WELCOME TO BIDDEN TOWN
President-elect’s Irish cousins in his ancestral hometown celebrate a historic win
WHEN the news came in late yesterday afternoon, a massive roar went up around the Market Square of Ballina, Co. Mayo, as Joe Biden’s relatives, well-wishers and friends screamed their approval for the new president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
There may be more than 3,000 miles between them but it is clear Joe Biden’s Irish relatives are with him every step of the way on the road to becoming the 46th occupant of the White House.
And yesterday as they gathered with hundreds of well-wishers, the former vice president’s third and fourth cousins could barely contain their excitement as they realised the next time their paths cross their Joe will be the US President.
Grinning from ear to ear, President-elect Biden’s third cousin Joe Blewitt said last night: ‘We’re over the moon. It’s brilliant.’
Mr Blewitt, a gas installer whose work van is emblazoned with the slogan ‘Joe Biden for the White House, Joe Blewitt for your house’, revealed he took a call from his US relatives
It was lovely of them to ring us. It just goes to show they are a lovely family
within minutes of Mr Biden’s victory being declared.
Mr Blewitt told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘They phoned a little while ago. They told us they were all together as a family today.
‘They are absolutely thrilled. They can’t believe it. It was lovely of them to ring us… it just goes to show they are a lovely family. They are the same as ourselves.’
Asked whether a presidential visit might be on the cards soon, Mr Blewitt said: ‘They didn’t say anything about coming over. It was a short call.’
As the result came in, Joe’s wife Deirdre added: ‘This is unreal.’
They had waited all day for this moment, with the excitement building and corks popping.
As well-wishers gathered in the ancestral hometown of the next president of the United States, locals beeped their car horns, chants of ‘Here Joe, let’s go’ were sung and a life-sized cut-out of Mr Biden was held aloft.
People gathered beneath American flag bunting and many of the well-wishers arrived carrying their own US flags, all belting out local anthem The Green And Red Of Mayo together, amid the spray of champagne.
Among those there was Caroline Wilson. ‘I’m a neighbour of the Blewitts and I grew up down the road from them,’ she said.
‘I’m delighted for them on this historic occasion.’
‘I would know the family well. It’s hard to believe that someone I know will have an influence and a connection with the White House. I expect they will be making every effort to make it to the inauguration.’
Another delighted local said: ‘Trump wanted to close down the two American factories here in Ballina. He’s a sour aul’ yoke. God only knows what he will do between now and the 20th of January. But enough about him. It’s Biden now.’
Joe Biden’s great-great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt was born in Ballina town more than 200 years ago and the brickmaker is credited with supplying the 27,000 bricks needed to build the local Catholic Cathedral.
He was also instrumental in finding work for poverty-stricken families during the Famine years of the mid-1840s.
Edward and his wife emigrated to America along with their eight children in 1851 and they settled in Pennsylvania – the State which propelled Edward’s great-great-great grandson into his new residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Earlier in the day, the US president-elect’s third cousin Brendan Blewitt said: ‘It’s a big honour. We didn’t realise we were related until he became vice president.
‘I wish him the height of luck. He has a big job of work ahead of him. I think he is ready for it.
‘It’s unreal... it’s a long way from Ballina to becoming the President of America.’
Fighting back the tears as she stood under a mural erected in honour of her fourth cousin, Deirdre
Blewitt – who is Joe Blewitt’s first cousin – said: ‘The Blewitt family were engineers and they worked to get people out of workhouses.
‘I’m getting very emotional thinking about this but they were always fighting for their country, their town, their village, to do better. Joe has had so much loss in his life. He knows what loss is and he still pulled himself up. His mother used to say to him, “Joey pull yourself up get yourself out in the world”.
‘Doing better, it’s in his family, it’s in his genes. It just goes to show that there’s nothing to stop any of us reaching for the stars.’
The mural in the Mayo town square was painted by two local artists Smiler Mitchell and Leslie Lackey.
And as the Champagne corks popped and the bubbles flowed beneath it, Breege Bourke recalled with a smile how she and her relatives first met their American cousin four years ago.
Back then Joe Biden was President Barack Obama’s vice president and after a cloak and daggers-style secret service operation, she and several other cousins spent hours with him chatting and laughing over lunch at a local hotel. She said: ‘We met in the Breffni House and Joe was and is a very humble man. We’re very proud of him.’
A year after visiting Ballina in June 2016 the presumptive 46th president of the United States returned for a private visit.
This time there was no obvious secret service entourage as he made his way around Ballina discreetly dropping into local coffee shops before he knocked on the door of former Irish President Mary Robinson’s childhood home which has since been converted into a presidential library.
Locals pointed out that yesterday was the 30th anniversary to the day of Ballina woman Mary Robinson being elected president of Ireland, the first woman to hold the office.
And local teacher Aileen Horkan is convinced it is only a matter of time before Joe Biden returns to the west of Ireland town.
She said: ‘This is a great lift for Ballina and we could do with one.
‘Ballina was on the map because of Mary Robinson but this will really put Ballina on the map. Joe will come back here.’