Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
IRISH JOE
Martin and President-elect in ‘warm’ chat Family line traced by dad to Co Wexford
MICHEAL Martin believes Joe Biden will be “the most Irish of Irish presidents since JFK”.
And he gave the game away about the Government’s relief the Democrat beat Donald Trump when he said “we are particularly pleased” he had won.
The Taoiseach was speaking publicly for the first time about the incoming US President since the election.
Mr Martin was prompted to claim Mr Biden as Ireland’s own during Leaders’ Questions in the Dail after Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou Mcdonald, heaped praise on him first.
She said Mr Biden would be “a formidable ally” for Ireland and the EU in the upcoming crunch Brexit negotiations ahead of the December 31 deadline.
And Ms Mcdonald said the next US Commander in Chief could “reshape Brexit negotiations” and counter the “game-playing” of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
She added: “I think Mr Biden’s election is good for Ireland in many ways.
“He is, as we know, proud of his Irish roots and he is without doubt a longstanding friend of Ireland.”
COMMITTED
Mr Martin added: “We are particularly pleased with the election of Joe Biden as pre si d ent and that h e won the confidence of the American people, with an outstanding personal mandate, the largest ever.
“And it’s fair to say I think that he’s the most Irish of Irish presidents since John F Kennedy.
“He has nailed his colours to the mast in the past and he i s absolutely committed to the Good Friday Agreement, and to his resistance to any measures or malev olence that would undermine the Good Friday Agreement and peace on the island of Ireland.
“In the context of Brexit I think fundamentally the negotiations that have been under way now for quite some time between the EU and the UK in our view are ones that have to yield a sensible outcome.
“A comprehensive free trade agreement without any tariffs or quotas, that would limit the damage of jobs on the Irish economy, the British economy and the European economy.”
Mr Martin congratulated Mr Biden and his vice president-elect Kamala Harris on their historic success in a phone call yesterday.
An Irish Government spokesman said: “An Taoiseach Micheal Martin and President-elect Joe Biden spoke by phone this afternoon.
“In a warm conversation, presidentelect Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016. The President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement and they discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the Good Friday Agreement and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland.
“They looked forward to working together bilaterally and across a range of international areas including EU-US relations, the UN – including the Security Council, and on the important global challenges of Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change.”
The President-elect, who can trace his part of his roots to Ballina, also brought up Mayo’s win against Roscommon in the Connacht Football Championship last Sunday. Meanwhile, a family tree has
Mr Biden reaffirmed his support for Good Friday Agreement GOVT SPOKESMAN YESTERDAY
traced the Biden family line to Co Wexford.
The Democrat has roots in Mayo and connections in Louth but his ties to the south-east have now been discovered by an Irish dad.
Paul Roche’s interest in Mr Biden’s heritage was sparked when he discovered he shared a surname connection with the Vice President.
He unearthed the links on Myheritage. com. The Camolin man said: “I spotted part of his family name is Roche and I have traced it to Taghmon.”
Mr Roche went back seven generations to Maurice Roche whose son Patrick who was married to Mary Roche from Taghmon.
Thomas Roche was married to Bridget Fox. They emigrated to America with daughter Catherine.
James Finnegan married Catherine Roche, who had a brother, Peter. President-elect Biden’s grandfather Ambrose Joseph Finnegan was born to Catherine and
James in 1884. They lived in New York and moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Ambrose married Geraldine Blewitt in 1909 and their daughter Catherine Eugene Finnegan married Joseph Biden in 1941.
The President-elect was born on November 20 of the following year.
Mr Roche said he went back generations before the family left Taghmon.
He added: “His great-grandmother Catherine Roche emigrated from Taghmon in the 1840s and her brother Peter was born in New York in 1856 and Catherine got married and had a boy named Ambrose Joseph Finnegan who was a grandfather of Joe Biden.”
Mr Roche was amazed to discover the link with Co Wexford which already has one of the most significant connections with any American president in J F K, whose greatg ra n d f a t h e r Pat r i c k h a i l e d from Dunganstown.
He said: “Where the Roches lived was only 18 miles from Dunganstown.
“Both great-grandparents possibly left New Ross around the same time for America.”