Irish Bide and joy...
Joe tells the world how his family’s immigrant roots helped shape him
JOE Biden has shared his Irish pride with the world and said he is a “proud descendent” of immigrants.
The US President made the remarks in honour of National Immigrant Heritage Month, which began this week.
From listening to tales of his Irish ancestors to standing inside a Co Mayo cathedral built by his great-great-grandfather earlier this year, Mr Biden said that his family’s experience helped shape him.
He said in a social media post on Monday: “America is more than a place, it is an idea... and that very idea of America has been advanced by immigrants from every part of the world – my ancestors and yours.
“The First Lady and I are proud descendants of immigrants – the Giacoppas, from the northeast corner of Sicily in Italy, and the Finnegans of County Louth and the Blewitts of County Mayo in Ireland.”
Mr Biden enjoyed a trip to Ireland in April where he visited Ballina, Co Mayo, the birthplace of his maternal great-greatgrandfather Patrick Blewitt.
His paternal great-great-grandparents, Owen Finnegan and Jean Boyle, emigrated from Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth.
Mr Biden added: “This spring, I had the chance to travel back to Ireland, to walk the ground my ancestors walked, and to celebrate the bonds that connect us still.
“Over the years, stories of that place have become part of my soul.
“I stood beside a cathedral built of bricks that my great-great-great-grandfather supplied. I imagined his son bringing his family across the ocean during the famine of 1850, leaving all they had known for hope on a distant shore. “I remembered stories of his son – my great-grandfather – who kept those roots alive in Scranton, helping to found the Irish American Association, chairing the St Patrick’s Day Parade, and passing that pride on to his granddaughter, my mom.”
Mr Biden, 80, said his ancestors’ values of “hard work, dignity, and respect” are something he has tried to pass on to his kids and grandchildren. He added: “Most Americans have their own version of that same story – ancestors who overcame incredible odds to build new lives in this promised land and contribute to the fabric of our nation.
“Today, one third of our doctors and nearly three quarters of our farmworkers are immigrants, and so many more are essential workers, first responders, and military service members.”
Over the years, stories of that place have become part of my soul
JOE BIDEN ON HIS TRIP BACK TO IRELAND EARLIER THIS YEAR