-day trip.
The US president invoked the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and the recently negotiated Windsor Framework, which changes Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading rules.
Mr Biden, speaking to reporters before his departure, said that his top priority was to “make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement stay in place, keep the peace”.
“That’s the main thing,” he said.
Mr Biden will arrive in Northern Ireland later this evening.
Good Friday Agreement: Biden 'very excited' for his four-day visit to Ireland
Tuesday 11 April 2023 15:36 , Joe Middleton
What are Joe Biden’s Irish roots?
Tuesday 11 April 2023 15:18 , Joe Middleton
Joe Biden will arrive in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday evening to mark the 25-year anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
For an American president with deep Irish roots, it won’t be a typical trip to the ancestral homeland.
Mr Biden is expected to meet representatives from five Northern Irish political parties at a time when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is continuing to boycott the devolved power-sharing government in Stormont in protest at post-Brexit trading rules that treat the province differently to the rest of the UK.
Joe Sommerlad has the details.
What are Joe Biden’s Irish roots?
Co Mayo town ‘buzzing’ ahead of Biden visit, says relative of US president
Tuesday 11 April 2023 15:09 , Joe Middleton
The town of Ballina in Co Mayo will never have witnessed anything like the visit of Joe Biden, a relative of the US president has said.
Joe Blewitt, a third cousin of Mr Biden, said there is a “great buzz” in the area ahead of the president’s arrival.
Preparations are well under way for the event on Friday, which will be the culmination of Mr Biden’s trip to the island of Ireland.
Co Mayo town ‘buzzing’ ahead of Biden visit, says relative of US president
Huge security operation for Joe Biden visit underway
Tuesday 11 April 2023 15:04 , Joe Middleton
Dozens of police officers and secret service vehicles descended on Belfast on Tuesday morning in a major security operation ahead of US President Joe Biden‘s visit.
Bedford Street was closed to traffic, along with several side streets surrounding the Grand Central Hotel.
The street remained open to pedestrians as dozens of police and a number of armoured vehicles filled the area.
There were also several police vehicles surrounding Ulster University.
Mr Biden was due to visit the university’s new building on Wednesday before heading to the Republic of Ireland.
Anne Tennyson, from Belfast, welcomed the visit, despite the extensive security measures.
“I think it’s great, it’s great to see him coming here,” she said.
“It’s fantastic. Belfast has cleaned itself up and prepared for it and it’s looking great.”
